Important Dates for Annual Town Meeting and Annual Town Election |
|
Wednesday, May 4, 2022- Annual Town Meeting 7 pm at Ashland High School
Tuesday, May 17, 2022- Annual Town Election 7 am - 8 pm at Ashland High School.
Read the posted Warrant Articles HERE
|
|
Seeking Poll Workers
The Town Clerk seeks poll workers to help facilitate elections on the following dates:
Town Election - May 17
State Primary Election - September 6
State Election - November 8
|
|
Last Chance!
Dog Licenses are due! The deadline was April 15th. A $50 fine will be assessed beginning Tuesday, April 26th for any outstanding dog license. Learn more, here
|
|
Are you an Ashland Resident seeking food assistance?
Visit the Ashland Food Pantry is on the lower level of the Ashland Community Center on 162 West Union St. The only question asked is if you are an Ashland resident.
Need temporary financial assistance?
- Rent/Mortgage
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Food, Medical, and other assistance.
Call the Ashland Department of Human Services at 508-881-0140 x3
All inquiries remain confidential!
|
|
2022 BAA Invitational Spring Grant Application
NEW DEADLINE
The BAA Grant application is now available. Please click the link and view the document for information and to access the application. The application deadline is April 29th per Select Board Meeting on Wed. April 6th.
|
|
Spring 2022 Yard Waste Pick-Up
Mondays now until June 6th.
There will not be yard waste pick-up on the Patriots Day Holiday (Marathon Monday) and on the Memorial Day Holiday.
This is a yard waste collection (grass clippings, pine needles, pine cones, leaves....rake-able materials).
Do not leave brush and tree limbs at curbside for collection....they will not be taken. Yard waste should be within brown paper leaf bags or trash barrels clearly marked as "YARD WASTE" and should not exceed 50lbs. each in weight.
Please be sure to have your yard waste at the curbside by 7 am on the collection day.
This service is provided only to residents that are enrolled in the Town's contracted curbside rubbish & recycling collection program.
Questions? Call 508-532-7943 or send an email
|
|
Construction updates!
As we enter this next phase of construction both Downtown Revitalization Project and the Rt. 126/ Pond Street Revitalization Project, requires more crews on the road. Patience will be necessary to navigate these areas. Businesses are still very much open for business and need your support. Please give yourself extra time, be creative on ways to navigate around construction, and keep up to date on what is happening so you are informed.
Visit the Department of Public Works webpage, here, for weekly construction updates.
Please enroll in our e-mail notifications (links below) for urgent messages such as traffic impacts and related updates. I want to thank you once again for your patience.
|
|
Town Meetings, Community Programs, & Events |
|
Upcoming Meetings:
Monday, April 25th
Tuesday, April 26th
Thursday, April 28th
|
|
Activities this weekend from Ashland Town Forest Committee!
Introducing the Town Forest Health Self-Guided Tour!
April 22, 2022- In honor of Earth Day, we mark the official opening of the Forest Health Self-Guided tour. An effort born of the collaboration between the Sudbury Valley Trustees and the Ashland Town Forest Committee, the purpose of the walk is to educate the public about forest health. Two years in the making and delayed by the pandemic, the walk consists of a series of fourteen signposts with QR (Quick Response) Codes that take you to both a written and a recorded narrative. The narratives are short and very informative.
The walk starts at the SVT Salem End Road entrance to the forest.
Should you want to preview the narrative ahead of time you can find it at the following link… click here
To really appreciate and understand the forest at a deeper level we invite you to take the walk. You will be glad that you did. Enjoy!
Plant trees in the Town Forest
Saturday, April 23rd at 9 am
Park at the large Town Forest parking lot on Winter Street (White Trail)
Help the Ashland Town Forest Committee replant 70 trees in an area damaged by a fire several years ago, THIS SATURDAY. Bring along your second favorite shovel, water to drink, and sunscreen.
Photo by Jamie P.
|
|
Ashland Community Theater presents Neil Simon's "CALIFORNIA SUITE"
April 28-29-30
At Marconi's Theater at the VFW
|
|
Save the Dates!
Mark your calendars for...
Meet your Neighbor Mingle - May 14th
Opening Day Birthday Celebration - June 4th
Pride Day Shop on the Spot- June 10th
Summer Movie Night- June 11th
Juneteenth with AREA & Ashland is United- June 18th
Returning this year, Open Mic Night, Tot Spot, Book Chat, Storytime with Ashland Public Library
Introducing this year, monthly Shop on the Spot event days!
SEEKING ARTISANS | ENTREPRENEURS | MUSICIANS | CHEFS
Are you interested in popping- up this year? Send us an email!
|
|
Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) with the Town of Ashland & Decisions at Every Turn Coalition.
Throughout the month of May, community partners across Ashland will observe Mental Health Awareness Month through programs, education, and events that seek to reduce the stigma around mental health and promote opportunities to celebrate health and wellness.
Featured Event- MHAM Wellness Fair at the Community Center
|
|
Save the Date- Saturday, May 7th!
GreenUp Ashland Annual Cleanup Event!
Adopt a location all spring, summer, and fall OR participate in the annual cleanup event over the weekend of May 7th. Online registration is now open!
|
|
Once Upon A BookFest
Saturday, May 14th from 10 am - 4 pm
Ashland Public Library
This event is a free one-of-a-kind book festival devoted to kids, tweens, teens, and their families. The day will be spent in workshops, meeting authors, and hanging out with fellow book lovers. Purchase books from Escape Into Fiction and grab a bite to eat from Sethji's and Dulce d Leche on the front lawn.
|
|
Ashland Garden Club Plant Sale
Saturday, May 14th from 9 am - 2 pm
Montenegro Square, Front Street
Choose From a Large Selection of Perennials from Members Own Gardens.
