Volume 7 Published monthly since May 1999 July 2021 News from the Selectboard Submitted by Kurt Grassett, Chairperson On Friday, June 11, 2021, the State of Emergency for the Pandemic was allowed to expire. Although not totally out of the woods, we are starting to get back to some normalcy in our lives. On June 14, 2021, the Board of Selectman voted to resume in-person meetings for all boards and committees. We will no longer be utilizing Zoom as a way to conduct meetings. If you wish to join us at our meetings please feel free to stop in. In other signs of some normalcy, the Summer Concert Series is back in full swing, starting on July 8th. Our fire- works this year will be held on Friday night of Old Home Day (August 20, 2021) come on down for the Ice Cream Social and local music. Old Home Day festivities will be held throughout the weekend, more details next month. Throughout the Pandemic our town employees kept everything running as smoothly as possible, during some unprecedented times. Please join us on Thursday, July 22nd, from 4:30-6:30pm as we show our appreciation for everything they do at all times, not just during emergencies. Their dedication to the citizens of Hancock shows in everything they do. We live in a special place, and we owe much of that to our hard-working staff! Many of you may have seen the notice from the School Board that they are returning about 3.2 million dollars back to the towns. This sum includes monies from June 30, 2020, and 2021. We will not actually see that money, but it will be utilized to reduce the increase in our monthly payments. We currently pay just over $371,000 a month to Con-Val. The new rate, starting July 1st is estimated at $388,841 per month($4.6 million per year). This factors in the returned funds into this payment estimate. According to the census the School Board supplies, we have an average daily membership of 169 children in the Con-Val school district. Please note: The Town Clerk’s office will be closed Monday, July 5th in observance of Independence Day. [Editor Note: There is so much excitement about Old Home Days this year that some articles were submitted for this issue-please see pages 16 & 17. There will be more in the August issue] Hancock Happenings Mission Statement Hancock Happenings is the monthly newsletter of the Town of Hancock, established in 1999 for the purpose of publishing news articles by Town Departments and local organizations. The publication is self-supported through the sale of block and classified ads. Hancock Happenings is not a forum for opinion pieces of any nature, political advertising and political columns; any such submissions will be edited or rejected. - 2 - HANCOCK HAPPENINGS July 2021 Hancock Fire & Rescue Tom Bates, Chief, Hancock Fire Department The Hancock Fire Department recently responded to a extreme summer weather. It can also occur if you’re in a house fire with fire in the basement. The homeowners hot car or other indoor area that isn’t air-conditioned. Ba- were very lucky because they smelled smoke and were able bies, small children, and older adults are more susceptible. to react. But the incident was early in the morning and Heat exhaustion is less severe than heatstroke, but can lead they didn’t have any smoke detectors. What if they had to this more dangerous condition. Heat exhaustion can oc- been asleep? Fire can strike anywhere and everywhere. cur if your body temperature increases and you’re not able Only the help of a person familiar with the house, the situa- to cool yourself down quickly enough. High humidity com- tion, and how to react can save you. But how can you be bined with high temperatures can also increase your risk fully prepared? The answer is your smoke detector, which for heat exhaustion. Intense physical activity performed in you can install in your home and living areas. A working heat and humidity is a common cause of heat exhaustion. smoke detector can help to save your life. The most com- Dehydration can also increase your risk for heat exhaus- mon fire-related emergency occurs in the home, and it can tion. That’s why it’s important to stay hydrated, especially happen to anyone, so it is important to have working on hot days. When it’s hot outside, it’s important to keep smoke alarms on every floor of your home. In a fire, smoke cool, rested, and hydrated. If you think you have heat ex- travels in all directions. Smoke detectors are designed to haustion, stop what you’re doing, find a cool area or a way detect and alert residents and families in the home of any to cool down your body, and rest. If your symptoms don’t fire that may be present. This saves lives, property and al- improve with self-treatment, seek emergency medical help. lows people to get out safely. In North America, there are If you enjoy outdoor activities such as walking or garden- approximately 400,000 home fires annually, with fire ing, make sure to wear the proper clothing and protective deaths accounting for nearly 1,500 deaths and $7 billion in gear. Consider getting outdoor exercise earlier in the morn- property loss. You may think your home is safe, but it can ing or later in the evening when the sun is not at its peak. If turn deadly in seconds if you fail to respond quickly you follow these tips, there's no reason you can't have an enough to fire. The only way you can protect your family enjoyable and funfilled summer no matter how old you are. from harm is by having working smoke detectors in your house. And don’t forget about CO (carbon monoxide) Raffle winners for the month: detectors, another device to keep you protected. Make sure $40.00 – Kipp Miller you check both operations monthly! $20.00 – Jerry and Janet Willis A few days later we were dispatched for a motor vehicle $10.00 – Wayan Suarni, Robert Kennedy, Fred Geer crash at Rte 202 and Forest Road. This was a major acci- dent scene that covered a large area and we had to close one lane of traffic. While we were doing our job of patient care and keeping the scene safe for all the emergency re- sponders, I noticed a few people taking pictures on their cell phones and iPads as they were driving by. Not only is that jeopardizing our safety, but it is unlawful to be using a mobile device while driving that is not hands-free. I’m sure none of those drivers were from Hancock because our citizens would never do that! The next time you are driv- ing through an emergency scene remember to pay attention to the traffic and your speed. Don’t become another statistic. It’s summer and the heat and sun can be dangerous if the proper precautions aren't taken. Heat exhaustion occurs when your body overheats in response to external factors, like high temperature. Heat exhaustion can happen to any- one. It’s common for those who exercise outdoors during July 2021 HANCOCK HAPPENINGS - 3 - - 4 - HANCOCK HAPPENINGS July 2021 Department of Public Works Tyler Howe, Director We have completed the Main Street sidewalk project. As part of that project the library parking lot, Tombstone territory and the access road to the old Fire Station was rehabilitated. The paving and sealing vendors have completed the 2021 projects. Throughout the month three rotted metal culverts failed, they have been replaced with HDPE plastic pipe. During the month of July DPW will be graveling shoulders, performing final cleanup on the newly paved roads, replac- ing three more failed culverts, vacuuming drainage structures and grader ditching. I heard from a few residents last month requesting to join the google group. We would really appreciate it if you could stress the importance of the group to your neighbors. To join please send an email to [email protected] and you will be added. Hancock Water System Users – We need you to help us help you! Our Town Water systems does not have unlimited supply or capacity. This is especially worrisome in times of drought and in the summer months. We need everyone who uses town water, whether as a home user or a business, to help conserve this important resource. Historically, water usage is 40-50,000 gallons and averages around 70,000 gallons per day in summer. The more water used the more chlorine and UV bulbs are required for treatment. Overuse of water for unnecessary rea- sons overburdens the water treatment budget and wastes a resource you and your neighbors depend on. As I do my daily road check I’ve noticed sprinklers running for long periods at homes on town water. On too many occasions water is running down the street. Our clean, treated town water is literally going down the drain. Although the daily usage has gone down and the night time usage has dropped significantly, we are asking you to continue to im- prove conservation of this vital resource. If you are on town water you can practice home conservation. Even small changes can save hundreds of gallons of wa- ter a day. Limit lawn irrigation and watering Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers in gardens Hand water plants Don’t leave a sprinkler or faucet running. Avoid car and building washing as much as possible.