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Contact Us
info@hampshirecog.org
Tel: (413) 584-1300
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Town Spotlight
Goshen
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Town Offices:
Main Street
PO Box 869
Goshen, MA 01032
Tel: (413) 268-8236
Incorporated: 1781
Places of Interest:
DAR State Forest
Interesting Fact:
Goshen is one of only two towns in the US that are within 29 miles of five different states.
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Programs & Services
- General Products &
Services, Highway,
Heating Oil, School
- Chapter 30b and
other Procurement &
RFP Consulting
Services
- Regional Building
- Hampshire IT
- Regional Accounting
& Bookkeeping
- Grant Writing,
Administration &
Consulting
- Regional Health
District Grant (DIG)
- Community
Transformation Grant
- Town Administration
Consulting
- Planning & Zoning
Assistance
- Coming Soon:
Legal Services,
Human Resources
Electricity Services
- Real Time Product
- Fixed Price Brokered
Product
- Municipal Aggregation
Sustainability Services
- SREC Aggregation
- Hampshire Solar
Lease Fund
- Municipal Solar
Procurement RFP
- Green Community
Consulting
- Solar and Wind
Consulting
Health and Human Services
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Director's Note
Counties were formed for a reason. They were, and are in the rest of the country, a logical governmental structure that serves as an appropriate vehicle for regional cooperation and coordination. In the Commonwealth, counties were abolished in areas highly dominated by small rural communities. An odd choice, but one that we must live with at least for now. We have recently seen the Commonwealth acknowledge the value and importance of regional cooperation and coordination through various regional initiatives such as the District Incentive Grant, Municipal Health Care Reform through nudging communities into the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), Municipal Innovation Grant, DLTA initiatives, and the Lt. Governor's Regionalization Advisory Committee. All well and good, but the Commonwealth must be careful on two fronts: 1. Get too big and you lose the strength of local knowledge, local patterns/demographics, and local control, and 2. Get too small by encouraging too many micro-regions (think inter-local agreements and small Regional Planning Agencies) and you lose the scale that creates the real benefit of regional coordination: saving tax payer dollars. An example of getting too big is the GIC. The GIC cannot compare to the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust because the Trust benefits from local knowledge, local demographics, and local control. Examples of getting too small are all around us. Inter-local agreements have their place, but when they are used as a band-aid in the place of meaningful regional cooperation, an opportunity for real savings is missed and that is unfortunate given the financial struggles that municipalities face today. Regionalization is hard. Regionalization takes work, effort, creative thought and political guts. The Hampshire Council is here to help and we stand ready to work with our partners in the region to lead the charge for appropriate and sustainable regional initiatives.
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Staff Spotlight: John P. O'Rourke
 John P. O'Rourke joined the Council in February as the new Director of Electricity. He bringsa wealth of experience in both the private and non-profit sectors in the areas of financial analysis, valuation, Internet technology and marketing.
He is a member of the Board of Selectmen and the Energy Committee in Conway, MA and he is also involved in the town's energy conservation and renewable energy development efforts. He hopes to "strengthen the current programs and develop new pricing and aggregation models to assist customers in lowering their electricity costs." Read more about John in this article by the Hampshire Gazette.
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New Plan Offers Cheaper Electricity to Council Customers
The Council's successful Hampshire Power program recently became a broker of fixed price electricity supply contracts. Historically, the program has been able to save its customers money by providing them with access to wholesale electricity markets. The new program helps customers by sourcing the best price on fixed-price electricity supply contracts through a private supplier, often at prices far below those available by other methods.
According to Geoff Rogers, Sales and Brokerage Specialist at the Council, "Low energy demand and a plentiful supply of domestic natural gas have combined to bring fixed prices down to unprecedented low levels at the moment," and these fixed rate plans make it easier "to plan for future energy costs by locking into a low rate."
