Recycling for Monday, May 16th: Paper and Cardboard

Recycling for Monday, May 23rd: Cans, Bottles, Plastics, Other:

Please place trash and recyclables in an easily accessible location by 7:00 AM. Contact the hauler directly at 442-8390 with questions or concerns. Please note: the trucks used are dual functioning. Trash and recyclables are collected together but placed in separate compartments within the truck. Please click here to see the 2022 calendar or you can pick them up at the Post Office, or Town Hall

Please click here to view.

Baby Town Meeting – Saturday, May 14, 2022 – 10:00 AM at Town Hall

Special Town Meeting - Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - 630 PM at the Richmond School

Annual Town Meeting – Wednesday, May 18, 2022 – 7:30 PM at the Richmond School

Town Elections – Saturday, May 21, 2022 – 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM at Town Hall

Tues. May 24, 2022 - Richmond Pond Assn. - 7:00 PM

Town Hall

Wed. May 25, 2022 - Board of Selectmen Mtg. - 6:00 PM

Hybrid

ACCEPTABLE ITEMS: Old furniture, rugs, scrap wood, etc.

UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS: Tires, TV's, glass, hazardous waste, construction materials, toilets/porcelain products, estate clean-outs.

ITEMS INCURRING A CHARGE: Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers will incur a $10.00 charge. Mattresses and box springs will incur a $25.00 per item charge.

Animal shelters in Ukraine are receiving little financial support, struggling to buy food, supplies, medications and to pay veterinary bills.

A special free Zoom Live event on Wednesday May 4, 2022 at 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, will explain the work being done in the Ukraine to rescue the animals left behind.

Join the Pet Professional Guild's exclusive Facebook Live Chat with the "Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine" campaign, organized by Dr. Marina Bayeva, supporting veterinarian, Dr. Paula Klek, and PPG's Shelter and Rescue Committee Chair, K. Holden Svirsky. You will hear updates on the use of funding, as well as about the animals benefiting from your support.

If you wish to donate please email Ms. Bayeva at mabayeva@gmail.com or call her at 312-402-3006 for details. No amount is too small and 100% of your donation goes directly to the shelters.

Please Click here - https://www.richmondma.org/government/town_clerk/index.php

Flower Power seeds and bulbs are a great way to bring beautiful blooms to your home and support our PTA.

Bulbs, seed mats, vegetables and vertical flower hanging bags are all in the catalog and shipped directly to your door.

Use this link http://RCS.fpfundraising.com to see the on-line catalog. Thank you for supporting our school PTA.

The link to apply for free sampling is https://dwp-pfas.madwpdep.org.

For more information about the program, see their FAQ (https://www.mass.gov/doc/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-massdep-private-wells-pfas-sampling-program/download).

Every Wednesday from 9:00-10:00 AM at the Town Offices, 21 State Line Road, West Stockbridge.

As of July 1, 2022, the Towns of Richmond and West Stockbridge will contract with the Berkshire Public Health Alliance for public health nursing services following the retirement of long-time public health nurse Emilie Jarrett, RN., BSN, and the closing of the Community Health Association of Richmond and West Stockbridge.

The Alliance has extensive experience with providing public health nursing services to many municipalities in the county, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two experienced public health nurses, Nancy Slattery, RN, and Leslie Drager, RN, provide most of the public health nursing services to contracted communities, although the Alliance may hire back-up nurses as needed during flu clinic season or during COVID-19 surges.

In addition to the mandated infectious disease investigation and follow-up, the Alliance will provide flu vaccination clinics and wellness activities such as blood pressure clinics, educational events and/or falls prevention classes. More details are coming soon on specific offerings.

Starting in July, you can reach the Alliance Administrative Coordinator, Lydia Shulman, at Alliance@berkshireplanning.org or 413-442-1521, x60 with any general questions. Or, you can reach out to Nancy (nslattery@berkshireplanning.org) or Leslie (ldrager@berkshireplanning.org) directly.

We look forward to working with Richmond and West Stockbridge!

Laura Kittross, Director of the Berkshire Public Health Alliance

There is a new app available on your I-Phone that can alert you immediately to your possible exposure to the COVID viruses. Go to "Settings" scroll down to "Emergency SOS," exposure notification should appear under that heading. Follow the prompts to register.

As you may be aware, the Biden Administration is offering free rapid tests to all residents in the United States. The pre-order period for the at-home COVID-19 tests via www.covidtests.gov has begun. Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. The tests are completely free and will usually ship in 7-12 days.

Please visit www.covidtests.gov to submit an order and learn more

For more information, please see this fact sheet: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-covers-over-counter-covid-19-tests

Frequently Asked Questions are available here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/4422-frequently-asked-questions-medicare-coverage-otc-covid-tests.pdf

People with Medicare can get additional information by contacting 1-800-MEDICARE and going to: https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-coronavirus. 

Click Here for COVID-19 Information and Helpful links

The CDC and FDA have approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. For additional information visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccinations-for-children-ages-5-11

Registration will be through the on-line COLOR registration system. The link to register for all Berkshire County clinics is: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/berkshire.

All information about clinic schedules, eligibility, and registration will also be posted publicly on: www.GetVaccinatedBerkshires.org.

Families may register for any of the county clinics; families are not restricted to a specific school clinic. Second shot clinics will be held three weeks after the first. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, as there may not be enough vaccine at a given clinic for walk-ins.

All children must be accompanied by an adult to receive their vaccine. If they are not accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, the parent or guardian must have pre-registered and signed the consent on-line. On-site registration will not be permitted without a parent or guardian present. Your child will be expected to stay for a 15-minute observation period following their vaccination. Although children may experience milder side-effects such as fever, fatigue, headaches, chills, diarrhea, muscle and joint pain, severe side effects are rare. See the attached fact sheet for more information. Please have your child wear a short-sleeved shirt and prepare them for the vaccination and waiting period.

Don’t forget that WIFI is available in the Library parking lot.    

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Ever wish you could take the Internet with you? Borrow a library Hotspot! Please call the library for details. The Hotspots are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act grant and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

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HOW TO SIGN UP FOR WOWBRARY

If you would like to read an online magazine, just go to https://cwmars.overdrive.com/collection/184768 . You will need to sign in using your library card number. If you don’t know the number, please call the library.

The Boston Public Library has a lot to offer and you qualify because you live in Massachusetts! Interested, click here, https://www.bpl.org/online-resources/

You can sign up for a Boston Public Library eCard here: https://www.bpl.org/ecard/

The Richmond Free Public Library

The passes admit 2-4 people per pass for free or discounted admittance. They are due back the next open library day by 9:30 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays and by 9:00 AM on Saturdays. 

Pass letters are given out for specific days and aren't reusable. Currently we have passes or letters for the following museums: Arrowhead, The Berkshire Botanical Garden, The Berkshire Museum, Chesterwood, The Clark, Hancock Shaker Village, Mass MoCA, The Mount and the Norman Rockwell Museum and The Trustees sites including Naumkeag and the Mission House and a pass to the Bidwell House Museum and to the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio.

South Berkshire Kids has created a free baby literacy bag filled with board books and resources for parents of babies who were born in the past year. The literacy bags are available at the Richmond Library. Please call the library to pick up a bag for your little one!

Gifts are tax deductible. Checks to fulfill promises should be submitted by October. New contributions are welcome and needed! Your checks should be made out to Friends of the Richmond Library and please mark your check — Building Fund send it to:

Please make sure you are registered for code red