The event was a big success—collecting almost 50 Christmas trees and other holiday greens and multiple boxes of food donations and $1,700 for the Lee Food Pantry, which serves residents from several communities in the area.
The accusations came to a head earlier this month when the selectboard held a hearing to consider calls for her removal from the housing authority. Some witnesses vouched for Smith's integrity and hard work but others accused her of practicing nepotism, creating an environment of "toxicity," and exhibiting "aggressive and hostile behavior."
The primary order of business for Conner and Nappo was to get the selectboard to write a letter of endorsement for Grayhouse's application for $75,000 on an emergency basis from the Massachusetts Historical Commission's Preservation Projects Fund.
When the idea of a cultural council was first floated early this year, town officials emphasized that applying for the designation will cost the town nothing and that anyone whose property is included in a cultural district will face no additional limitations on the use of that property.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission senior transportation planner Eammon Coughlin said the town will be notified in late December if it is awarded funding.
When Framework Properties first proposed the 47 Railroad Street project in Great Barrington, which included only 13 market-rate apartments, they learned that it was the first building permit taken out in the town for a structure containing four apartments or more since 1990.
Grayhouse principal Bill Nappo and his financial consultant, Gillette Conner, updated the selectboard Monday night on the progress of the project. They said they are working closely with MassDevelopment on securing financing.
"In general, this is much less intense than the Main Street reconstruction ... Primarily because the rights of way are limited, the funding source is not MassDOT ... which gives us a lot more flexibility in what we can do." --Great Barringtn town planner Chris Rembold
The six candidates for Great Barrington Selectboard range from two men and one woman who have been on the scene for a long time to younger office seekers looking for generational change on the board.
The battle royale involved the planning and select boards. For weeks, the two panels had been at odds over which should be the special-permit-granting authority in regards to the marijuana production and sales facilities, and whether most, if not all, of the facilities should require a special permit.
The challenge for the state's 351 cities and towns is to revamp their zoning regulations so that they're not caught flat-footed by applications from cannabis retailers and manufacturers.
The Planning Board had a frank and often tense discussion with outgoing Selectboard Chairman Sean Stanton over which board should be the special permit-granting authority for marijuana establishments.
If voters approve the Great Barrington bylaw, indoor cultivation of marijuana of the sort envisioned in the mills will be permitted by-right in the light industrial zone that covers much of Housatonic.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation defines a complete street as "one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes - walking, biking, transit and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities."
100 Bridge Street has been delayed to the point that the $1 million that would have been used to pay for the burial of overhead utilities is in danger of lapsing when the grant expires at the end of June 2019.
Town officials say the initiative is consistent with Great Barrington's economic development priorities, which place a strong emphasis on strengthening and marketing the diverse set of cultural destinations in the heart of town.
"The new zone would continue to allow retail and commercial establishments, like the current B-2, but it would also allow for a variety of residential uses."
-- Great Barrington Town Planner Chris Rembold
