Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/author/shirley-murtha/)
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law in March 2021. It allocated almost $2 trillion for Covid relief and economic recovery. Granby’s share of this money was $3,405,503, which had to be officially allocated for specific projects by the end of 2024, and be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
Oct. 26 was a sunny warm day—perfect for the Granby Land Trust’s Dave Emery to take a group of 20 hikers on a walk that highlighted the beaver deceiver installed at the Dismal Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. A very industrious group of beavers had constructed a dam under the footbridge, effectively raising the water level on one side of the Dismal Brook and lowering it on the other side of the bridge.
Five new members have recently joined the Friends of Holcomb Farm board. An introduction to each will be provided here in the next five issues, in no particular order, starting off with John Oates.
A love of reading is what inspired 16-year-old Marcus Ivanynyuk to build a pop-up library for the Town of Granby.
More than 300 people braved nor’easter winds and pouring rain on October 13 to pay respects to the family of Jenny Emery—her husband Dave and children Nina, Ellie and Bob—at Holcomb Farm.
On Oct. 6, The Granby Board of Selectmen honored the town’s police and fire chiefs.
Madeleine Ayotte and Zainab Zafar are the 2025-26 student representatives to the board of selectmen. They are well-rounded in their school and personal lives and are enthusiastic reporters of all things going on at Granby Memorial High School. They’re also not hesitant to ask questions or offer opinions when asked to do so.
For possibly up to 50 years, a beautiful ginkgo biloba graced the Granby Town Green. A stately tree that has been growing on our planet since the dinosaurs roamed, there is but the one species, biloba.
How would Granby officials respond to a town-wide emergency? Imagine an extended drought where brush fires were popping up all over town and the fire department was stretched thin. What if homes, businesses and a school burned? What if water was in short supply and wells were running dry? What if Granby needed to open and run shelters for those displaced by the fires?
Raised in Westfield, Mass., in the late 50s/early 60s, Martha Kane knew instinctively from early childhood that things were not going well for many of the planet’s plants and animals. Environmentalists were few and far between and politicians had not yet instituted Earth Day, so most people were unaware of any serious problems with the way humans were interacting with the natural world. Young Martha decided she would become a scientist and do her best to help nature.