Board of Health secures administrative assistant

MONTAGUE — Geneva Bickford was appointed as Board of Health administrative assistant during a Selectboard meeting last week.

The appointment is effective March 18 and she will work 35 hours a week at a rate of $20.76 per hour.

Her résumé includes 25 years of experience in administrative roles and an associate’s degree in legal administration.

Smerz promoted to detective

MONTAGUE — Police Officer Christopher Smerz has been promoted to detective.

The promotion was the decision of Police Chief Christopher Williams and it was unanimously approved by the Selectboard last week in its capacity as the Personnel Board. Smerz’s promotion fills the vacancy left by Detective Justin Moody’s promotion to sergeant.

Selectboard OKs McHugh’s recommendations

MONTAGUE — Following the recommendation of Brian McHugh, the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s director of community development, the Selectboard voted last week to award Berkshire Design Group a Community Development Block Grant for the Avenue A Streetscape Phase IV Design Project and to execute a contract with the firm.

McHugh said Berkshire Design Group was “the most advantageous … out of the two [bids] that we received.”

“As everyone knows, they’ve done a lot of the work downtown already,” McHugh said. “They’re familiar with the service area and the town’s needs.”

The Selectboard also authorized a fourth payment to Berkshire Design Group for the Hillcrest Elementary School playground in the amount of $2,312.

Selectboard OKs window replacement contract, readiness grant agreement

MONTAGUE — The Selectboard has awarded Diversified Construction Services a $132,829 contract, to be paid using an existing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) appropriation, to replace 18 windows at the Montague Center Library/Old Town Hall.

Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said Diversified Construction Services received rave reviews from Lunenburg’s town government and the windows are of great quality. He also mentioned the highest bid came in at $100,000 more than the $132,829 bid.

The Selectboard also approved a Site Readiness Grant Agreement with MassDevelopment in the amount of $132,700 to advance the design of the Strathmore Mill demolition and Canal District Riverfront Redevelopment Plan.

GoFundMe supports family displaced by fire

TURNERS FALLS — Donations continue to pour in for the Sanchez family, one of the tenants displaced by a Feb. 18 fire at a multi-family residential building on G Street.

A GoFundMe for the Sanchez family, which can be found a bit.ly/4bIJbCJ, has collected more than $6,700. An email address, samandjosesanchez@gmail.com, has been set up for coordinating community assistance.

Although the residents who were displaced by the fire are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, such as temporary housing in hotels, Rachael Dillenback, organizer of the GoFundMe who spoke on behalf of the Sanchez family, noted that the support provided by the social service organization is limited. The Sanchez family includes three children — Mariah, 11, Jordan, 14, and Jaevoni, 3 — as well as two dogs. They did not possess renters insurance.

“They are uncertain about what comes next. It hinges on the support they receive from donations and their ability to find affordable accommodations,” Dillenback said regarding the family’s situation.

Dillenback said the family learned about the fire from a firefighter knocking on their door, warning them that the building’s third floor was on fire. She elaborated that firefighters had to cut through the ceiling of the Sanchez family’s second-floor apartment, resulting in water and fire damage to their unit.

“Everyone has been insanely supportive,” Dillenback continued. “It has been amazing to me how much this community comes together every time something big happens.”

Although the State Fire Marshal’s Office has not found an exact cause of the fire, investigators determined it was not intentional. The fire originated on the third floor and no injuries resulted.

“The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined,” Jake Wark, spokesperson for the state Department of Fire Services, wrote in an email. “Fire investigators have found no evidence that it was intentionally set, but conditions inside the structure have prevented them from ruling out all but one potential cause, which is required under the standard we use in Massachusetts.”