Bridgewater looking for volunteers

Bridgewater selectmen are currently seeking volunteers to fill vacancies on several committees. The Capital Planning Committee needs two members, the Conservation Commission an associate member, Housing Partnership two members at large, the Master Planning Implementation Committee two members, Veterans' Council two members, and the Elm Street Long Range Planning Committee needs a business representative. Lead parkland stewards are needed for both Wyman Meadows and Titicut; a member is needed for the Senior Center Board of Trustees, one member for Taunton River Stewardship Council, one member for the Traffic Study Committee, and two or more members for the Wage & Personnel Board. Send letters of interest to the Selectmen's Office, Memorial Building, 25 South St., Bridgewater 02324, or e-mail lsullivan@bridgewaterma.org by Sept. 22. - Christine Legere

PEACE VIGIL SEPT. 20 - The Duxbury Interfaith Council and the No Place for Hate Committee will hold a vigil Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. on the town green to honor the United Nations International Day of Peace. Nonpartisan vigils for worldwide peace and good will toward all will take place all over the world Sept. 20 and 21 to recognize an International Day of Peace. Duxbury High School's chorus will participate. The council includes representatives of the town's diverse faith communities. The second sponsoring organization, the No Place for Hate Committee, provides a local framework for combating bigotry and promoting diversity awareness. - Robert Knox

MORE WATER CONSERVATION KITS - The Water Department is applying for a state grant to offer a second distribution of free water conservation kits to town residents. The department has nearly completed an initial distribution round, using 20 kits that a local environmental group, Green Hanson, secured through the same grant program. Water Superintendent Neal Merritt said the kits proved popular so he decided to seek 50 more to distribute next spring. Each kit contains a water-saving showerhead; a kitchen faucet aerator; a rain gauge; leak-detection dye tablets; and a garden hose nozzle with a water-saving design. - John Laidler

SMILES FOR SENIORS - The Council on Aging has organized a new program called Traveling Smiles, aimed at keeping house-bound seniors from isolation. Volunteers will visit once a week. According to health and outreach coordinator Diana Ambrose, eight volunteers have been trained and are waiting to begin their visits. Anyone who knows a resident who could benefit from visits should contact Ambrose at 508-946-2490. - Christine Legere

WIND TURBINE FOR HIGH SCHOOL - The Plymouth School Committee has selected Atlantic Design Engineers, in Sandwich, to pick out the best location for a wind turbine test tower on the Plymouth South High School campus. The tower, which will collect data on how much energy can be generated by wind currents, will be erected after the engineers evaluate the land contours at the school, which is off Long Pond Road. Seed money for the project was provided through a state grant. - Christine Legere

VOTER REGISTRATION - Residents have until Oct. 15 to register to vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election. Massachusetts makes it very easy for people to register, said Town Clerk Ron Fucile, requiring that they fill out a simple form in the town clerk's office. No identification is required. Members of the League of Women Voters, in cooperation with the Walpole Stop & Shop, will make things even easier by registering new voters in the store Oct. 4 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Joan Wilder

PROPOSALS INVITED - The West Bridgewater Cultural Council is seeking applications for grants it will award this fiscal year. The deadline to apply is Oct. 15. The council each year receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which it disburses in the form of grants to support community cultural activities in West Bridgewater. The council was awarded $4,000 by the state last year and is anticipating a similar amount this year, according to council chairwoman Linda Kurinskas. Application forms can be obtained at the library, the town clerk's office, or from the Massachusetts Cultural Council's website, massculturalcouncil.org. - John Laidler

SAVING WATER ONE FAUCET AT A TIME - The Dedham-Westwood Water District has joined with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to promote water-efficient appliances by encouraging residents to install the sinks, toilets, and showerheads labeled with the EPA's WaterSense program, a small green and blue water droplet. EPA statistics show that a family of four uses 400 gallons of water every day, but such conservation measures save more than 11,000 gallons a year. If one out of every 10 homes around the country upgraded to WaterSense labeled fixtures, more than 120 billion gallons and $800 million would be saved annually. More information is available at www.epa.gov/watersense. - Michele Morgan Bolton

WATERSHED DESIGNATED AREA OF CONCERN - The Three-Mile River Watershed - a biodiverse 14,275-acre parcel that spans Norton, Dighton, and Taunton - is the state's newest designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The watershed includes 12 state-listed rare species and two rare natural communities of special forested wetlands found along only a few rivers in the state. Ten public water supply wells and a public surface water supply reservoir are also located within, or are fed by, waters flowing through the watershed. More than 150 historic sites and districts and numerous important archeological sites lie within this Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The Three Mile River Watershed is the 29th area to join the Massachusetts Area of Critical Environmental Concern Program, which was established in 1975 and is administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. - Christine Legere

SENIOR CAREGIVERS SUPPORT - Old Colony Elderly Services is offering support groups for family caregivers of seniors in two locations this fall. Sessions at Comfort Keepers, 37 Industrial Park Road in Plymouth, began last night, and will continue, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Rochelle Sugarman, a caregiver specialist for the Old Colony's Family Caregiver Support Program, will serve as the group facilitator. Sessions will also be held at the senior center, 132 Maquan St., in Hanson, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Those begin next Wednesday. Licensed social worker Nicole Welch, the program development manager at the Old Colony Elderly Services, will serve as facilitator. Both groups are designed to provide caregivers with education and guidance, and help enhance their health and well-being while they manage caregiver responsibilities. Call Sugarman or Welch for more information, at 508-584-1561. - Christine Legere