Great Barrington — Back in early December, the town hired Raftelis Financial Consultants Inc. of Latham, N.Y. to appraise Housatonic Water Works water systems. Raftelis was chosen over another appraisal proposal from Utility Valuation Experts of Joliet, Ill., with a total cost of $34,000 for Raftelis services.
According to an email to The Berkshire Edge in early December, Town Manager Mark Pruhenski wrote that HWW representatives were contacted and made aware that Raftelis would need access to the treatment facilities during the month of December. At the Monday, January 9 Selectboard meeting, however, Pruhenski told the board that HWW has not given the consultants from Raftelis permission to inspect its facilities. Pruhenski did not say why the company would not give permission.
As of press time, calls for comment for this story to HWW Treasurer James Mercer have not been returned. “We’ll keep working on it,” Pruhenski said, not adding any further details.
Meanwhile, Pruhenski said that he submitted an application to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection for $100,000 in funds previously earmarked to the town in November. The funds are part of a $3.76 billion economic package and are designated for the town to provide financial relief to HWW customers dealing with water quality issues. “I know we haven’t discussed the funds and how we’re going to spend them, but I was wondering if we can maybe just test out some possibilities,” Selectboard member Eric Gabriel said. “We should put in a request to the Housatonic Post Office to see about if we were to go with a water filtration system or a refill station if they would be willing to host it there since it’s a central location.”
Gabriel said that “because it’s a federal building … it’s probably a long shot, but it’s centrally located and it’s got an access foyer which is warm.”
Further on in his report to the board, Pruhenski discussed how the town’s Public Works Department handled a winter storm that took place during the Christmas holiday weekend. “It was a difficult one for several reasons,” he said. “We experienced some pretty heavy rains. We had a 45-degree temperature drop in a relatively short period followed by snow.” Pruhenski said that the DPW also had to deal with the absence of several staff members, along with one of the department’s trucks becoming inoperable. “We realized that we had a problem,” Pruhenski said. “After the storm, our road crew met and they evaluated what worked and what didn’t work. I’m confident that we’ll be better prepared for the next storm.”
Back on December 19, the Selectboard chose North Adams and Pittsfield company WDM Properties LLC to redevelop the former Housatonic School building. Pruhenski told the Selectboard at its January 9 meeting that Town Planner Christopher Rembold is working with Town Counsel on a purchase and sale agreement with the company. He said that the agreement would be completed by February 2.
