Fund for Williamstown Awards $14,000 to Individuals and Community Groups

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Fund for Williamstown, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, has awarded $14,000 to individuals, community groups and nonprofit organizations that proposed innovative projects and services to improve the quality of life for Williamstown residents.

Since its inception in 2006, the fund has become an agent for creative thinking about how individuals and organizations can better their community.

Grants were awarded to the following community groups and nonprofit organizations:

Community Access to the Arts: $1,000 to create an after-school drumming program through which children from the Williamstown Youth Center can come together with handicapped adults to learn drumming techniques.

Community Images: $1,500 to screen a series of classic films for the community.

Destination Williamstown: $1,000 to create an informational website focused on the diverse cultural and outdoor resources of Williamstown and surrounding communities.

IS183 Art School of the Berkshires: $600 to support their arts programs and community outreach.

Nutshell Playhouse: $250 to perform “Nutshellapalooza” for family audiences at the Milne Library.

Williamstown Chamber of Commerce: $500 to purchase new snowflakes for the Williamstown Business District’s annual holiday display.


Williamstown Farmers Market: $1,500 to create a promotional campaign and live entertainment.

Williamstown Historical Museum: $1,000 for a publication that highlights town artifacts.

Williamstown Youth Center: $2,000 to provide financial assistance to qualified families so that their children can participate in center activities.

United Cerebral Palsy Association of Berkshire County: $2,000 to provide free early intervention community playgroups for children with physical and developmental disabilities.

Village Ambulance Service: $1,000 to purchase equipment that will help the organization safely transport the growing number of obese patients.

Grants were also awarded to the following individuals:

Gordon Richard Holey: $1,000 for the continued development of The Puppet Brigade’s arts and education programs.

Michael Williams: $650 for the Billstock V Music Festival.

The Fund for Williamstown was established to engage Williamstown residents in entertaining, community-oriented programs. It aims to make life safer, healthier and more enjoyable for the public by awarding grants for health and human services; cultural, educational and recreational programs; and environmental protection. To donate to the Fund for Williamstown, please visit www.berkshiretaconic.org/Donate.

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Slight Increase to Proposed Assessments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to slightly increase the assessment to the district's member towns from the figures in the draft budget presented by the administration.
 
The School Committee opted to lower the use of Mount Greylock's reserve account by $70,000 and, instead, increase by that amount the share of the fiscal year 2025 operating budget shared proportionally by Lanesborough and Williamstown taxpayers.
 
The budget prepared by the administration and presented to the School Committee at its annual public hearing on Thursday included $665,000 from the district's Excess and Deficiency account, the equivalent of a municipal free cash balance, an accrual of lower-than-anticipated expenses and higher-than-anticipated revenue in any given year.
 
That represented a 90 percent jump from the $350,000 allocated from E&D for fiscal year 2024, which ends on June 30. And, coupled with more robust use of the district's tuition revenue account (7 percent more in FY25) and School Choice revenue (3 percent more), the draw down on E&D is seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate a spike in FY25 expenses and an unsustainable budgeting strategy long term, administrators say.
 
The budget passed by the School Committee on Thursday continues to rely more heavily on reserves than in years past, but to a lesser extent than originally proposed.
 
Specifically, the budget the panel approved includes a total assessment to Williamstown of $13,775,336 (including capital and operating costs) and a total assessment to Lanesborough of $6,425,373.
 
As a percentage increase from the FY24 assessments, that translates to a 3.90 percent increase to Williamstown and a 3.38 percent increase to Lanesborough.
 
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