The National Weather Service reported that debris was carried more than 45 miles to the northeast in Belchertown, where a fairgrounds racing ticket was found along with white corrugated plastic roofing material.
Town manager Mark Pruhenski said the rainbow symbol is widely believed to have been launched in Italy, appearing in communities from western Europe to the United States.
Town moderator Michael Wise said he thought it was important that the budget be passed by Tuesday, June 30, even if the other items of the annual town meeting warrant were pushed aside until restrictions on large gatherings were lifted.
In a letter to the editor, Ed Abrahams writes, "It isn’t an easy or obvious task to weigh the risk of spreading the virus vs. real needs of the public (food, medical treatment, etc.)."
If you're a restaurant owner who wants to stay open in the midst of a public health crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, you essentially have one choice: trying to eke out a living by offering take-out, and perhaps delivery.
Proposals for how to use the cannabis revenue windfall will be discussed by the selectboard and the finance committee in the upcoming deliberations for next year's budget, with voters having the final say on how to spend free cash at the annual town meeting in May.
Whether one lane of the Brown Bridge is closed during construction or whether it is shut down altogether, the construction will be a major disruption to traffic, especially considering the fact that the town-owned Division Street bridge was closed by the state in the second week of September.
Sean VanDeusen, who heads the town's public works department, told The Edge the Lake Mansfield Road paving is part of a larger $500,000 project that also includes the repaving of Lake Avenue, Oak Street and Cypress Street.
At Monday's Great Barrington Selectboard meeting at the Claire Teague Senior Center, concerns ranged from traffic, speeding, and the impact the closure of the Division Street and Cottage Street bridges are having on businesses and residents alike.
Brandee Nelson said the task force is "confused" about what the selectboard's "goal is going forward" and "how confusing it might be to drivers" in transitioning the road to one-way and then going "to a closure scenario."
At issue is the fact that the Conservation Commission, which, on the local level, enforces the state Wetlands Protection Act, is also charged with enforcing the town's own wetland bylaw, which is somewhat more stringent than the state law.
Among the problems with a permanent closure, town manager Mark Pruhenski said, is the lack of a plan to deal with a "turn-around and detour of vehicles" from the sudden closure of the Division Street bridge earlier this month.
Police Chief Bill Walsh, along with Sgt. Paul Storti, presented a recently designed strategic enforcement plan to the selectboard Monday night at the Claire Teague Senior Center.