The first customers in the brokered fixed price plan are the Town of North Brookfield, Bay Path Vocational School in Charlton, Quabbin Regional School District, based in Barre and surrounding towns, and the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District. These customers will save nearly $200,000 per year. Since 2006, the Hampshire Power has saved over $1.4 million for its customers, as compared to utility prices. For more information on Hampshire Power, contact Geoff Rogers at 413-584-1300 ext. 153 or email grogers@hampshirecog.org.
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The Council Secures Community Transformation Grant
 The Council, in partnership with the towns of Amherst, Belchertown, Northampton, and Williamsburg, was awarded $60,000 multi-year Community Transformation Grant. The grants are awarded by the US Department of Health and Human Services to support prevention-based approaches to improving health and wellness in cities and towns across Massachusetts.
According to Todd Ford, Executive Director of the Council, this grant will provide needed assistance in bridging "the gap between the promotion of wellness as a concept and the reality of providing residents access to resources that encourage exercise and healthy eating."
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RSVP Receives Recognition for Their Work
RSVP of Hampshire & Franklin Counties was recently awarded a 3-year grant renewal from the Corporation for National and Community Service. RSVP's application received a rating of excellent, the highest possible rating. Total federal funding for the first year of the grant, beginning April 1, is $147,182.
Pat Sicard, Volunteer Coordinator, was also featured on the front page of the March issue of Pioneer Valley's Live Well magazine. Sicard has dedicated the past 35 years of her life to social service work and she continues to do great work connecting retirees to the right volunteer opportunity.
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 Hampshire County to Celebrate Its 350th Anniversary Hampshire County will be turning 350 on May 7th. To commemorate this historic occasion, the Council will be planning a series of events throughout the entire year to showcase the wealth of local talent and rich history of the county. The Council will work with the Historical Societies and Commissions, schools, and libraries of all of Hampshire County's municipalities to plan both regional and county-wide events.These events will include regional 'meet & greets' with legislators and town officials. Arts Night Out, a popular event in Northampton on the second Friday of every month, will be utilized to showcase the work of local artisans. Through a partnership with the University of Massachusetts Archives, the Council will also be auctioning a small selection of archival prints of the county's historical documents, giving residents a chance to own a piece of Hampshire County history. There will also be a limited number of prints available for sale. Check out the Council's Facebook page for regular updates about upcoming events. |
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Council Highlights from 2011
2011 was an exciting year for the Council. Here are just a few highlights from some of our programs:
Regional Services:
- Introduced Hampshire IT, Regional Accounting, and Town
Administration Consulting
Electricity:
- Introduced brokerage service
- Signed contracts with 25 towns for the Municipal Aggregation program
Sustainability:
- Introduced SREC Aggregation Service, Green Community Grant
Administration, and green energy consulting services
With six new programs and the expansion of several existing programs, 2012 is expected to bring even more exciting advancements for the Council.
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County Calender
Hampshire County Selectmen's Association Meeting, Wednesday, March 21st, Bluebonnet Diner, Northampton. Captain Michael Spanknebel of the Hadley Fire Department and Chair of the Regional Emergency Planning Committee, and Larry Holmberg, Chesterfield and Goshen's Emergency Management Director, will address our regions needs for effective emergency services. Selectmen, emergency response personnel, and local Legislators are encouraged to attend. In addition, Representative Kulik will give a Legislative Update. The Association's Officers are hopeful that other Legislators will attend to provide updates on legislation that have a direct impact to our area.
2012 Hampshire & Franklin Municipal Conference, Saturday, March 31st, Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, Northampton. Senator Rosenberg will is once again working with the Hampshire and Franklin Councils of Governments for this year's program. Congressman James McGovern will be the featured keynote speaker. In addition to the usual individual sessions, State Representative Jay Kaufman will discuss "Revenue and Tax Expenditure Reform in the Commonwealth."
Please sign up here or contact Tom in Senator Rosnberg's district office for more information or to RSVP, tumitch@sprynet.com, or 413-587-6289.
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