Easton, MA

STATUS OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES DURING COVID-19 STATE OF EMERGENCY

The Easton Emergency Management Association (EEMA) continually assesses the COVID-19 pandemic and has issued numerous press releases to inform the public of anticipated service impacts and public building closures. This page will serve as a central location for all current municipal service impacts relating to COVID-19 and will be updated on a regular basis if and when the situation changes. If, after reviewing the following thoroughly, you believe you have a municipal service question that is not addressed, please email COVID19@easton.ma.us or call 508-230-0783 for assistance. 

All department contact information is available at the bottom of this page or by clicking here. The Town appreciates your continued patience and support as we all do our part together to limit the spread of COVID-19.

As of September 10, 2020, the status of municipal services are as follows:

Town Offices and Frothingham Hall - Town Offices and Frothingham Hall continue to provide services remotely through online platforms and other means Monday through Friday of each week. The Town is now also offering limited in-person service via appointment for those residents who cannot have their service needs met by remote means.

TOWN OF EASTON IN-PERSON APPOINTMENT POLICY AND INSTRUCTIONS

The Town is now offering limited in-person service via appointment for those residents who cannot have their service needs met by remote means. In accordance with Massachusetts Department of Public Health requirements for visitor logging for Covid-19 contract tracing efforts, as well as good practice for public health purposes, the following form must be completed:

1. Complete the Appointment Request Form (ARF).
2. Save the completed ARF and email it to the department from which you are seeking service. All department contact info HERE or by clicking “Contact Us” at www.easton.ma.us. If you are unsure of which department you need service from, or believe your appointment requires service from more than one department, please contact our Covid-19 line at 508-230-0783 or at covid19@easton.ma.us
   
3. Upon receipt of a complete ARF, the Department will review your request and contact you via email or telephone to schedule an appointment or offer remote services if an appointment is not necessary for the service to be delivered.

For now, in-person appointments will be offered between 10AM-2PM on Tuesday and Noon – 4PM on Wednesday of each week. Please submit your ARF by the preceding Friday. Appointments will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. This will be re-evaluated by the Town as time goes on and adjustments to the schedule may be made in the future.

If you require a hard copy of this request form or require other assistance, please contact our Covid-19 line at 508-203-0783. If the line is busy, please leave a voicemail with as much information about your request as possible and a staff person will return the call as soon as possible. A staff person will first call the resident and collect the necessary information for contact tracing purposes and to discern the appropriate department to send the appointment.

General requirements for in-person appointments:

• Requests for appointments must be made in advance using the approved ARF.

• If service request can be provided remotely or with other reasonable accommodation, it will be. If it cannot, an in-person appointment will be scheduled.
• Mask must be worn at all times during the appointment at the Town Offices or any other public building.
• Resident should attend appointment alone unless their business requires additional person present (for ex. marriage intentions).
• Resident will be met at the main entrance at the time scheduled for their appointment and let in to the appropriate department / office for service by Town staff.

• Upon completion of the appointment, resident will exit building. Walk-ins to other departments will not be permitted.

•  All Town parks and fields are open for use - with restrictions including face coverings, limits on gathers of more than 10 people, and the 6-foot social distancing standard. Please review the Commonwealth’s restrictions on park and field use by visiting https://www.mass.gov/doc/safety-standards-for-parks-open-space-and-outdoor-education-programs-phase-ii/download

• Effective June 8, Town playgrounds are open – with restrictions including face coverings and social distancing standards - under Phase II. Please remember to use best hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing.  

• The Town of Easton Recreation Department's Full Day Summer Program and the Children’s Races are cancelled for Summer 2020. Additionally, the Town Pool will remain closed for the season. The Town will continually evaluate alternative recreation program opportunities throughout the summer and appreciates your patience while we prioritize resident health and assess limitations of conducting these programs while maintaining compliance with the Commonwealth’s COVID prevention standards.  

Inspections - Inspectional staff (Building Department, Board of Health, Planning, Zoning, Conservation, DPW, Water, and Assessors) are reachable via telephone and email during normal business hours (click here for contact info).  Effective June 8, all inspectional services will be performed provided they can be done so in adherence with social distancing standards in accordance with the following Interim Inspections Policy. 

Public Safety - Easton Police, Fire, and Dispatch emergency response services remain fully operational.  

• New/Renewal applications for firearms licenses will be processed but appointments may be delayed. The firearms licensing officer may be contacted at (508) 230-3322 X-3.
• Solicitor’s permits will not be issued until further notice. 
• All Public Records requests should be mailed to the police department or submitted electronically to EPDRecordsRequests@easton.ma.us. 
• Animal Control remains operational and is reachable by email Jholbrook@easton.ma.us or telephone at (508) 230-3322 X-1.
• Open burning permits are available on the online portal at https://eastonfire.com/ and permission to burn on a daily basis is still required through the website.

Public access to all Fire Stations is closed until further notice. 
Public access to the Lothrop Street Police Station remains open in case of emergency.
All non emergency service requests should be directed via telephone or email by clicking here.

Public Works - DPW and Water buildings are closed to the public until further notice.  However, Easton DPW remains fully operational. Essential services such as water, wastewater, trash, and public building disinfection will continue. 

Public Construction - In accordance with the Governor’s Essential Services order, critical infrastructure construction, including sewer construction, will proceed. DPW has implemented mandatory enhanced site safety and health protocols for all vendors to maximize social distance and will evaluate future public construction jobs on a case by case basis. 

Curbside Trash, Recycling and Textile Pick Up

• Waste Management Trash and Recycling pickup remains uninterrupted. Please make sure to properly bag and seal all trash bags so that waste haulers are not unnecessarily exposed to loose waste that could carry COVID-19. Single stream recycling should still be placed in the container without a bag.
• Textile recycling through Simple Recycling continues to be operational.

Easton Public Schools - Superintendent Dr. Cabral has and will continue to send educational service information directly to all parents of school children via email. Please review the materials provided by Dr. Cabral for current Easton Public School service related questions. For the latest information, please visit www.easton.k12.ma.us 

Ames Free Library - Please review service information at the AFL website at https://www.amesfreelibrary.org/