Digital Tyngsborough

In a reply to a resident on the Tyngsboro citizen run email list, Chris Miceli, Tyngsboro Highway Dept Clerk, asks everyone to help in street cleaning efforts:

Thank you for that feedback, Mark.  The street sweeper will be accompanied by Highway Department personnel and they will attempt to move any obstructions out of the way.

However, it would be very helpful if, for the next couple of months, folks could place their toters and recycling containers off of the road.  On my way into work, I noticed that most homes had their barrels either on the sidewalk, on the edge of their lawn, or on the edge of their driveway.  This will help with the efficiency of the street sweeping operation and ensure that the front of your property is swept properly.

We will post this information on the Town website as well.  The Highway Department appreciates your help.

Chris Miceli

Highway Clerk

The Merrimack Valley Food Bank is running their Spring neighborhood food drive from March 20th – March 27th. The Tyngsboro Recreation Center has been designated as a drop-off location for food donations. If you would like to make a donation of non-perishable food items, you can bring your donation to the recreation center at 120 Westford Road, Tyngsboro during the following times:

• Saturday March 20th: 9:00am – 12:00pm
• Tuesday March 23rd: 3:30pm – 6:30pm
• Thursday March 25th: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• Friday March 26th: 3:30pm – 6:30pm

If you, your family or organization are interested in volunteering your time during the above hours to accept donations, sort the food or even to help deliver it to the food bank on Saturday the 27th, please contact Gail Lachs at gail@lachshome.net.

If you received an excise tax bill for 2010 dated February 6th then it is due today.

You can play your bill in person or online. Online payments are made through UniPay at https://unipaygold.unibank.com/Default.aspx?customerid=524 and they accept credit cards (for a fee) or direct bank withdrawal.

Residents this week had new trash toters delivered by Allied Waste for intended use on July 2nd.  However, it appears not everyone got their toter in time so Allied Waste sent out the old style trucks for today’s pickup, we can assume the new trucks will head out next week.  Some of the details of the new program did not appear to be published on the town website so residents contacted the board of health for some additional information.  Here are some of the frequent questions and their answers.

Q: What are the costs of the new program?
A: The previously proposed fee for the first toter was voted down so the first toter is free.

Q: What if I need more than one toter?
A: Additional toters can be “rented” for $150/year and Allied Waste will deliver the additional toters.  One resident recommended that people try out the single toter before ordering another one to see if you really need it.

Q: What if I have an occasional additional bag of trash?
A: If you need to dispose an additional occasional bag of trash you can purchase a sticker from the board of health for $5 and place the bag curbside with the sticker attached.

Q: Does everyone get a toter?
A: Homes with 4 or less units should have received toters.  Locations where the town is not responsible for trash pickup (ex: the Maple Ridge development) will not receive toters.

Q: Is the recycling program impacted by this change?
A: No, the recycling program is not impacted.

Q: What do I do with my old trash barrel?
A: Right now there is no program to dispose of old barrels, however it is recommended that you write “recycle” and use your old barrels for recycling.

Q: Who do I contact if I have additional questions?
A: The board of health can be reached at 978-649-2300 x 118 and Allied Waste can be reached at 978-649-7564.

The town has published the official election results.  As there were limited contested races, the highlights are short.  For full election results you can follow the official link below.

Highlights

• 1,293 votes cast from 7,757 registered voters, 16.67% of the total
• Kenneth A. Times, III was elected to the Finance Committee, beating John L. Griffin by 26 votes
• John R. Pelletier was elected to the Housing Authority, beating Doria M. Sylvester by 55 votes
• Steven P. O’Niell was elected to the Greater Lowell School Committee, beating Brian J. Martin by 45 votes
• Casey J. Finn, who had announced his withdrawal from the election still obtained over 15% (405) of the votes for a seat on the Board of Selectmen

Official Link: http://tyngsboroughma.gov/electionresultsMay09.pdf

Middlesex Partnership For Youth in partnership with Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone’s Office will be presenting a district wide parent workshop on internet safety in schools. This event will take place on April 29th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the THS auditorium. All are welcome. Please see below for details:

Cyber Safety in Schools

The internet offers almost limitless opportunities to gain knowledge and make contact with others. When used appropriately, it is a powerful and positive tool. However, school staff and parents need to be aware of the risks inherent in this technology.

The following topics will be discussed:

• Online issues impacting youth, such as predators, cyber bullying and virtual worlds.
• The differences and similarities of online safety issues compared to offline safety issues.
• Effective prevention and intervention strategies.
• The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cyber Protection Program, created in 2007 by District Attorney Gerry Leone, will also be discussed.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP via email to Melissa Mallous at melissa.mallous@tyngsboroughps.org.

Official Link: http://www.tyngsboroughps.org/internetsafetynight.html

A planned bicentennial carnival is spurring concerns by some in the community.  One resident expressed concerns that the committee planning this years bicentennial celebration wants to have a carnival at the elementary school fields prior to the end of the school year.  The concern included the potential distraction to the operation of the school and the possibility of having carnival workers living on school grounds while school was in session.  The goal was to inform the public, especially parents of elementary  school students, so they could provide feedback to the school committee.

This kicked off a very active discussion on a local internet forum between residents who shared concerns and other who felt the plan was acceptable.  Questions were raised around who even has the final say as to whether the school grounds could be used for this event, what type of background checks carnival worker are subjected to, and the exact dates and time of the planned carnival.  While no information had been published by bicentennial committee members in response to this discussion, members of the school committee did respond and announced the issue would be discussed at the April 7th meeting.  Residents who wished to attend were invited to do so.

The school committee meeting will be held at the town hall community room on Tuesday, April 7th at 7:00 PM.  The agenda can be downloaded from the public school system’s web site at: http://www.tyngsboroughps.org/pdf/school_committee/sc_agenda_040709.pdf

Allied Waste will be picking up yard waste on the following dates:

• Friday, May 8th 2009
• Friday May 22nd 2009

All yard waste should be placed in barrels or paper bags.  The highway department will be picking up all storm related downed trees and limbs throughout the month of April.  Logs and limbs should not exceed 4 feet long and may be left at the edge of your property facing the street.

Official Source: http://tyngsboroughma.gov/Bulletins.html