GREAT BARRINGTON — If the selectboard has its way, its meetings will still be available for live streaming after Gov. Charlie Baker has lifted the suspension of certain pandemic-related exemptions from the state Open Meeting Law.
That was the sentiment at Monday’s selectboard meeting, held a few hours before the exemptions were scheduled to expire along with the state of emergency Baker declared in March 2020. Among other provisions, the exemptions allowed public bodies to temporarily cease holding in-person meetings while offering teleconferencing via Zoom or other platforms as an alternative for both board members and the public.
“Technically we need to resume in-person meetings as of tomorrow,” Town Manager Mark Pruhenski told the board.
The selectboard voted this week to remove the town’s own state of emergency declared on March 23, 2020. Pruhenski reported Monday that, though the state open meeting law exemptions were slated to be rescinded on June 15, the state legislature was working to pass legislation allowing certain provisions to continue.
In an Edge interview, state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, said both the House and Senate passed a bill yesterday that would allow remote meetings of public bodies until April 20, 2022. The bill was sent to the desk of Gov. Charlie Baker, who signed it. Click here to read the legislation.
“I think it’s a great idea and it expands the opportunity for people to follow what’s going on in their town governments, school committees, and what not,” Pignatelli said. “Clearly the technology is there and I think it’s going to be a permanent solution going long-term.”
Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon has said he’s noticed a dramatic rise in citizen engagement and interest in governmental affairs since the town of Great Barrington and the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee, which he also chairs, began remote meetings almost 16 months ago.
“I think that’s really increased the amount of participation and we don’t want to take that away,” said Bannon, adding that the number of attendees at both selectboard and school committee meetings has increased substantially since the pandemic began.
“Daycare is probably the biggest problem we have during this pandemic,” Pignatelli added. “This way, people can be at home with their families watching a selectboard meeting or school committee meeting — hitting pause to help your little one with homework — instead of having to get in the car and go down to town hall and wait for two hours.”
Pignatelli is also concerned about vaccine hesitancy among some segments of the population, as well as the Delta variant, a new more severe form of COVID first found in India. Furthermore, Pignatelli cited a recent report that an elementary school student at the Southern Berkshire Regional School District has tested positive for COVID.
Bannon said in order for in-person meetings to be streamed live simultaneously, boards and committees would have to use the town’s OWL camera, a 360-degree smart video conferencing camera that automatically highlights and shifts focus to different people in the room when they speak. The school committee has been using an OWL camera for streaming for at least a month.
Remote selectboard meetings during the pandemic also started at 6 p.m., a departure from the board’s traditional starting time of 7 p.m. The board agreed to continue to start those meetings at 6 p.m.
“There’s some good things that have come out of this pandemic and this is certainly one of them,” Pignatelli said of the remote meeting option.
According to Statehouse News, the bill that Baker signed also “temporarily reinstates remote permissions for representative town meetings, nonprofit member meetings, notary services, and reverse-mortgage loan counseling, along with eviction protections, flexibilities for assisted living residences, and the ability for medical assistants, podiatrists, phlebotomists, and certain military personnel to administer COVID-19 vaccines.”
The 14-page law also allows restaurants to sell to-go beer, wine, and cocktails through May 1, 2022, and requires they be sold at the same prices as those consumed on-site. “It provides another boost for restaurants by extending the time towns and cities could allow for expanded outdoor dining at restaurants — which had been slated to end in mid-August — until April 1, 2022,” according to the Boston Globe.
Housatonic Water Works Update
In other business, Pruhenski wanted to update Housatonic residents on the status of Housatonic Water Works (HWW), the embattled private water utility that serves that section of town. Some residents had indicated they were not sure of the status of the town’s actions as they relate to the company.
The town has hired two firms, Aecom and DPC Engineering, to conduct a Phase 2 study and appraisal of the infrastructure of HWW. The town is considering purchasing the company or acquiring it through something resembling eminent domain. Partnering with the Great Barrington Fire District, which provides water to the rest of the town outside Housatonic, is also a possibility.
“So, we’re doing our homework and this will take some time, but we’re getting close to the end now and you can expect some presentations by our engineers as early as our next meeting,” Pruhenski said. The next selectboard meeting is June 28.
Grant secured for shared human relations specialist
Along with several other towns, Great Barrington has received a $75,000 Community Compact Grant from the state that will cover the hiring of a human relations specialist for the towns of Great Barrington, Sheffield, West Stockbridge, New Marlborough, and Monterey.
The grant will cover the full salary and benefits of the regional HR director for municipal employees of those towns, none of which have an HR person on staff. The position will be advertised as soon as possible.
“This was identified as a high-priority item by the board and this grant will allow us to hire a professional HR director to assist not just Great Barrington but our neighboring communities,” Pruhenski said.
