Townsend Recycling Center 2024 Update

 The Townsend Recycling Center has updated their 2024 schedule -

Generally, they are open every other Saturday, but don't assume that schedule will hold. They make changes often. They sometimes close for bad weather, holidays, staffing problems, etc. You should also note that the dates in red on the above schedule. These are for EVERY Saturday for residents to do some spring cleaning. 

The Board of Health manages this site. Information about what is allowed and any fees associated with drop offs can be found on the Townsend website - Board of Health.

There is an area way over to the left for yard waste including brush, leaves, grass clippings, etc. They ask that plastic bags not be used to drop off these items, they don't compost well. Use paper bags available at most grocery and hardware stores or don't bag at all. It's free to drop off this stuff and it's unlimited how much you can dispose of.

Townsend Community Access Media in Violation of Their Charter

Townsend Community Access Media (TCAM) was established as a nonprofit corporation to manage the PEG Access Channel for Townsend. This entity is necessary to receive the benefits from Comcast to operate the Public Access Channel. 

We’ve identified a serious problem with the way they are running their operation. 

TCAM has not filed their Annual Report with the Secretary of the Commonwealth as required since November 1, 2021. They failed to file by November 1st in 2022 and 2023. They should be receiving their default notice from the Secretary of the Commonwealth shortly, if they have not already. If they continue to be noncompliant with the law, their charter will be revoked, and they can no longer do business. 

Below is the law that TCAM is in violation of:

     950 CMR 106.00: NON-PROFIT CORPORATIONS

Every non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the commonwealth must file a non-profit annual report with the Corporations Division on or before November 1st of each year.  M.G.L.A. c180 § 26A; 950 CMR § 106.13.

106.14: Failure to File Annual Report; Revocation of Charter

If a non-profit corporation fails to file its Annual Report for two successive years, the Division shall notify the delinquent corporation by mail of such default. If such a non-profit corporation then fails to file its Annual Report within 90 days after the notice of default has been given, its charter may be revoked by the Secretary under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 180, § 26A.

This failure to follow the law puts Townsend at risk. The town’s ability to provide public access to government meetings and information is at risk.

The public should be calling town hall and TCAM to demand they follow the law.

This is the listing of all filings made by TCAM to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Here are the officers of TCAM.

Over 65? Protect Yourself from Utilities Shut Off

Seniors sometimes find themselves having financial difficulties. Inflation has impacted many seniors who have retired or are living on a fixed or reduced income. 

Utility costs have increased beyond many residents’ ability to keep up. Winter heating costs are particularly challenging for some. Cooling costs for increasing periods of extreme heat are also problematic.

Some households struggle from month to month to pay their electric and gas bills. They often receive shutoff notices and scramble to keep the lights and heat on from time to time. Shutting off utilities for seniors can be life threatening.

What is the Law About This?

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has the following regulation to protect seniors from untimely termination of gas and electricity:

220 CMR: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES 

Section 25.05:  Termination of Service to Elderly Persons 

This regulation prevents utility companies from shutting off services to customers who are over 65. ALL residents in the home must be over 65. The mere presence of a resident being over 65 is not enough. Everyone residing in the home must be 65 years old or older.

Do Senior Citizens Get Free Gas and Electricity?

This does not mean that senior citizens never have to pay their bills. Services can be shut off, but only as directed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the regulatory agency for utilities in Massachusetts. Action by the DPU would only come after a hearing, which would come months after the initial occurrence of nonpayment and only after multiple months of nonpayment. 

The shutoff restriction for residents over 65 is not dependent on income. Seniors do not have to divulge their financial information to prevent utility companies from terminating services. Certification of age is required to take advantage of this important rule.

This is an opportunity for seniors to juggle their bills in a manner that works for them. Many seniors are living on a fixed or nearly fixed monthly income. Their bills are not fixed month to month. They may have quarterly property tax and water bills, inconsistent medical bills, and car repairs. This regulation provides seniors an opportunity to balance their budget without a month to month crisis.

Seniors may also qualify for fuel assistance and should apply.

What Do I Do to Get My Account Flagged as Over 65?

Seniors don’t have to face life threatening circumstances of being unable to heat their homes in winter, cool their homes in the summer, or maintain perishable food.

Qualified utility customers should register with their utility before a problem occurs. Notifying the utility that all residents are over 65 will prevent shutoff concerns. Make sure the utility confirms the notation on the account.

Customer Service at Unitil can be reached at 888-301-7700. 

Should there be a problem with your account contact the utility or the Massachusetts DPU.

Future of Public Access TV in Doubt

Did you know that the area communities have TV channels dedicated to providing public announcements, area activities, and town government meetings? These channels are referred to as PEG Access Channels. PEG is an acronym for Public, Education, Government. Cable subscribers can access this content on channel 9 in Townsend.

