Greylock Opens a South County Insurance Office

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Jessica Beham-Wehry and Jay Marion at the new Great Barrington location of Greylock Insurance Agency.
GREAT BARRINGTON - Greylock Insurance Agency has opened its sixth insurance office at 329 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, completing the agency’s expansion throughout Berkshire County. Greylock now offers more insurance locations than any other agency in the county and is the only independent agency in the area to offer products from the three largest auto insurance carriers. The full service insurance operation in Great Barrington’s White House Square complex will offer a full array of services in auto, homeowners, life and commercial insurance.

Jay Marion, Assistant Vice President, will lead the south county operation. He is joined by Customer Services Representative Jessica Beham-Wehry, a veteran of Greylock’s Great Barrington credit union branch.

“Convenient locations, friendly and knowledgeable professionals and the best insurance products in the industry have always been our focus,” said Greylock Insurance Senior Vice President Shaun Farley. “I am happy to report Greylock Insurance continues to be the fastest growing agency in Berkshire County, more than tripling our customer base since our launch in 2004.”

Greylock Insurance has additional locations at 150 West Street and 128 South Street, both in Pittsfield; 40 Main Street in North Adams; 552 Main Street in Williamstown and 2 Park Street in Adams. The agency from north to south now fields 27 insurance professionals and handles commercial and personal lines sales as well as claims service and premium payments.

Greylock President, Angelo C. Stracuzzi said, “We want insurance locations to be just as convenient as our credit union locations. Convenience is a key part of “treating everyone better than they expect.”

Farley said, “Greylock’s  mortgage and auto loan activity – the strongest in the county – provides a steady source of referrals, and members have responded very favorably to the discount programs offered by the agency,” Farley explains that Greylock Federal Credit Union members who have their homeowners and auto insurance with the agency can receive significant discounts.

Competitive rates for automobile insurance expected to roll out April 1st may dramatically change buying habits of people in Berkshire County and throughout the state. Farley said, “Greylock customers count on us to provide them with the best service at the lowest price and our mission is to meet and exceed that challenge with each and every customer, each and every day. We are the only agency in the county that represents the three largest providers of automobile insurance in Massachusetts. Combined with our talented professionals and our office locations we are uniquely positioned to take great care of our customers.”

In 2007 Greylock Insurance purchased the insurance business of Gallup & Casey Insurance Services, Inc. Recently, Greylock Insurance Agency and Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America announced an arrangement enabling Greylock Federal Credit Union members to secure long term care insurance at a 10% permanent premium discount.

More information is available at www.greylockinsuranceagency.com

Greylock Federal Credit Union was recently rated the top credit union in the United States for total value returned to Members/Owners according to Callahan & Associates, a national credit union research and consulting firm. Greylock Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, attends school, worships or regularly conducts business in Berkshire County. Greylock Federal is wholly owned by its more than 60,000 members and Greylock offers full-service branches in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown. More information is available at www.greylock.org
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.

Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.

The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.

Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is  appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.

Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.

Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.

Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.

The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.

The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.

Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.

Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years. 

He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.

Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.

Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve  a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.

Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.

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