Around the Hamptons: Volunteers collect 5K plastic items during cleanup; applications for senior tax work off being accepted

Nip bottles in the water by Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton.

Nip bottles in the water by Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

By ALEXA LEWIS

Staff Writer

Published: 09-20-2024 2:56 PM

EASTHAMPTON — After enjoying the music and refreshments offered at this year’s River Roads Festival, artists and community members banded together for a noble cause: picking up trash to preserve clean waterways. Nearly 40 volunteers made it out to Millside Park last Sunday, picking up hundreds of pounds of trash and debris.

Volunteers collected about 300 pounds of trash, including more than 5,000 plastic items, such as the 600 nip bottles that were picked up.

“I am always astounded by the sheer volume, particularly plastic materials, that we collect during these cleanups,” Easthampton City Councilor and cleanup organizer Owen Zaret said in a statement. “It is a stark reminder of the ongoing need for state-level legislation around single-use plastics and nonrecyclable bottles, particularly nip bottles.”

The annual Source to Sea Cleanup, organized in partnership with the Connecticut River Conservancy, offers a chance for community engagement and environmental awareness by highlighting the issue of plastic pollution in local waterways. Volunteers were joined by artists Dar Williams and High Tea, as well as the Connecticut River Conservancy, to pick up everything from cigarette butts and metal to tires and foam materials. 

“Our ongoing collaboration with the Connecticut River Conservancy and volunteers willing to spend time participating in these cleanups is critical to continuing to keep our city and beyond free of needless trash,” said Zaret.

More information about the Connecticut River Conservancy is available at ctriver.org. Community members are also encouraged to check Facebook for updates from the Easthampton Beautification Team, which also hosts regular cleanups. 

Candidates wanted for senior tax work off

EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton homeowners aged 60 and older may be eligible to apply for the senior tax work-off program. Through this program, seniors can work a few hours a week at the senior center, city hall, parks, the library and more to earn credit on their fiscal year 2026 property tax.

Those who work the maximum of 100 hours can earn a $1,500 credit at $15 per hour. Those who work less than 100 hours can receive a prorated credit. Position start dates vary but work will be performed through Oct. 15, 2025. Some positions are seasonal.

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Those eligible for the program must be 60 or older at the time of application, an Easthampton resident and homeowner and have a maximum annual gross income of $67,900 for a one-person household and $77,600 for a two-person household, including Social Security.

The property for which the tax credit is requested must be the primary residence of the owners, property taxes and water and sewer payments must be current and the program is limited to one $1,500 work-off per household.

Applications are due by Sept. 30. Applications can be found at the Easthampton Council on Aging and the Assessor’s office at City Hall, or downloaded and printed from the web page.

For more information, call 413-527-6151 or email coa@easthamptonma.gov.

Free COVID-19 and flu vaccines at Mountain View School

EASTHAMPTON — Preregistration is open for a COVID-19 and Flu vaccination clinic to be held at the Mountain View School on Nov. 6.

Regular and high-dose flu vaccines will be available for those over 6 months of age, and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines will also be available for those over 6 months of age.

Those who attend should bring their insurance card. No one will be turned away for a lack of insurance.

Registration can be completed online at northamptonma.gov/2219/vax. The clinic will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Limited walk-ins are available. For help with registration, call 413-587-4903 or email nurses@northamptonma.gov.

Council on Aging to host community forums

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton Council on Aging will host three community forums next month to discuss the needs of the city’s aging population, as well as a new senior center. Community members are welcome to enjoy refreshments and share their experiences at these forums, which will have a town hall format.

The forums will be hosted by Caitlin Coyle, director of the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging, Gerontology Institute, at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Coyle was previously the principal researcher on the city’s 2018 older adult needs assessment project.

Seniors, caregivers and other community members will be able to provide input on a new senior center, which is being discussed by an ad hoc committee selected by Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. The committee is assessing the need for a new center and looking at potential locations and age- and dementia-friendly design. The committee’s report is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

Council on Aging Director Cynthia Tarail said the report will include information from Coyle on Easthampton’s older population as well as services in similar communities.

The first forum will take place on Oct. 7, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in person at the Council on Aging at 19 Union St. The second forum, at an ad hoc building committee meeting, will take place on Oct. 8 in the School Department on the second floor of City Hall from noon to 1:30 p.m, as well as remotely at https://meet.google.com/iph-vchp-zzt. The third forum will also occur on Oct. 8 at Easthampton Media in Eastworks, Suite 102, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and remotely at https://meet.google.com/knx-qgdh-zvs.

For more information, call the Easthampton Council on Aging at 413-52706151 or email coa@easthamptonma.gov.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.