Click the image to the right to download the flyer.
|
|
Memory Café Returns!
I am pleased to announce that after being put on hold for two years due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Clocktown Café returns on May 26th from 10:00- 11:30 am at the Ashland Senior- Community Center.
The café will be held every fourth Thursday of the month, offering entertainment and refreshments.
The Clocktown Memory Café was created as part of the “Dementia Friendly” community initiative recognized by the state. It opened its doors in April 2019; as a way to offer people living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other cognitive changes alongside their care partner an opportunity to relax and socialize.
Atria Draper Place Senior Living is the co-sponsor for this event. If you would like to attend or sponsor an event, please contact Candi Wilson, Outreach Coordinator of the Ashland Senior Center, at 508-532-7945 or cwilson@ashlandmass.com for more information.
|
|
Ashland's Fish and Game
Annual Kids Trout Derby
Saturday, May 21st from 9 am - 1 pm
This event is open to ages 13 or under. Lunch and bait will be provided, but please bring your fishing pole. There will be a prize awarded for the largest fish!
|
|
The Town of Ashland Supports Ukraine.
|
|
Show your support for the people of Ukraine!
Participate in this fundraiser by the Federated Church.
Purchase heart-shaped pins in the Ukrainian national flag colors or silk sunflowers:
- Small pins: $5 each
- Large pins: $10 each
- Silk Sunflowers: $10 each
Items may be purchased at The Federated Church of Ashland, the Church Thrift Shop (Open Wednesdays & Saturdays), or the Diversity Early Learning Center.
- Call the church office at 508-881-1355 or Pastor Katie Keene at 617-721-2002
- Diversity Early Learning Center- Call 603-686-9223
100% of all proceeds benefit the people of Ukraine through the work of World Central Kitchens in the Ukraine and neighboring countries.
|
|
Welcome My Ashland Office!
Last week, we welcomed My Ashland Office with an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony! Located on 21 Main Street, alongside the Bagel Table, My Ashland Office is another amazing business to join the Ashland business community!
They optimized our Economic Development Office's Business Incentive program and are ready to provide a new home to professionals needing a flexible workspace!
Photo by Paul B.
|
|
Let's Celebrate!
We have had a few ribbon cuttings in the past few years but out of an abundance of caution have really not celebrated some of the new businesses that have opened since 2020 due to the pandemic.
If we missed your opening and you would like to host a formal ribbon-cutting please email breynolds@ashlandmass.com to schedule that! Also if you are having a big anniversary, 5, 10, or 15 year anniversary coming up, let us know!
We want to celebrate YOU!
|
|
Select Board Scholarship
Amount: Two $1,500 Awards
Guidelines: Any graduating senior that is a resident of Ashland. The board is interested in finding students who have demonstrated community engagement that has enhanced the community in some way.
Deadline: Wednesday, May 15th
Questions, please contact Susan Robie by email or phone at 508-532-7921
Ashland Business Association Scholarship
Amount: Two $1,500 awards
Guidelines: High school seniors living in Ashland who best demonstrate good work ethics, motivation, creativity, and business/ community interests. Applicants can be home-schooled or attend schools outside Ashland, such as Keefe Tech, to be considered. T
Deadline: Midnight on Thursday, April 28th
For more information, contact Scholarship Committee Chair Chrissy Reynolds, at 508-881-5109, or email her, here.
Ashland Farmers Market
Amount: Two $1,000 awards.
Guidelines: The Ashland Healthy Harvest, Inc. Scholarship program will provide funding for 2 graduating Ashland High School seniors (or recent graduates) beginning studies in 2021 at an accredited institution. The field of studies must be in line with the mission of the AFM including (but not limited to): agriculture, nutritional science, environmental science, and community development.
Deadline: May 1st
Ashland Lions
Amount: 4 $2,000 awards.
Deadline: May 1st
Applications are available at the Ashland High School and Keefe Tech Guidance Offices
|
|
Mask advisory and guidance for Massachusetts residents
Effective April 18, 2022, as a result of a change in federal policy, masks are no longer required on public transportation including on the MBTA (except on The Ride), commuter rail, buses, ferries, and airplanes, or while in rideshares (Uber and Lyft), taxis, and livery vehicles. Face coverings are also no longer required inside or outside of transportation hubs, including train stations, bus stops, and airports.
The Department of Public Health advises that individuals should wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home), if you have a weakened immune system, or if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease or is unvaccinated.
|
|
COVID-19 Testing Kits Available
As many of the State COVID-19 Testing sites closed last week, our local Health Department reminds you, we have at-home testing kits available for you.
Kits are available for pick-up during business hours at Town Hall at the Town Manager's Office and the Board of Health Office, as well as the Community Center.
Ashland residents are eligible for one testing kit per person. A valid proof of photo identification is required.
Testing kits are first come first serve.
Town Hall
101 Main Street
Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs. 8 am - 3:30 pm
Wed. 8 am- 7 pm.
Community Center
162 W Union Street
Hours:
Mon. - Thurs.: 9 am - 3:30 pm
Fri: 9 am - 1 pm
|
|
Local Cases in Ashland
4/14/2022 - 4/22/2022, Ashland had 32 cases out of which 17 have cleared. Additionally, during this time period, we had 1 probable case, which has not yet been cleared.
|
|
Please note many people are now doing home tests that are not reportable to the Board of Health. Many of the people that are doing home tests that have children in the schools are reporting these results to the school nurses and this data is not part of the numbers. The numbers reflect people that have NOT done a home test and have gone to a lab and the data was reported to the state. |
|
Stay informed with the Town of Ashland |
|
Follow us on social media |
|
Share this email with your friends |
|
|
|
|
|
|
