Lanesborough-Williamstown Officials Hopeful of School Leader

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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The candidate chosen by Mount Greylock Regional and SU71 to be the new superintendent was interviewed for the West Springfield post on Tuesday.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williamstown-Lanesborough school officials are optimistic about having a contract for their next superintendent in place by next week, even though their chosen candidate was interviewing in another district on Tuesday.
 
As scheduled, Medway High School Principal Douglas Dias reported to the West Springfield School District on Tuesday morning to take tours of the district's schools, and Dias is scheduled to be interviewed by the West Springfield School Committee on Tuesday evening, according to West Springfield Mayor Edward Sulivan, who serves as chairman of the school committee.
 
Last week, Dias was offered the superintendent post in the Williamstown-Lanesborough Tri-District after a vote of the committees from the Mount Greylock Regional School District and Superintendency Union 71, a partnership of Lanesborough and Williamstown Elementary Schools.
 
On Tuesday afternoon, Mount Greylock School Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Greene replied to an email seeking comment on the status of the Tri-District's negotiations.
 
"[We] are moving forward and expect to have a contract to vote next week," Greene wrote. "Both Union 71 and MG have met in executive session to discuss contract parameters and are in agreement as to the terms. Negotiations with Dr. Dias take place this week."
 
Greene noted that, "Dr. Dias is fulfilling his commitment to interview with West Springfield today."
 
SU71 has a meeting scheduled on Monday, April 6, at 9 a.m. at Lanesborough School with a vote on the superintendent contract on the agenda. Greene said the Mount Greylock School Committee will be able to vote at its previously scheduled Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 8, at 9 a.m.
 
Masslive reported that the first of three candidate interviews in West Springfield took place on Monday night and lasted "less than 20 minutes." Dias' was interviewed Tuesday night.
 
A third candidate is scheduled for an interview on Thursday evening, when an immediate vote is planned.

Tags: MGRHS,   SU71,   superintendent,   

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Williamstown Housing Trust Commits $80K to Support Cable Mills Phase 3

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust last week agreed in principle to commit $80,000 more in town funds to support the third phase of the Cable Mills housing development on Water Street.
 
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
 
In 2022, the annual town meeting approved a $400,000 outlay of Community Preservation Act funds to support the third and final phase of the Cable Mills development, which started with the restoration and conversion of the former mill building and continued with the construction of condominiums along the Green River.
 
The town's CPA funds are part of the funding mix because 28 of Phase 3's 54 units (52 percent) will be designated as affordable housing for residents making up to 60 percent of the area median income.
 
Traggorth said he hopes by this August to have shovels in the ground on Phase 3, which has been delayed due to spiraling construction costs that forced the developer to redo the financial plan for the apartment building.
 
He showed the trustees a spreadsheet that demonstrated how the overall cost of the project has gone up by about $6 million from the 2022 budget.
 
"Most of that is driven by construction costs," he said. "Some of it is caused by the increase in interest rates. If it costs us more to borrow, we can't borrow as much."
 
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