Next puzzle swap set for Feb. 1

NORTHFIELD — Free used puzzles will be available at Dickinson Memorial Library on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Attendees are advised to park in the back and enter through the side door of the library. Turn left to find the Community Room.

Participants are invited to take as many puzzles as they want, and can keep them as long as they need. The puzzle swap is offered monthly.

For more information, visit northfieldpubliclibrary.org/friends-of-the-library or email friendsofdml01360@gmail.com.

Bernardston seeks members for Efficiency & Regionalization Advisory Committee

BERNARDSTON — The town is seeking interested residents to serve on the Efficiency & Regionalization Advisory Committee.

The committee will have members from both Leyden and Bernardston who will participate in a study regarding how the two towns might further collaborate to be most cost-effective and maximize efficiency. The new Efficiency & Regionalization Advisory Committee will be supported by the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management. The Collins Center will help to identify which town departments and positions could be consolidated and what that consolidation might look like.

Interested Bernardston residents should contact Town Administrator Karen Kelly by email at bos@townofbernardston.org.

Feb. 3: Black History Month talk

NORTHFIELD — Mpress Bennu of Greenfield Savings Bank will give a Black History Month presentation at the Northfield Senior Center during a coffee social on Monday, Feb. 3. The coffee social starts at 10 a.m. and the presentation starts at 11.

RSVP for English tea luncheon

NORTHFIELD — The Northfield Senior Center will offer a traditional English tea luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

The event will feature a variety of teas, sweet and savory sandwiches, and desserts. The cost is $8 and there is a limit of 20 participants.

RSVP as soon as possible by calling 413-498-2901, ext. 123.

Happy Feet walkers head to Turners Falls

NORTHFIELD — The Happy Feet walking group will meet at the Turners Falls canalside access road leading to Cabot Woods on Monday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m.

Attendees should take Avenue A in Turners Falls, take a right on 11th Street, go over the bridge into the Patch neighborhood, take the first left and drive to the parking lot at Cabot Woods. The route is a flat, easy walking road that is kept clear of snow.

Seniors with a walker or wheelchair and who have a caregiver, friend or family member to assist them are encouraged to attend. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Icy weather will cancel the walk.

Beef stew on menu for monthly meal

NORTHFIELD — The Northfield Senior Center’s next monthly meal will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 12:30 p.m. with a menu of homemade beef stew with salad, rolls and dessert.

The cost is $7 and the meal is limited to 20 people. RSVP by 3 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 12, by calling 413-498-2901, ext. 123.

Feb. 20: ‘Songs and Stories of Appalachia’

NORTHFIELD — Michael and Carrie Kline on vocals and guitars, along with Joe Blumenthal on upright bass and Jim Armenti on mandolin, will present “Songs and Stories of Appalachia” at the Northfield Senior Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m.

No reservations are necessary. The program is sponsored in part by the Northfield Cultural Council and the Northfield Council on Aging.

Four-week memory course coming to Senior Center

NORTHFIELD — A four-week memory training program taught by certified trainers is coming to the Northfield Senior Center on the four Thursdays in February. All sessions will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.

This program is intended for people with mild memory concerns. It is not for anyone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

It is important for attendees to be at all four classes. Space is also limited. To register, contact LifePath’s Information and Caregiver Resource Center at 413-773-5555, ext. 1230 or info@lifepathma.org, or visit lifepathma.org/events-workshops/healthy-living-workshops.

Travel Club heads to Hampshire Mall, Atkins Farms

The Travel Club offered by the Bernardston and Northfield senior centers will head to the Hampshire Mall and Atkins Farms Country Market for lunch on Friday, Feb. 21, at 9 a.m.

Sign-ups are limited to six people from each town. There will be a waiting list in case one town has spaces open up. The cost for the van is $6 roundtrip. Participants will meet at the Bernardston Senior Center. Alternatively, pickup at home is available.

Call Peter at 413-768-1824 to sign up by Feb. 18.

Piano duets planned for Memory Cafe

NORTHFIELD — Lynne Walker and Chris Harris will perform piano duets of African American spirituals, followed by sing-alongs, during the Northfield Senior Center’s monthly Memory Cafe on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

This program provides support and socialization for adults dealing with memory-related issues and their caregivers. A light lunch will be provided.

RSVP by Feb. 19 by calling 413-498-2901, ext. 114. The program is limited to 20 participants each month.

Northfield awaits Legislature’s approval on EMS station

NORTHFIELD — Members of the Emergency Services Facility Committee are still awaiting approval from the state Legislature allowing Northfield to purchase a parcel of land in Bernardston for a new EMS station, after voters achieved the required two-thirds majority with a 138-62 vote at November’s Special Town Meeting.

The current EMS station at 41 Main St. in Northfield spans 1,488 square feet, with a 13,068-square-foot lot size. It can accommodate two ambulances, each ordered in a smaller size to fit inside the garage. By comparison, the 15,680-square-foot facility in Bernardston, located at 546 Northfield Road (Route 10), sits on just over 3 acres of land and would fit three standard-sized ambulances in the first heated garage, with extra space for Highway Department vehicles in the second.

In between the garages is a two-story building with three bathrooms and enough space for bunks, multiple offices, a kitchen, a training room and storage — an upgrade from the Northfield station’s half bath and couch for overnight officers.

Selectboard member Barbara “Bee” Jacque noted at the Emergency Services Facility Committee meeting earlier this month that Gill, Erving and Bernardston have sent in letters in support of the sale and that state Sen. Jo Comerford is “100% behind it.”

Jacque is hopeful the town will hear back in April, adding that because town officials submitted the petition early, they are hopeful that they will receive a prompt response.

FRCOG to assist Northfield with building inspections

NORTHFIELD — According to the Northfield town website, the Building Inspector’s Office is closed until further notice due to an emergency, and as such, the Selectboard decided during its meeting last week to temporarily contract with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) for building inspection services.

“We’re not exactly sure how long, but we need somebody because we already have residents backed up, looking for signing permits, certificates of occupancy,” Town Administrator Andrea Llamas said.

Selectboard Chair Bernard “Bernie” Boudreau noted the town may switch to contracting with FRCOG permanently in the future, but for now, the switch is temporary. The Northfield town website advises residents in need of assistance to contact Jeff Gougeon at the FRCOG office in Greenfield by calling 413-447-3167, ext. 145 or by emailing jgougeon@frcog.org.