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Merchants on Spring Street are worried that contractors will fill up the public parking lot - making it harder for customers to find a spot.
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The view from the northwest corner of the Spring Street lot. The construction site for Williams' new science center is across the street.

Williams Outlines Solution to Parking Issue During Construction

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College and its contractor believe they have a solution to the problem of workers parking in a downtown parking lot during construction projects.
 
The practice frustrated downtown merchants during last summer's renovation of the college's Spring Street tavern. A looming five-year project to build a new science center near the village business district has raised serious concerns among business owners.
 
At last Thursday's meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the college's counsel outlined a plan to fine subcontractors whose employees park anywhere but areas the college has designated for construction parking.
 
"Consigli Construction, in its contracts with subs will require them to park in designated areas ... and there will be shuttles," Jamie Art told the ZBA.
 
Anyone working at the site near the corner of Stetson Road and Walden Street and Hoxsey Street will be issued a sticker to place on their car during the construction period. If a vehicle with such a sticker is seen in the public lot or on Spring Street itself, the employer of the worker will be fined up to $500, depending on the number of offenses, Art said
 
"This is a way the college can put some teeth in its program," Art said. "This will minimize contractors parking where town [business] employees and customers need to be parking."
 
Sean Ditto of Consigli told the board that the fines will be issued against companies rather than the workers themselves because the businesses are the ones who will have contracts with Consigli, the project's general contractor.
 
"Having worked on several college campuses, this is not the first time this has come up," Ditto said. "You start hitting people with fines, and the word spreads quickly."
 
Ditto said Consigli planned to donate money from the fines to a local charity.
 
Art explained that the college plans to run shuttles each day to and from sites that are not within a short walk. Ditto said the site will have boxes where workers can store their tools.
 
At the Board's Jan. 21 meeting, Art suggested part of the parking solution could include a change to how the town utilizes the public lot on Spring Street. Specifically, he said the Board of Selectmen could consider limiting hours in the lot.
 
That raised concerns from the owner of Tunnel City Coffee, who spoke from the floor at last Thursday's meeting.
 
"As an employer and restaurateur on Spring Street, that is not a solution to me," Paul Lovegreen said. "We need to explore areas for people to park all day. Our employees need a place to park. We don't want it to be any more difficult for people to park there."
 
On Monday, Lovegreen was back at Town Hall, this time to raise the same concern to the Board of Selectmen.
 
Town Manager Jason Hoch said Lovegreen's points "are well taken" and that the town was hoping a study currently being conducted by the college and Chamber of Commerce would provide some guidance about the parking needs downtown.
 
"My first reaction is I'd hate to post an ordinance until I knew there was data there," Hoch said.
 
Lovegreen, who expressed satisfaction with the plan outlined by the college on Feb. 4, said downtown parking needs a comprehensive solution. And the town ought to consider things like making better use of a de facto parking lot at the town-owned former Town Garage site at 59 Water St., he said.
 
Whatever path is chosen, Lovegreen was clear what he does not want to happen.
 
"I don't want to see $10, $11, $12 per hour employees ticketed," he said. "That's my goal."

 


Tags: construction complaints,   parking,   Williams College,   

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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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