Williamstown Housing Trust Supports Spruces Plan

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Trustees of the town's Affordable Housing Trust are on record supporting the idea of using town-owned conservation land to build affordable housing and placing into conservation land that currently is the site of a mobile home park.

At its Wednesday evening meeting, the trust's Board of Trustees voted 4-0 to "support the concept that the Spruces relocation effort be directed toward construction of a neighborhood on the Lowry property."

Chairman Stanley Parese made the motion that the directors of the trust take a public stand on the issue, which has drawn considerable public comment since a plan to acquire the Spruces Mobile Home Park with Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money was unveiled by at a Nov. 13 meeting of the Selectmen

Parese noted that it was by no means clear whether the Affordable Housing Trust would play a formal role in the plan to acquire the 114-acre mobile home park and build replacement housing on 30 acres of town land off Stratton Road. But he thought the panel should nonetheless take a position.

"At some point, we need to take a stand as a committee," Parese said.

None of the four trustees in attendance spoke against the idea of the town pursuing a path that ultimately leads to development of the Lowry property. Though Parese and trustee Tom Sheldon each noted that there is a case to be made for keeping the previously undeveloped and currently farmed Lowry property as conserved land.

"Certainly, there are competing values that will be weighed," Parese said. "There are attributes of the Spruces property that don't exist at the Lowry property. ... As lovely a town as this is, we don't have large public park space.

"Lowry has wonderful attributes treasured by a lot of people, but I hope people don't lose sight of the fact that the Spruces has wondeful attributes."

The Spruces property has a central location and access to the Hoosic River. The same low-lying, riverfront acreage that makes the site prone to flooding could be an advantage if it is turned into conservation land, Parese said.

Before considering the resolution on the Spruces-Lowry initiative, the trustees received an update from Town Manager Peter Fohlin about his Tuesday meeting with Spruces residents.

Fohlin described the residents as attentive, respectful and engaged. He also said his impression was that a large majority of residents were open to learning about the process that might ultimately lead to the availability of alternative affordable housing on Lowry, or elsewhere, and the closure of the Spruces.

"They're willing to learn about the process and embark on this journey with us," said Fohlin, who added that the journey could have many twists.

Fohlin said based on his Tuesday meeting, there did not seem to be a majority of current Spruces residents who were interested in forming a cooperative to buy the property from Rochester, N.Y.,-based Morgan Management.

There were, however, what Fohlin described as a minority of residents who are opposed to any plan that would include closing the park.

"There is a small number whose preference would be to stay as things are," Fohlin said. "There is perhaps a smaller number with very particular personal circumstances that make their decision more painful. In one instance, there is a woman who heavily invested in her home with no hope of recouping the investment."

The Affordable Housing Trust board, which includes the chairman of the town's Affordable Housing Committee, Catherine Yamamoto, also discussed the possibility of the town finding a developer to build affordable housing on two town brownfields properties — the former town garage site on Water Street and the former Photech mill on Cole Avenue.

While both are being pursued by the Affordable Housing Committee, the combined capacity of both sites would not meet the town's needs, particularly in light of last year's devestation at the Spruces from Tropical Storm Irene.

"I would argue that the use of the Lowry property in addition to the use of other town-owned lands will begin to fill the need that exists," Yamamoto said. "It's a big problem, and it needs a big solution."

Parese said that from his perspective, a Photech property that is close to the river and prone to flooding would be an unacceptable alternative for relocating residents whose home was devestated by a flood.

And both Parese and Sheldon noted that the spacious Lowry property offers something the town-owned brownfield sites do not.

"I understand there are a lot of opinions, but for me, what is envisioned as a replacement for the Spruces is a neighborhood, not a building," Sheldon said.

In othe business on Wednesday, the trustees voted to share the cost of a pair of studies with the Affordable Housing Committee. The two panels will together pay $8,500 for a housing needs assessment by a housing consultant; the data in that study will help the town down the line in working with housing developers to obtain grant money. The panels also will share the $5,200 cost of an engineering study on the Lowry property by Guntlow and Associates.

The trustees also approved a request to the Community Preservation Committee for $200,000 of Community Preservation Act funds to be placed into the trust to support affordable housing efforts in the town. The same amount was approved at town meeting in May just after voters approved creation of the trust.

Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:37AM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.

 

"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.

 

"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."

 

The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.

 

"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.

 

"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."

 

Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.