“Affordable housing and transportation are critical to economic development, but child care is an equally critical component of our economy," Selectboard member Ben Elliott said during the board's May 19 meeting.
2018 has provided enough Great Barrington news to keep journalists busy and observers of town politics highly amused, signaling that the community dubbed "best small town in America" by Smithsonian Magazine continues to be a place in transition.
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
According to the selectmen, the committee's charge will be to "oversee several town-sponsored events and programs honoring Du Bois," including: the Du Bois Day Celebration; the annual Du Bois Festival (from Martin Luther King Day through Feb. 23); banner installations; collaboration with UMass Amherst and local educational institutions and arts, historical and community organizations; and more.
Great Barrington Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin also said MassDOT's project review committee has approved an initial application for a $6.9 million rebuild of Main Street from Saint James Place to the area of the Claire Teague Senior Center and National Grid office on Route 7.
One by one, those with existing liquor licenses strode to the podium to plead their cases. Unless one is particularly thirsty, it’s uncommon to come across all of these men in one night.
The money for the acquisition would come from a special revenue fund containing proceeds from the sale of town-owned real estate. O'Brien has been in violation of multiple cease-and-desist orders since 2011.
Sean VanDeusen, who heads the town Department of Public Works, said contractors currently performing work on Town Hall found the chimneys "to be in worse shape than previously thought." Two of the chimneys need to be completely rebuilt.
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 anticipation that there could be more such establishments approaching the town in the future, the selectboard is trying to come up with a template that will serve as a model for all host agreements that might come up.
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.
