Join us for the 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival!

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1 Quarterly Newsletter Issue 12A Spring 2012 Serving the Community for Over 30 Years! A Word From The Executive Director Dear Hilltown Residents, I am approaching my first year anniversary at the Hilltown CDC. I can say with confidence that the Hilltown CDC is an impressive and valueadded non-profit agency serving the needs of the hilltown region. I am amazed at how many projects the CDC has been involved in over the last 30 years. More importantly, I realize the staff, board of directors and people who are involved in the work of the CDC are what make this organization special. The Hilltown CDC is dedicated to its mission to improve the quality of life for Hilltown residents. We work better with continued help from the community. I hope to find ways to engage the community in the years to come that will allow for the voices of hilltown residents to be heard and be a part of the Hilltown CDC s planning process. Please get in touch with us through , a phone call or stop into our office to speak with us about your community development ideas. We need your input. Our Spring Festival is coming up fast on Saturday, May 12th at the Cummington Fairgrounds. See you there! Thank you, Dave Christopolis Hilltown CDC Executive Director Join us for the 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival! Saturday May 12, 2012 from 10 AM to 7 PM at the Cummington Fairgrounds New This Year: Family Contradance at 5 PM Emerging Artists Stage including support for small businesses and support for low and moderate income local residents. Expect to find: Ten foot high puppets, Demonstrations by horse trainers and a blacksmith, Five hours of music on three stages, Children selling their crafts, A dance around the Maypole, Great food from local vendors, A family contradance and much, much more. Support for the Hilltown Spring Festival is provided by thirteen Local Cultural Councils, which are local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; by local business sponsors; and by the exhibiting businesses. Your admission fee contributes to the work of Hilltown CDC, Just big enough to be exciting but small enough to make connecting easy. Every year it gets bigger and better. Wonderful Event.

2 PROGRAM INFORMATION HILLTOWN CDC CAN HELP YOU START AND BUILD YOUR BUSINESS! Get Individual Business Consulting Free: Specialized business consulting is free for existing and new businesses in 20 towns. No question is too simple or too complicated. Come to a Business Workshop: Check the schedule of business workshops in this newsletter and at We can help you run your business better. List your business in the Hilltown Business Directory: Join 282 local businesses in the 2012 Hilltown Business Directory on-line for just $5. The registration form is at or call or Seth Isman (see below). The printed directory is mailed once a year, in January, to 13,500 hilltown households. Advertise in this Newsletter: Reach over 7,000 households in 10 towns. Just $45 for a business card size ad, discounted for Hilltown CDC members. Exhibit at the Hilltown Spring Festival: Show 2,000 visitors what you can do for them on May 12 at the Cummington Fairgrounds. The registration form is at or festival@hilltowncdc.org for more information. PUT HILLTOWN CDC TO WORK FOR YOU. Contact Seth Isman for details at ext. 112 or sethi@hilltowncdc.org. First Time Homebuyer Program Bea von Hagke at , ext. 115 or beavh@hilltowncdc.org Financial Assistance to buy a home! On behalf of the Town of Chesterfield, Hilltown CDC can provide ONE grant up to $4,500 to an eligible first time homebuyer to assist with down payment and closing costs. The grant is available for the purchase of a home in the following towns: Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Peru, Plainfield, and Williamsburg. Hilltown CDC also can provide ONE deferred payment loan up to $10,000 to an income eligible homebuyer for help buying a house in the same towns listed above. This money can help you bridge the gap between what you have been pre-approved for, and what you find on the market today or simply to decrease the amount of overall mortgage. This loan is 0% interest and is forgiven at the rate of 6.67% per year such that it is fully forgiven at the end of 15 years. If you sell within the 15-year period, you only repay the amount that has not yet been forgiven. If you are interested in either of these great financial assistance options, please contact Hilltown CDC early in the homebuying process to talk about the details. Applicants must complete a certified First Time Homebuyer Workshop and meet other eligibility requirements. For more information, contact Bea at , ext 115 or beavh@hilltowncdc.org. Funds are made available through a Department of Housing and Community Development Block Grant awarded to the town of Chesterfield Social Services Contact Charlie Hayes at , ext. 120 or charlieh@hilltowncdc.org HEN Program, HOPE Program, Families Together, Hilltown Food Pantry, Hilltown Childcare Subsidy program Hilltown CDC Social Services offer an array of services designed to address specific issues. These services are targeted to low and moderate income households and specialize in elder support, parenting, child care and food security. Hilltown Elder Network (HEN) - home and chore assistance, cleaning & laundry, food shopping & meal preparation, seasonal heavy chore assistance, escorted transportation and other services for income eligible elders. Health Outreach Program for Elders (HOPE) - specialized in-home nursing and podiatric care for eligible elders throughout the region. Families Together - family oriented counseling, workshops, child raising classes, reading groups and much more support to area families. The Hilltown Food Pantry - regularly scheduled distributions of supplemental emergency foods to eligible Hilltown households. Child Care Subsidies - assistance is available to eligible households at no cost Services are available to eligible residents at no cost. The HEN Program has begun a new initiative to introduce elder at-home services into the towns of Peru, Huntington and Russell and invites requests and application from elder residents in those areas.

