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| News and events in Williamstown, Mass.
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Williamstown Fire District's Building Committee Discusses Site Work, Sees Cost EstimateBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
04:00PM / Friday, December 23, 2022 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Fire District's Building Committee recently saw revised cost estimates for a new station on Main Street and discussed whether the district's site needs to be preloaded to address soil compaction before construction gets underway. The latest estimated bottom line for the project, including so-called "soft costs," is just less than $25 million, according to the district's owners project manager, Colliers International. The latest estimate, dated Dec. 13, of $24.9 million fell in the middle of a range of mid-November numbers from Colliers, which at the time said the project could cost between $21.8 and $28.5 1 Comment
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Letter: Building Codes Put Homeowners in the MiddleLetter to the Editor,
04:00PM / Wednesday, December 21, 2022 | |
 To the Editor: I have to admit — I have no interest in showers. We bought one at Home Depot in Pittsfield and I never gave it a second thought until I received a violation letter from Ryan Contenta, Williamstown's building inspector. He noted that the glass had not been etched, which is against state code, he said.
The glass was labeled "tempered" with a sticker; and it had the telltale signs of being tempered (soft edges, etc.). The glass manufacturer was certified by ANSI, which the code recognizes as an authority on tempered glass. Intertek Testing Services had also studied the glass and certified that it met criteria. But alas, it had not been etched.
After about
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Letter: Replace Williamstown Town Meeting With BallotsLetter to the Editor,
03:00PM / Wednesday, December 21, 2022 | |
 To the Editor:
If you have a car that will cost $15,000 to repair and then it will only be trustworthy for short trips. Do you fix it? Very few would do that. Instead you replace it.
If you have a quaint, but broken form of town governance, why spend taxpayers' money to keep a quaint, but outdated broken failed system?
The Williamstown Town Meeting should be fully replaced by the Australian ballot. Why does it need total replacement?
First, the town's population is older than it used to be. Why torture old geezers like me any more than necessary to sit through long meetings of limited value?
Second, the iBerkshires.com article on town meeting notes that typical town meeting
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Williamstown Picks Interim Chief Ziemba for Permanent PostBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
04:59PM / Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Nearly two years after the last chief resigned, the Williamstown Police Department has a new permanent chief. On Tuesday afternoon, Town Manager Robert Menicocci announced that Michael Ziemba will be the next chief of police in the town after serving for nearly two years as an acting and later interim chief. Ziemba said Tuesday afternoon that it was an easy decision to apply for the full-time decision. "I've been here 22-plus years, and I'm committed to the town and the department and the betterment of both of those," Ziemba said. "I'm honored that I have the support of the town manager and town leaders 29 Comments
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SVMC Staff Share the Holiday Spirit with Foster Families| 04:06PM / Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | |
 BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southwestern Vermont Medical Center connected with Wendy Nolan, resources coordinator with the state Department for Children and Families, to deliver festive holiday meal ingredients to share with foster families in Bennington. Staff from departments organization-wide gathered nine boxes packed with hams, turkeys, stuffing mix, canned vegetables, breakfast items, pie-making ingredients, cookie mixes, and much more. The boxes will be delivered to nine families through DCF "Some of the families we work with can't really afford to have holiday dinners," Nolan said. "I am so grateful to the staff of SVMC for making these donations. The 0 Comments
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1Berkshire Accepting Applications for 2023-2024 Youth Leadership Program| 11:59AM / Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire's Youth Leadership Program (YLP) announced the launch of the application process for the YLP class of 2023-2024. The 1Berkshire Youth Leadership Program, open to all current sophomores in the Berkshires, selects a cohort of up to 30 motivated students from all backgrounds for this ten-month experience that will help them to explore the regional economy and develop their leadership skills. Once selected, students will begin the program with a 2.5-day, 2-night retreat in June 2023. At the retreat, students will meet for the first time, begin to build deep connections, and learn about and advance their individual leadership 0 Comments
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New Parents Invited to Bring Infants to Clark | 12:05PM / Monday, December 19, 2022 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Friday, Jan. 6 at 10:15 am, the Clark Art Institute resumes its winter programming, offering tours of the permanent collection galleries designed specifically for new parents to enjoy with their infants. The event is free. Participants meet at the Clark's Admissions Desk to begin the tour. New parents and caregivers tour the galleries along with their infants for an informal, guided visit. The tour includes a look at the Clark's permanent collection, featuring a rich array of works by artists including John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Francisco de Goya, Giovanni Boldini, and Mary 0 Comments
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Williamstown Planners Work on Outreach Plan for Bylaw ProposalsBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
05:02AM / Monday, December 19, 2022 | |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week discussed its strategy for educating voters about proposals it has been developing for months and adding a couple of new warrant articles for May's annual town meeting. The board at its December meeting held brief discussions on each of the three main proposals it has spent the last half year developing, bylaw amendments that would: remove barriers to manufactured homes, remove barriers to three- and four-family dwellings and reduce the minimum frontage in the General Residence district from 100 feet to 66 feet. Each proposal, in its own way, is meant to increase housing options and, in turn, add housing inventory 0 Comments
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Works From French National Library on Display at the ClarkBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:15AM / Sunday, December 18, 2022 | |
The sketches and drawings range from contemporary views of 18th century French life to portraits to architectural studies. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Bibliothèque nationale de France houses a collection of images so vast that it has been impossible to catalog it all. American audiences have a chance to see a curated exhibition drawn from the library's 18th-century works at the Clark Art Institute, and hopefully inspire scholars to research the trove. "Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France" is a collaboration the Clark and library have been working to bring to fruition 0 Comments
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National Grid Accepting Applications for Heating Assistance Programs| 04:13PM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
WALTHAM, Mass. — As colder temperatures take hold, National Grid is reminding Massachusetts customers to take advantage of energy programs that can help them pay and manage their energy bills. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), commonly referred to as Fuel Assistance, provides eligible households with help in paying a portion of winter heating bills. Enrollment for LIHEAP is free and open through April 30, 2023, and covers energy usage from Nov. 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. LIHEAP is open to both homeowners and renters, including households whose cost of heat is included in rent, and eligibility is based on household size and the gross annual income 0 Comments
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No Drought Conditions in Berkshire County | 11:58AM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
BOSTON — The Drought Management Task Force announced that Berkshire County remains at level 0 or normal drought conditions. This is not the case for the rest of the state. "Even though the weather is getting colder and wetter, we can't lose sight of the fact that several regions within Massachusetts continue to be impacted by drought conditions," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. "It is important that everyone, especially those living and working in the Northeast, Cape Cod, and Islands Regions, continue to practice water conservation in order to ensure that our water resources fully rebound." While some parts of 0 Comments
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Mount Greylock's Art Receives Superintendent's Academic AwardBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
03:10PM / Friday, December 16, 2022 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A common lament on municipal committees the last couple of years has been members' frustration with virtual meeting formats. But "Zooming" had at least one advantage for Mount Greylock Superintendent Jake McCandless on last week. "I can assure you that the superintendent of your school district, academically, does not even deserve to be in the same room with you," McCandless told high school senior Annabelle Art. Art joined McCandless and the School Committee via Zoom to receive the district's Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Academic Excellence Award. McCandless, who has been involved in 3 Comments
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