Hinds announces public forum, office schedules
Pittsfield — State Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has announced his intention to continue his series of public forums, Speak Up Western Mass, throughout the 2017 calendar year.
Prior to assuming office, Hinds hosted five such events Senator-elect in December in the communities of Great Barrington, Chesterfield, Pittsfield, North Adams and Shelburne Falls. More than 100 residents joined him to ask questions, pitch ideas and help him craft his policy agenda for the 2017-2018 legislative session.
On Monday, Jan. 30, Hinds will be available to meet constituents between 3 and 4 p.m. in the Williamsburg Town Hall Auditorium, 141 Main St., Haydenville. During that time, he will be available to answer questions, take constituent casework inquiries and solicit public comment, and he hopes to learn about attendees’ policy priorities and concerns. Hinds plans to hold at least 10 such forums a year in rotating towns across the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Senate district.
Additionally Hinds has directed his district staff members A.J. Enchill and Jon Gould to conduct roving office hours outside of their primary work locations once a month. Hinds’ staff will be available to meet with constituents from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Cheshire Senior Center, 119 School St., and on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Conway Town Office meeting room, 32 Main St. Appointments are not necessary but can be booked in advance by calling the Pittsfield office at (413) 344-4561 or the Williamsburg office at (413) 768-2373.
Those seeking to interact with Senator Hinds and his staff may email him at Adam.Hinds@masenate.gov or call the offices during normal business hours Monday through Friday. The State House office–where the budget and policy, media relations and scheduling functions are handled–can be reached at (617) 722-1625.
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Democratic Town Committee meeting
Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Democratic Town Committee will meet Saturday, Jan. 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 Main St. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, contact committee chair Michael Wise, at (413) 854-1323 michaelwise@earthlink.net.
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Lenox Community Preservation Committee recommends three projects
Lenox —Â At its Jan. 9Â meeting, the Lenox Community Preservation Committee voted to recommend three projects to the Annual Town Meeting in May using Community Preservation Act funds. Â
- The Mount seeks $75,000 to complete the exterior renovation of its Stable building, ensuring future use of the building as a public programming venue throughout the year. The CPA funds will be used to restore and/or replace all windows and doors. The Mount’s Stable, constructed in 1903, is on the National Register of Historic Places and was central to Edith Wharton’s life in Lenox.
- Ventfort Hall seeks $30,000 to conduct emergency masonry stabilization work in accordance with its recent architectural master plan, also partially funded through the Lenox Community Preservation Act. The masonry stabilization work will be important in ongoing preservation needs of the unique Rotch & Tilden Flemish Baroque red brick design with sandstone trim, building materials unusual in Lenox. Ventfort Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.Â
- Berkshire Natural Resources Council seeks $235,000 to place a trail and boardwalk to Parson’s Marsh on recently donated land accessible via Undermountain Road. The trailhead will include parking and visitor information. The boardwalk will be designed for universal access. The Parsons Marsh Trail will be free and open to the public, dawn to dusk, year-round.Â
Boston-area colleges demonstrate for fossil fuel divestment
Boston — Joining the National Divestment Day of Action, four Boston-area campuses held divestment walkouts, rallies and marches in response to President Trump’s climate-denying picks for cabinet.
Students demanded that school administrators take a stand on climate denial by divesting endowments from all companies that extract fossil fuels. According to a recent infographic produced by the Economist, 15 out of 34 of Trump’s proposed cabinet-level and senior officials are climate deniers.
Around 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23, Boston University students, organized by the campus group Divest BU, walked out of classes and met for a rally at the George Sherman Union plaza on campus. At the rally, Divest BU announced its campaign to send two students to lobby BU president Robert Brown every day from Monday, Jan. 30, through Thursday, Feb. 23, the deadline for the student group’s demand that Brown put divestment back on the upcoming board meeting’s agenda.
After the University’s investment committee recommended divestment of direct fossil fuel holdings in April 2016, the BU board decided not to divest in September 2016. Lesley University and the UMass Boston are the only two campuses in the Boston area so far to divest.
At 3:30 p.m. at Harvard University, a coalition of student groups including Divest Harvard, Harvard College Act on a Dream, Protect Undocumented Students at Harvard, Our Harvard Can Do Better, Harvard Student Labor Action Movement and Concilio Latino presented a letter to Harvard University president Drew Faust with a united list of demands for how they expect Harvard to uphold shared values of justice, equity and inclusivity in the face of the Trump administration.
Boston College students held a walkout followed by a rally from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Corcoran Commons, and Northeastern University students dropped a banner inside the Curry Student Center at 5:30 p.m. Colleges across the country including Appalachian State University; University of Denver; University of North Carolina at Asheville; University of Colorado Boulder; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of California, Berkeley; Swarthmore College; and Whitman College also demonstrated as part of the National Divestment Day of Action.
