The appointed individual would fill the vacancy until the next town election. Please fill out a volunteer form and send a letter of interest to selectmen@townofmerrimac.com
The Merrimac Finance Committee is in need of two additional members to prepare the budget to be presented at Annual Town Meeting in April. The committee meets weekly on Mondays at 6:00pm at Town Hall from now until mid-March.
If interested, please contact our Town Moderator, Earl Baumgardner, at moderator@townofmerrimac.com or 978-764-2011.
“Even with winter weather, several regions in our state are facing below-average precipitation,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “To avoid overtaxing our water systems, we must prioritize indoor water conservation. It’s essential that everyone follows state guidance and local water restrictions to ensure our drinking water stays available for everyone.”
Change your water habits
It takes only a shift in mindset to change your water habits.
In the Bathroom
Don’t run the water while you’re brushing your teeth. Wet your toothbrush and then turn the faucet off until you’re ready to rinse.
Don’t run the water while you’re shaving, either. Fill a small glass with water and just rinse your razor as needed
Extra measures during droughts and dry spells
If it takes awhile for your shower to warm up, put a bucket in to catch the water before you get in. Then use that water for house plants, cleaning floors or hand-washing sweaters or delicates.
In the Kitchen
Instead of letting the water run while washing veggies and fruits, just fill a bowl, dunk them in and wipe them dry
Hand-washing the dishes uses more water than a dishwasher. If you do hand-wash, don’t run the water – fill a large bowl, add water and wash your plates and utensils. Then dump the bowl and fill it with clean water to give them a quick rinse.
If you use a dishwasher, wait until it’s full before you run it.
Chill a pitcher or bottle of water in the fridge instead of letting the water run until it gets cold each time you need a drink.
In the laundry room
Wait until you have a full load of laundry. Don’t wash just a pair of jeans or just a couple of shirts.
Set the load setting (small, medium, large) to match the amount of laundry you’re putting in.
The average American family washes about 300 loads of
Georgetown Fire Chief Matt McKay, Groveland Fire Chief Robert Valentine, Merrimac Fire Chief Larry Fisher, and Amesbury Fire Chief James Nolan are pleased to share that the Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, and Amesbury Fire Departments received a joint federal assistance grant for equipment.
The four fire departments received a joint grant of $614,728 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
The funding will be used to purchase equipment such as portable radios and accessories including microphones, batteries, and chargers. The new equipment will replace old or failing radios. The decision was made to purchase the radios based on the needs of the communities.
The new portable radios will be able to receive and transmit communications on multiple radio bands where older technologies could only operate on one, making interoperability with inter-agency and mutual aid partners more accessible. They also offer the newest technology and security features, which are imperative for critical incidents. The portable radios are vital to firefighting operations and the safety of firefighters and the community at large.
As part of the grant funding program, each community is responsible for providing a 10 percent match toward their share of the equipment cost.
The joint grant application was written by Amesbury Deputy Fire Chief Rob Serino and Georgetown Fire Lt. Brian Belfiore.
About FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants
Assistance to Firefighters Grants is allocated to fire departments nationally to fund and aid the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations. These federal grants help firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
For more information about FEMA Assistance to Firefighter Grants, click here.
Our Water Management Act permit defines the following:
Nonessential outdoor water uses that are subject to mandatory restrictionsinclude:
irrigation of lawns via sprinkler or automatic irrigation systems;
filling of swimming pools;
washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety; and
washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks except as necessary to apply surface treatment such as paint, preservatives, stucco, cement or pavement.
No establishing new lawns regardless of the time of year until ban is removed.
PROHIBITED BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9:00 AM AND 5:00 PM
Water uses NOT subject to mandatory restrictions are those required:
for health or safety reasons;
by regulation;
for production of food and fiber;
for the maintenance of livestock; or
to meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation of a golf course as necessary to maintain tees, greens, and limited fairway watering, or irrigation by a plant nurseries to maintain stock).
This conservation measure will be strictly enforced. Violators will be issued a written warning for the first offense. A second offense will be fined $50.00 and $100 for each subsequent offense.
Please call the office with any questions or concerns…978-346-8407
The Select Board has closed playground at the Donaghue School through Thursday, September 26th due to vandalism overnight. The Merrimac Police and Department of Public Works were called to the site on Locust Street early Monday morning to discover feces had been intentionally spread onto the playground equipment. The investigation is ongoing.
MERRIMAC — The Town of Merrimac is pleased to announce that the Master Plan Working Group has released a master plan draft and is seeking community feedback prior to a Planning Board public hearing on the document in November.
The draft master plan can be viewed here. A hard copy will be available for viewing at Town Hall, Merrimac Public Library, and Merrimac Senior Center.
Residents are being asked to provide their comments on the document before Oct. 11. Comments can be made through an online form available here.
Merrimac’s master plan draft is broken into 10 sections: Visions, Goals and Key Issues; Land Use; Natural and Historic Resource Areas; Open Space and Recreation; Housing; Economic Development; Transportation; and Community Facilities and Services; Implementation Plan; and General Comments.
The Town received a grant to update its Master Plan, which was previously adopted in 2002. The Town formed a Master Plan Working Group, which has been assisted in this effort by members of Barrett Planning Group. The process, which began back in 2023, has engaged residents and business owners in Merrimac via public meetings and a survey. The Working Group has also conducted monthly meetings throughout the process. The Planning Board will review the new plan during a regularly scheduled meeting in November.
MERRIMAC — Health Agent Deborah Ketchen and the Merrimac Board of Health report that they have requested a mosquito barrier treatment be applied to municipal sports fields, schools, and cemeteries in Merrimac to help prevent the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses.
MERRIMAC — Health Agent Deborah Ketchen and the Merrimac Board of Health report that the state Department of Public Health has confirmed that a collection of mosquitos from surveillance site in Haverhill have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).
