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.
'We expect that all merchants in town who have not already done so will be in full compliance by Nov. 1 as our town seeks to reduce the generation of plastic waste.' -- Town Manager Mark Pruhenski
Though a date is not yet confirmed for completion of fountain installations, merchants who are still selling plastic water bottles of 1 liter or less are urged to begin phasing out their supplies.
Yesterday, after the boil order was imposed, five more samples were collected from the Green River pumping station, where the sample was taken that originally prompted the order. None of the five tested positive for E. coli.
In a letter to the editor, Steve Farina writes, "The inclusion of a filtered unit approved by the town would seem to indicate that it admits to a water quality problem in Housatonic, potentially opening the town to liability problems..."
The ban on the sale of single-use plastic bottles went into effect Jan. 1, 2019, but the town has held off on compliance enforcement until public water stations are completed.
The Berkshire Hills school committee is expected to vote Thursday night to approve its own spending proposal of $26.2 million. The vote to approve it is almost a foregone conclusion after last week's quiet and harmonious public hearing.
In his letter Great Barrington Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon writes: "The selectboard did vote to delay the ticketing process for violations of the bylaw until May 2020, for several reasons correctly listed by the Berkshire Women's Action Group."
These refill stations are extremely hygienic, as no skin or mouth contact is needed to refill your bottle. The units will be owned and maintained by the town.
Selectboard Chairman Steve Bannon said he could not support enforcement of the bylaw until there is an implementation and funding plan for the series of water stations that are planned to help consumers refill the reusable bottles.
Voters at last year's town meeting amended the plastic water bottle ban measure with a May 2019 enforcement date. However, the selectboard must first approve the regulations and develop enforcement provisions.
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"Â by Smithsonian Magazine continues to be a place in transition.
To ease the transition and make tap water more readily available, the Berkshire Women’s Action Group’s Environment Committee is planning a gradual rollout of modern, hygienic water-refill stations around Great Barrington and Housatonic.
