Great Barrington — At their last regular meeting on Monday, October 24, the Select Board unanimously approved a moratorium on disposing mattresses and box springs at the town’s Transfer Station, along with extensive changes to the town’s parking ticket fees.
In presenting his proposed changes to the parking ticket fees, town Police Chief Paul Storti said that the fees for all parking violations were $20 per violation, instead of the violation of parking in a handicapped spot, which was $100. “We did some research with other municipalities across the state and Berkshire County, and we found that we are definitely on the low end,” Chief Storti said. “In most of the violations, I asked for an increase from $20 to $25 [per violation], with the exceptions of double parking, parking within a fire lane and fire hydrant, and an increase in the fine for parking in a handicapped space.”
The board unanimously approved Chief Storti’s request, which has increased the fee for double parking to $50, parking after 1 a.m. during a winter ban to $50, parking in a fire lane to $50, and parking in a designated handicapped space to $150. The changes also instituted a $100 fine for blocking a wheelchair ramp, and a $50 fee to remove a parking boot, which is a device that the Police department installs onto a car tire that immobilizes it for egregious unpaid parking violations. “[Installing a boot] doesn’t happen that often,” Chief Storti added. “I think maybe twice in my career we’ve done that.”
As for the town’s mattress disposal moratorium at its Transfer Station, as of November 1, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has banned the disposal of mattresses and box springs. Town Manager Mark Pruhenski said that the town is trying to develop a system to store mattresses and box springs until they are picked up for recycling.
Until then, Pruhenski suggested to the Select Board that they place a moratorium on mattress and box springs disposal, which the board eventually unanimously approved.
The next regular Select Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 7. On the meeting’s agenda is a presentation by WDM Properties of its plans for the Housatonic School property. WDM Properties is one of the two companies that submitted a development proposal for the property. Arete Venture Partners LLC presented its plans to the board at the Oct. 24 meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at Town Hall at 6 p.m. and can be attended in person or via this Zoom link.
