Housatonic — The Housatonic Improvement Committee (HIC) met at Ramsdell Library on January 27, 2026, to discuss the group’s initiatives, community involvement, and infrastructure efforts.
The nearly two-hour meeting was well attended by the public, with Chair Sara Parker remarking, “We have, quite literally, a full house.”
Early in the evening, HIC discussed what the committee is currently working toward in 2026. In introducing the agenda item, Parker explained, “[The committee] set a series of six overarching goals, with somewhere between two and four subgoals for each action item.”
The overarching goals include:
- Supporting Ramsdell Library renovation efforts;
- Creating more opportunities for community connection;
- Advancing local trail and canopy restoration;
- Advocating for and advancing public outdoor spaces;
- Promoting Housatonic’s shared story and visual identity; and
- Improving communication between the committee and the community.
To help advance these goals, HIC is looking to host several community events throughout the year, plant 20 new trees in the village, and identify local mural artists and artist collectives by February for a mural on the train trusses.
Berkshire Busk! is coming to Housatonic
As part of the committee’s All Things Housatonic initiative, HIC announced that Berkshire Busk! will be coming to Housatonic. The pilot event is set tentatively for Saturday, July 18, from 1 to 5 p.m.
First started in 2021 by Eugene Carr and Carli Scolforo, Berkshire Busk! is an annual community busking festival held in downtown Great Barrington. The festival includes performances by musicians, jugglers, and dancers, and features other creative mediums.
For the Housatonic pilot, both Depot and Main streets have been identified as performance locations. “We did a walk around of the community to try and identify spots that would be conducive to bringing in performers of different types and allow people to really get a sense of the Village as a whole,” stated Parker.
Berkshire Busk! Housatonic is looking to “fill the street” with vendors and performers, with some overlap in planned vendors and performers for Housatonic’s Party in the Park, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, from 12 to 4 p.m.
Though the festival schedule takes into consideration the daily operations of surrounding businesses and organizations, concerns remain about congestion in the Depot Street area. Organizers hope that early conversations will help businesses and community members prepare and plan travel accordingly for the day of the event.
Fiber Connect reaches Housatonic
Continuing the evening with Housatonic updates, Selectboard representative Ben Elliott announced that the years-long Fiber Connect fiber installation project has finally reached Housatonic.
Currently, the Housy Dome, Ramsdell Library, and fire station are running on a 10G fiber connection. By this spring, hot spots will be installed throughout the village that will expand Wi-Fi availability.
“Cell phone connection is a lingering quality-of-life issue. So, we’ll have a free, very fast cell phone connection that you can make calls on. It’ll be a great asset when we do events like Party in the Park,” Elliott explained.
Fiber Connect will be in touch with residents about service options as it branches out to more residential areas.
The next HIC meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 24. This date is subject to change per committee availability. Agenda items will include seasonal communities and tax exemptions, as well as the Community Preservation Act grants that will be voted on at the May 2 Town Meeting.
For more information on how to get involved with HIC or the upcoming Berkshire Busk! pilot, email hic@townofgbma.gov.