3 Over 140 elders will find help in the vitally needed assistance required to remain living independently, safely and in their own homes. Social Service Program Contacts HEN Hilltown CDC (413) ext. 120 HOPE and Families Together - Hilltown Health Centers (413) Food Pantry (413) Child Care Subsidies (413) Programs are supported by MA CDBG funds, Hampshire County United Way, The Schwartz Charitable Foundation, Highland Valley Elder Services and the Town of Williamsburg. Housing Rehabilitation Sarah Szczebak at , ext. 117 or sarahs@hilltowncdc.org HOUSING REHABILITATION FOR HILLTOWN HOMEOWNERS Seeking General Contractors, Septic Installers and Well Drillers to bid on Housing Rehabilitation projects. General Contractors must have a Construction Supervisor license, a Home Improvement Contractor license, and EPA or DOS license; liability insurance with limits of $100,000 on property and $300,000 on personal; and Workman s Compensation insurance, if applicable. Septic installers and well drillers must have the appropriate licenses for their work and the above liability insurance. HCDC is an EEO/Section 3 Employer. Women & members of minority groups are encouraged to apply. Contact Sarah, above. Hilltown CDC is building a waiting list for housing rehabilitation. Interested homeowners may contact Sarah for more information and to be added to our waiting list. Eligible Improvements May Include: Roof and foundation repairs Sewer tie in and septic repairs Heating systems; oil tank removal Handicap accessibility work Plumbing and electrical repairs New wells drilled; pump repairs Lead paint and asbestos removal Program Benefits Include: No interest, no monthly payments Loans may be entirely forgiven Detailed work specifications Project oversight Contractor selection assistance Eligible Homeowners Should: Live in a single-family, owner-occupied housing unit Be current with property taxes and mortgage payments Fall within the income guidelines (see next column) The eligibility of program applicants will be determined on an individual basis. Other restrictions or requirements may apply depending on a household s current situation and circumstances. Note: Hilltown CDC s Housing Rehab Program provides services to Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Peru, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington. Funding is not available in all eight towns at all times. If you live in a town not listed above, the Housing Rehab Program for your area may be administered by Pioneer Valley Planning Commission at HOUSEHOLD INCOME GUIDELINES/LIMITS Household Size Max. Gross Annual Income 1... $45, $52, $58, $65, $70, $75, $80, $85,800

4 A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors Comings and Goings In January 2012 Hilltown CDC said goodbye to Jacquelyn Burgin, a longtime employee who focused her talents on community facility project development and planning and infrastructure projects. For over a decade Jacquelyn lent her expertise to these projects which have improved the quality of life for people in the hilltowns and added value to many public facilities. Below is a partial list of the many projects she brought to fruition totaling close to 10 million dollars in resources made available to the hilltowns. Left To Right: Eleanor Schwartz, Dave Christopolis, Megan Banks, Sharon Angle The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation* Florence Savings Bank Easthampton Savings Bank Legacy Bank Berkshire Bank TD Bank United Way of Hampshire County Massachusetts Service Alliance Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Fund Housing Preservation Grant Highland Valley Elder Services Attorney General Grant Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts * The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation was established in 2007 to support medical research and other charitable interests of the late Eleanor H. and Frederic N. Schwartz. Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz were born in Springfield and Chester, Massachusetts, respectively, and frequently returned to the Berkshires region later in life. In recognition of the Schwartzes connection to western Massachusetts, the Foundation s Trustees chose to partner with Hilltown CDC in its mission to support social services and promote community and economic development in the area. Thank you Jacquelyn. Community Facility Projects Worthington Addition and Renovations to the Worthington Health Center Chesterfield Conversion of the Chesterfield Grange to a Senior Center Design and construction of new Hilltown CDC offices and child care facility Plainfield Construction of 10,000 SF building to house EMT and Fire Dept. Cummington Replacement of Roofs and Windows in Four Buildings at Hillside Terrace Elderly Housing Complex Jacquelyn worked hard to complete barrier removal projects providing handicap accessibility to many hilltown facilities. Here are examples of a few high impact projects: Goshen Town Hall Plainfield Hathaway Hall Chesterfield Town Hall Chesterfield Grange Hall Cummington Community House Cummington Pettingill Memorial Field Cummington Construction for three stop elevator in Fairground Main Exhibition Hall Plainfield Town Hall Westhampton Town Hall Williamsburg Town Offices Williamsburg Nash Hill Elevator Project Construction of new elevator and entrance addition Here are Infrastructure Projects Jacquelyn had involvement in: Cummington Accessory Driveway/Handicap parking at Hillside Terrace West Cummington Water Line Replacement Project

