Notes of September 22

22 September 2011
Quinebaug Valley Greens Local
Meeting at the Joshua Hyde Library , Sturbridge, MA

Attendees: Maureen Doyle, Gus Steeves, Daphne Stevens

Time: 11:20p

Locavesting speaker at JEL: Gus talked to Margaret Morrissey at the Jacob Edwards Library about the possibly of the author of Locavesting coming to speak there. There is nothing definite so any planning on our part would be immature.

Office Hours of our Local Representatives:
Brewer: D- Barre; Tatman House, 20 Common St., Barre, MA 01005, 978-355-244 4or Room 212 Boston, MA 02133:Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee, Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and  Means, Joint Committee on Rules, Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules
Smola: R- Palmer; Room 156, Boston, MA 02133 ; 617-722-2240; House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets and Joint Committee on Public Service.
Durant: R-Spencer; Room 33, Boston, MA 02133, 617-722-2060; joint Committee on elder affairs and the joint committee on transportation.
Kuros:  R-Uxbridge, Room 443, Boston, MA 02133, 617-722-2460

Wording for a Petition to our State Legislators:  to allow persoanla use of chickens for property owners that do NOT have 5 acres. Include:
-- chicken rearing for personal use (not commercial use)
--this helps the local economy (each chicken owner will purchase food, shavings as well as other supplies for them)
--we , the undersigned, seek an amendment to MGL tpo allow chickens for property owners with ¼ acre or more
--with the following restrictions:
Non-commercial- use only; hens only (no roosters)
-- notices to abutting occupied houses
--this shall be a by-right use, up to a dozen hens per acre, pro-rated for smaller acrages
--chickens make much less noise than lawn mowers, neighbors with blaring radios, etc.