St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
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Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff 12:29AM / Tuesday, May 13, 2008
WILLIAMSTOWN – Residents planning to save some long-term money with solar power will get a break on the short-term costs to make it happen.
The Board of Selectmen on Monday night unanimously approved a new permit fee structure for the installation of photovoltaic systems.
"If you look at our current rate, it is $8 per $1,000 (of system cost). But in order to break even, the cost – if you're doing one kilowatt or a 10 kilowatts – is the same in terms of the service we must provide," said Michael Card, director of the town's Inspection Services.
Card, who had been asked to evaluate the permit fees by the board, said the town has to make several site inspections during the installation process and carries administrative costs in the paperwork and the issuing of permits.
"So we're asking for a minimum permit fee of $320. For more expensive and complicated systems, were asking for a surcharge of $4 per $1,000," he said.
The $320 would apply up to the first $40,000 of a system's price; the surcharge would kick in above that. For example, a $100,000 system would carry an permit cost of $560: $320 for the first $40,000 and $4 multiplied by 60, or $240, the price for the $60,000 balance.
Under the old fee system, the cost would be $800.
The fee would cover the mechanical end, such as installation, equipment, carpentry work and outbuildings related to the system.
A separate flat fee of $200 would apply to the permit for the actual electrical work to hook up the panels.
Card cautioned that photovoltaic technology is not yet a mature one and that prices for systems were "skewed" higher than they might be in the coming years making it difficult to rate the value of the electrical work.
The permit fees are based on cost estimates and not on actual experience, he said. "Because we're kind of in new terriotry I would like to suggest we come back after a year and review it."
The permits would not apply to photovoltaic systems being installed in new construction, he said.
"We are reviewing it all at the same time, doing the administrative work at the same time," he said. "We're out in the field doing inspections when these things are ready. So we rolled it into the cost of the new structure."
The new rates had come out of conversations with Selectwoman Jane Allen, a member of the town's COOL, or CO2 Lowering Committee, and Christopher Kilfoyle of Berkshire Photovoltaic Services, who had asked the board for a break in fees back in March.
Allen said Kilfoyle thought the new fee structure was very fair and that he believed Williamstown is the only community in the state with a separate category for photovoltaic systems.
The board approved the new fees and agreed it would be good to review them in a year.
In other business, the board:
Approved the setting of parking violation fines at $15 at the request of Police Chief Kyle Johnson. Johnson said the difference between the $10 fines and $15 fines didn't make much sense. All were set at $15 with the exception of handicapped parking violations, which remained at $100.
Approved a number of one-day alcohol licenses for graduation and reunion activities for Williams College.
Approved a change of license transfer and type for Waubeeka Golf Links. The 190-acre course was purchased for $4.2 million by James Goff two weeks ago. Now operating as Waubeeka Golf Links LLC, the new ownership structure requires the course to operate under a restaurant, rather than a club, alcohol license.
Approved a change in license for Red Herring, operating as Walden Culinary LLC, on Spring Street to allow it to provide alcohol to patrons using its patio area. Manager Edward Smith told the Selectmen he had been under the impression his license allowed outside service until noting it was limited to between 5 and 8 p.m. He asked that the hours be the same as those inside the restaurant – 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays and weeknights and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays.
Approved the installation of a utility pole by National Grid on Park Street to service an electrical upgrade to St. John's Church.
