IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

For Immediate Release

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Tests Showed Coliform Bacteria in Winthrop Water

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for drinking water contaminants. We took 30 samples to test for the presence of coliform bacteria during the month of April. Two of our samples showed the presence of total coliform bacteria. The standard is that no more than one sample may do so.

What should I do?
You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions.

What does this mean?
This is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified within 24 hours. Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves. Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the system’s treatment or distribution system (pipes). Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such E. coli, are present. We did not find any of these bacteria in our subsequent testing.

What is being done?
On April 28, two samples were positive for total coliform, including one sample that was taken from an alternate site. On April 29, six repeat samples were taken to determine if there was an actual problem, and all came back clear of coliform. Therefore, no further action is required.

For more information, please contact Dave Hickey at 617-846-1341 or at Winthrop DPW, 100 Kennedy Drive, Winthrop, MA, 02152.

*  Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place.

Date publicly posted : June 6 , 2011 by DPW
Webposting request on June 8, 2011 by DPW / posted by MIS - MKaras

June 2011 Council on Aging News Letter

Click Here to download the June 2011 COA News Letter

TOWN HALL PARKING LOT CLOSED

The Town Hall parking lot will be closed on Friday, 6/3/11 from 7:00am to 11:00am.

Work is being done on the boiler at Town Hall.

Workers and vehicles will be active in that area so the parking lot will be closed off to ensure safety.

Winthrop Public Library & Museum CLOSED on June 6, 2011

The Winthrop Public Library & Museum will be closed on Monday, June 6, 2011 to complete installation of the new circulation desk and space reorganization. We will reopen on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 12 noon.


Alan
Alan Thibeault
Director, Winthrop Public Library & Museum
athibeault@town.winthrop.ma.us
Phone: (617) 846-1703
Fax: (617) 846-7083

2011 Summer Schedule for Winthrop Public Library & Museum

The Winthrop Public Library & Museum is operating under its summer schedule, effective May 31, 2011:

Monday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Children's 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

Tuesday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. (Children's 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.)

Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Children's 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

Thursday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. (Children's 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Children's 1:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED

This schedule will remain in effect through Labor Day weekend. Our final Children's Story Hour for the season will be held on Friday, June 17th.

Story Hours will resume in October.

--

Alan Thibeault, Director
Winthrop Public Library & Museum
Winthrop, Massachusetts
athibeault@town.winthrop.ma.us
(617) 846-1703

Community Health Needs Assessment Survey from Health Department

The Health Department needs your input!

Throughout the month of May, the Town of Winthrop will be conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment Survey of community residents to determine what are the health needs and issues affecting residents

Please click here to take the survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LWQZ6H2

Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Senior Center and library.  It should only take you 10 minutes to fill out this questionnaire.

At the end of the survey you can enter a drawing to win one of the following prizes: $50 gift card to Stop and Shop; $50 gift card to Winthrop market place; Red Sox tickets; a Resident Parking sticker.

For more information contact:
Town of Winthrop Health Department
healthinfo@town.winthrop.ma.us

Press Release: KRT Appraisal to Assist with Winthrop's Revaluation

Town of Winthrop Press Release

KRT APPRAISAL TO ASSIST WITH WINTHROP’S REVALUATION

The Town of Winthrop will be undertaking a revaluation update on all properties for Fiscal Year 2012. This update is part of an ongoing process, guided by The Department of Revenue regulations, to maintain proper values for all properties in Winthrop.

There are four major phases to a revaluation update being utilized: Data collection, Market Analysis, Valuation, and Field Review. The following is a general outline and explanation of each phase of the project. During these phases many tasks will be implemented in order to successfully complete the revaluation.

PHASE #1: DATA COLLECTION
KRT Appraisal’s staff will be conducting property inspections over the next couple of months. During this phase, Data Collectors will be going to 951 properties that have not had an inspection within the last nine years and physically inspect the interior and measure the exterior of each building. The Data Collectors note the buildings location, size, age, quality of construction, improvements, topography, utilities, zoning restrictions, if any, and numerous other characteristics both inside and out. To ensure that a home was inspected, the homeowner is asked to sign the data collection form to verify that the inspection took place. The entire process takes approximately 15 minutes for most properties.

All KRT Appraisal staff will carry Picture ID, Municipal Letters of Introduction, and have their vehicles listed with both the Assessor’s Office and Police Department

PHASE 2: MARKET ANALYSIS
A variety of resources are used to analyze the real estate market. Appraisal personnel will be analyzing recent sales that took place over the last few years to determine which market factors influenced property values. KRT Appraisal will gather and use information from The Registry of Deeds, property managers, developers, and local real estate professionals. Once all the data is collected and reviewed for accuracy, the appraiser will determine land values and set Neighborhood codes that rate the desirability of locations throughout the Town.

PHASE 3: VALUATION
Valuation is done using one of the three recognized methods: Replacement/Market Cost, Income Approach and Sales Comparison Approach. The Sales Comparison is the most widely used approach, and most easily explained to the taxpayer. During this phase, individual characteristics of the building are analyzed using information from sale properties. Each property is compared to other properties with similar characteristics. Once the market cost is determined, the improvement value is then added to the land value that was previously determined. This value is the final estimate for each parcel of property, building and land.

PHASE 4: FIELD REVIEW
Field Review is the method of checking and re-checking both the values that have been determined and the data that has been collected. During this review, properties are viewed in the field by experienced appraisers who double-check uniformity and accuracy of information.

After all phases are completed, all data, files, records, etc. used in the revaluation are then turned over to the Assessors Office.