“I worry about what happens to our students when their leaders lose sight of whom they serve," said Du Bois Middle School Spanish teacher Mercedes Girona. “I understand that there are budget cuts, but I feel like there needs to be a little bit more humanity."
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.
The selectboard announced that, about a year ago, it had commissioned a report by David Prickett of DPC Engineering to gather information on the water systems in the town, what the capital needs are and whether there are redundancies.
"We have mothers putting babies in dirty water for baths. Come on. I'm just furious over this. I'm grinding my teeth over this."
-- Housatonic resident and Housatonic Water Works customer Michelle Loubert
Housatonic Water Works maintains nearly 90,000 linear feet of water mains, mostly cast iron installed in the 1880s. Although these lines remain in good condition, they are more reactive to chlorine which can cause increased iron sediment.
Housatonic Water Works Co-owner Jim Mercer explained that there is no threat to public health. Nor does the unilateral administrative order from DEP state that there is such a threat.
The Edge looked into the situation and found that, notwithstanding the alarming nature of language, there was no water-quality event that triggered the notice — it's simply a temporary licensing issue.
Smart water meters use attached transponders to transmit usage and other data to water companies via the same cellular data networks used by smartphones.
Some Railroad Street merchants and firehouse neighbors have grown furious over the deterioration of the alley in the hands of private owners, its impact on delivery truck access, and the blighted appearance overall.
Housatonic Water Works Company says it needs to raise rates to both help pay its bills amid overhead increases and to fund state-mandated improvements to Housatonic’s aging water system.
Health Agent Jayne Smith and Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin now insist that all Housatonic Water Works drinking water is considered safe to drink, cook with, and bathe with.
The town, apparently, is now considering a more active role in the anomaly, as Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin had declared before the DPU, of “a privately owned company that provides public water.” This report newly updated with statements by Town Counsel David Doneski regarding two executive sessions dealing with the Housatonic Water Works Company.
During the most recent round of testing for lead and copper in Housatonic Water Works system, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of lead and copper in 20 randomly chosen homes.
The situation [with the Castle Street firehouse] is “ridiculous at this point. It seems crazy … If there’s a reason [why redevelopment of the firehouse hasn’t begun], then it would be nice to know what it is.”
--- Sean Stanton, chair, Great Barrington Selectboard
In her letter to the editor, Jane Wright of Housatonic, Mass., writes: "I do not believe the Mercers have been good Stewards of our water supply. I believe the state should take a closer look at the quality of our water."
To facilitate continued solar growth within communities around the Commonwealth, the bill continues to exempt residential and small commercial projects from the net metering cap and any net metering credit reductions.
Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin noted that it was hard to justify the rate increase without more details about repairs and upgrades – and the schedule to implement them.