Townsend’s PEG channel is managed by Townsend Community Access Media (TCAM), a nonprofit organization developed to manage this service. It is not a town department.

This service is part of the town’s contract with cable television providers. The channels are only available for households that subscribe to cable television. Only about half the households in Townsend have cable TV. 

At the end of 2022 Townsend had the lowest number of cable subscribers in 20 years. That trend is expected to continue. Residents are turning to streaming content instead of watching cable TV. They’ve realized that there are more choices for entertainment online and at a much cheaper prices than what cable offers. 

Public access channels may no longer be relevant since no one is watching. 

Townsend’s Current Cable Contract Ends in 2026.

The negotiation for renewal will undoubtedly be different than any previous contract. 

It will not be a simple process of cleaning up some of the language and updating technical information. It will be a significant reduction of funding. The money going to TCAM is based on revenue from cable subscribers. They should expect drastic reductions in annual revenue over the next couple of years.

For those who think that changing cable companies is an option, try again. Townsend can negotiate a contract with Comcast or Charter to provide cable to less than 2000 households who still have cable. By 2026, that number may be less than 1000 at the pace cable subscriptions are headed. Most of the households contracted have dwindled their services to internet only.

The town’s residents have contracts with Comcast for their internet which includes security systems, equipment rentals, and even some of the streaming services they have migrated to. Should the town choose to switch from Comcast, this means residents will have to replace equipment and be in jeopardy with existing contracts with not only Comcast, but services connected to Comcast. Renegotiating with a new cable provider has little to do with television channels. There is no good reason to switch away from Comcast.

Many residents have been able to access internet services through 5G providers. The availability of 5G will eventually make cable internet irrelevant and cable contracts may go extinct for residential users. 

Municipalities have no control over 5G internet access as this service is provided by the wireless companies, the folk that provide cell service, Verizon, ATT&T, and T-Mobile. Residents can use whichever service they want, based on availability, without government interference.

What to Watch Out For

Residents should be evaluating what is available for TV viewing other than cable. They should also start paying attention to what options are developing for internet access. Changes are occurring daily. 

Town government, the Board of Selectmen in particular, should be reviewing what is happening in the cable, television, and internet marketplace. They should educate themselves about the drastic drops in cable subscribers in Townsend and how that affects other town services as well as the town’s relationship with TCAM. The town should develop a plan for taking over some of the services provided by TCAM and distribute media (government meetings) on their own. 

TCAM needs to review what the future holds for them. If PEG access is no longer needed, neither are they. They are certainly facing significant cuts in their budget and will need to be prepared to possibly shut down. Cutting expenses, including salaries, should be expected.

Stay tuned. This story will be growing over the next year.

Squannacook River Flood Warning

 The Squannacook River was at 6.8 feet earlier this morning and is expected to rise to flood stage of 7.0 or higher. Low lying areas along the river may already have some minor flooding affecting travel. 

Use caution. Problem areas noted include Barker Hill Rd., Turnpike Rd. in Townsend.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning for the river until this afternoon.

UPDATE:

NWS has indicated that those traveling by Wilkens in the morning on 20 DEC may experience flooded roadways. Check the updates and consider alternate routes....  

Flood warnings in effect until Thursday.

Comcast/Xfinity Raising Prices in 2024

 Comcast has announced that their fees are going up significantly in the new year. They have posted a warning on their website about the changes.

Comcast has been losing subscribers at a frantic pace. The costs of continuing to provide cable TV and internet will be passed on to remaining customers. 

The services Comcast provides and the means they provide them are changing on a daily basis.

Check your bill often to see what the impact will be on you.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Topics Coming Up on the Reel News Blog

 We're preparing lots of exciting and relevant news for our readers. Here is a partial list of stories and topics that will be presented over the coming months:

Override concerns in the region

How does the school budget work?

Who’s running for town boards?

Who are our elected officials?

What is going on in Town Hall?

What lawsuits are pending in the towns?

What’s going on with trash collection?

Updates on recycling

Is the Recycling Center open?

Talk about road conditions

There should be a law about that

Who is in court this week?

Conflicts of interest you might want to know about

What’s with the water?

Police and fire activity

Cable TV and Internet

Stay tuned and check back often.

Welcome to Reel News!

 We are the new addition to providing information about what's REELY going on in Townsend and the surrounding area. 

There has not been a local newspaper or reliable news source for a few years, so we are here to try to fill the gap. The goal of Real News is not to pass on a bunch of fluff. Our goal is to get to the bottom of important stories.

As this page grows, there will be ads and membership opportunities. Donation sites will be posted for CashApp and possibly Patreon.

There is REELY a lot going on around the area that no one hears about and we are here to keep you informed on important issues.

This is not going to be used for commercial ads for local businesses although Adsense and miscellaneous pop-ups will start appearing soon in order to fund this important endeavor. 

Stay tuned and watch this site!!!