5 WINTER-SPRING BUSINESS WORKSHOPS Workshops are at the Hilltown CDC office, 387 Main Road, Chesterfield Tuition waivers are available for low and moderate income hilltown residents. Creating your own Business in QuickBooks Mondays, Feb. 27, March 5 & 12 6 to 9 PM, $90 for three sessions Working with your own client and vendor information, begin setting up your company in QuickBooks. This course covers basic design of your books, accounts receivable, accounts payable, banking, estimating, and inventory. Learn how to create all the reports that show how your business is really doing. After the third session, take your work home on CD to continue building your bookkeeping system. If you do not own a business and you want to learn the software, you can invent a company on which to practice. Marketing Your Website Mondays, March 13 and 27 6 to 9 PM, $60 for two sessions Nobody understands a small business better than its owner, making you the most capable person to promote your own company s website. This workshop will walk you step-by-step through hands-on, real world exercises. You will learn to take a proactive approach to maximize the effectiveness of the four major sources of online traffic. You will learn guerilla techniques to show you how to increase the volume and quality of links from referring sites, how to read and interpret Web traffic statistics, how to uncover your competitors secrets and strategies, how to make Facebook and other consumer-generated content work to your benefit, how to use offline marketing to your maximum advantage, and how to use powerful free tools from Google (including Google Analytics, Google Alerts, and Google Maps) all with a minimal commitment of time and on a shoestring budget. Through hands-on exercises, learn how to get people to your site, how to get them to stay, how to get them to take the prescribed course of action, how to get them to tell others about their great experience, and how to make your website work as effectively as possible. Taught by Peter Pelland of Pelland Advertising, co-author of Unconventional Wisdom Works. Microsoft Word for Beginners Tuesday, March 21 6 to 9 PM, $35 Start to make your computer work for you. Designed for people with little knowledge of Word. You will learn how to create documents, set up margins and fonts, store documents, print documents, and do basic formatting of the documents. Taught by Debbe Dugan of Simply Computing. Getting Financing for your Business Thursday, March 29, 6 to 8 PM, free This free workshop covers the lending process; how to prepare for a loan, both personally and as a business; the rules of lending; the sources of capital; personal credit issues, and what you need to know before approaching a lender. Taught by business advisers Amy Shapiro of Franklin County CDC and Seth Isman of Hilltown CDC. Create Simple Marketing Materials with Microsoft Word Monday, April 2 6 to 9 PM, $35 Use Word to create marketing materials using graphics, text boxes, line drawings, colors, and fonts. Create fliers, posters, simple brochures, and ads. Taught by Debbe Dugan. Get the Media to Tell Your Business Story Wednesday, April 4 6 to 9 PM, $35 Publicity is one of the most effective marketing tools available to any business owner. Getting your company and its products or services covered in a news story in print or broadcast media provides tremendous visibility and credibility and can be done for virtually no cost. In this workshop, PR veteran Jeanne Yocum will explain how you can interest the media in telling your story. Examples of tools you can use to generate media coverage will be provided along with pointers on what to do (and not to do) in media interviews. Using Excel for Business Mondays, April 9 and 16 6 to 9 PM, $60 for two sessions This is a comprehensive course that begins with navigating the basic spreadsheet; formatting cells, columns, and rows; and creating formulas. We will create workbooks that integrate data from multiple spreadsheets and other Excel documents and learn how to integrate this information into Word documents. We will learn how to use functions in complicated computations, create macros for repetitive operations and worksheet set-up, and display data as charts. We will explore Excel as a database and learn how it can become the medium to integrate information exported from the internet or from other software programs such as Filemaker, QuickBooks and some mobile phones. Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Sales & Marketing Class Mondays, April 23 and 30 6:30 to 8:30 PM, $60 for two sessions Have you invested time and money to build your business, but still aren t seeing the results you want? Do you think you have a winning game plan but aren t quite sure? Do you need just one extra tweak to start moving full steam ahead? Sign up for a two session small group coaching sprint with Guerrilla Marketing Specialist Sheldon Snodgrass of SteadySales.com. You will learn how to improve sales without spending money on advertising, generate word of mouth buzz simply and authentically, and keep yourself accountable to weekly action plans that will help you sell more. Be ready to work before, during, and after each session! Space is limited to eight businesses. For further information: Seth Isman, ext 112 or sethi@hilltowncdc.org. This non-profit institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer Visit our WEBSITE at

6 HILLTOWN CDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Baker David Kielson Cynthia Magrath John Maruskin Michele Morris Andy Myers Margaret Parsons Robert Persing Laura Porter Susan Riley Sienna Wildfield Plainfield Chesterfield Worthington Cummington Williamsburg Chester Westhampton Plainfield Williamsburg Cummington Chesterfield A Member of the The Hilltown Community Development Corporation (HCDC) is currently seeking interested Hilltown residents who would consider serving on one of our committees or our Board of Directors. To inquire about available volunteer opportunities or for more information, please contact Dave Christopolis, Executive Director at ext. 118, or him at davec@hilltowncdc.org. Hilltown CDC Business Advertisements Your ad here reaches 7,000 households 4 times a year: contact Seth Isman ext. 112 or Sethi@hilltowncdc.org Hilltown CDC Rental Housing is Available In: Chesterfield Williamsburg Haydenville Westhampton Huntington Call Sarah to inquire about vacancies! ext. 117