Williamstown Board Advises Resolution Against Plastic Bags, Containers

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The Selectmen recommended a citizen's petition on instituting a plastics ban be submitted as a resolution instead.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Selectmen are encouraging the backers of a polystyrene ban to consider social rather than legislative pressure.

The ad hoc group Greening Williamstown is hoping to place a bylaw before town meeting that would ban the use of plastics — including plastic bags, food containers and silverware.

The Selectmen expressed concern Monday over enforcement issues and overlegislation — either by the board or by citizen's petition.

"Who would grant the exemptions and do the enforcement?" asked Selectman Hugh Daley, referencing other bylaws he'd seen.

Anne O'Connor, speaking on behalf the campaign's leader Brad Verter, told the Selectmen she could answer questions on the proposed bylaw or refer concerns to Verter.

Verter, she said, had been contacting local businesses and institutions to see how a ban might affect them.

A number of towns have imposed full or partial bans on plastics, O'Connor noted.

Great Barrington last year banned plastic bags; Pittsfield's Green Commission last week endorsed a proposed ordinance to ban polystyrene.

But Daley urged the group to consider a resolution rather than legislation.

"So you get on people's register by saying you passed a resolution," he said. "We're not banning these things, we're just letting you know we don't want these things in our community."

Rather than enforcement, he said having businesses and institutions show by stickers or other initiatives that they were complying with the endeavor would also let consumers make a choice.

O'Connor said she liked the idea of stickers and of the community actively embracing a green lifestyle.

Town Manager Peter Fohlin was taken aback by one part of the proposed bylaw that would institute a 10 cent fee on a single-use plastic bags.

"That is to give the merchant a bit of money to cover," O'Connor said.

Fohlin thought the attorney general could consider such a fee as a tax.  

"And the town doesn't have the authority to tax," he said. "This starts to get really complicated when you get into those kind of actions."

Daley and Selectman Thomas Sheldon encouraged education and reaching out to businesses and nonprofits to investigate alternatives to polystyrene.


"I think you'll find that the resistance is not because they enjoy Styrofoam," Daley said. "It's because they've got too many things to do otherwise than look for new ways to solve something that's already working."

Fohlin noted that it wasn't a crazy idea for a town this size and one that is well-acquainted with all its business owners.

"If you can get them engaged as much we all are in this room, we've got a fighting chance — without a fight," he said.

Anne O'Connor asked the Selectmen to place a resolution against a natural gas pipeline on the warrant; the board thought it should be added by petition.

O'Connor was actually at the meeting to request the board place a petition against the proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline on the warrant. She had approached the board previously in an attempt to gain its endorsement of the resolution.

The board thought it would be more democratic for her to get the signatures of the 10 or so registered voters to place it as a citizen's petition.

The board also approved and signed off on bonding of $3,292,961 to covering borrowing of $1,102,961 for the Cable Mills redevelopment and $2,190,000 to refinance the balance of the debt for the new Williamstown Elementary School.

Town Treasurer Janet Saddler said the town was able to achieve a rate of 1.61 by combining the two borrowings, something that would not be possible for the Cable Mills bond alone.

"It made sense to combine the two loans and share the issuance cost," Saddler said. "We also moved up in bond rating from AA2 to AA1, which is exceptional."

Both loans will be for 10-year terms and will stand separately. Saddler said the town will save $143,000 over the life of the school borrowing. The initial rate had been 4.02.

Town meeting had authorized a grant of $1.5 million to Cable Mills to support its affordable housing component. The $1,102,961 is the balance obligated, after funds from the Community Preservation Act already spent, including an amendment at last year's town meeting.

The payments on the Cable Mills loan will continue to come from CPA funds, as authorized by town meeting. Saddler said the first payment, in fiscal 2016, will be $112,000 in principal and $18,000 in interest. The annual amount will decline until the final payment.

The bonding was approved after a very lengthy motion read by Secretary to the Selectmen Debra Turnbull and signatures on numerous documents.

In other business:

The board set a public hearing for the installation of a 4,000 gallon propane tank at 140 Hopper Road for Monday, April 13, at 7:05 p.m.

Chairman Ronald Turbin reminded viewers that nominations were still being accepted for the annual Faith Scarborough Award, given to a resident whose efforts have benefited the town.

Nominations may be emailed to Town Moderator Adam Filson or submitted in a sealed envelope to the town manager's office.

The 3rd annual PopCares 5K benefit race was approved for May 30.

Daley asked residents and businesses to fill out a survey for the town's Economic Development Committee. The survey can be found here. Paper copies can also be returned with tax payments.


Tags: bonding,   bylaws,   Cable Mills,   citizens petition,   gas pipeline,   polystyrene ,   resolution,   town meeting warrant,   

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Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
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