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News Briefs: GB election openings; MassTrails application deadline

The last day to take out nomination papers for the Great Barrington town election is Friday, March 22, and the deadline for filing nomination papers with the town clerk is Tuesday, March 26.

Town clerk announces annual town election openings

Great Barrington — Town clerk Marie Ryan has announced the slate of open positions in this year’s annual town election, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14.

The positions, number of openings, term durations and incumbent candidates are:

  • Moderator; (1); 1 Year; Michael Wise
  • Selectboard; (2): 3 Years; Stephen Bannon, Dan Bailly
  • Board of health; (1); 3 Years; Michael Lanoue
  • Finance committee; (2); 3 Years; Tom Blauvelt and Janet Lee
  • Housing authority; (1); 5 Years; Karen Smith
  • Library trustees; (2); 3 Years; Lauren Clark, Dana Coleman
  • Library trustees; (2); 1 Year; Susan Beacco, Hilda Shapiro
  • Planning board (2); 3 Years; Jeremy Higa, Brandee Nelson
  • Zoning board of appeals (1); 3 Years; Carolyn Ivory

The last date to take out nomination papers is Friday, March 22, and the deadline for filing nomination papers with the town clerk is Tuesday, March 26. If a nominee wishes to withdraw from a race for which he or she had submitted papers, the deadline to submit withdrawal papers is Thursday, April 11. The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, April 16.

All nomination and withdrawal papers must be submitted to the town clerk’s office at the Town Hall, 334 Main St., which is open Monday through Friday from  8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Applications due Feb. 1 for MassTrails bike, pedestrian projects

Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation reminds the public that Friday, Feb. 1, is the application deadline for funding from the Baker-Polito administration’s MassTrails program, a competitive funding program that will allow municipal and public entities to expand and connect networks of off-road, shared-use pathways and recreational trails in Massachusetts.

MassTrails will provide a total of approximately $5 million in matching grants through the first round of funding in fiscal year 2020, and will also offer technical assistance and resources to individuals, municipalities, nonprofits and other public entities to design, construct and maintain high-quality Massachusetts trails.

The grants will generally range from $10,000 to $100,000, with higher priority projects receiving grants up to $300,000. MassTrails grants can be used for project development, design, engineering, permitting, construction and maintenance.

Since 2015, the Baker-Polito administration has constructed or funded 150 miles of paved trails, adding to the current statewide inventory of 565 miles of paved trails. Over 30 miles of trails spanning over a dozen projects were completed across the Commonwealth in 2018.

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