Letter: Jane Patton for Williamstown Select Board

Letter to the Editor06:45PM / Sunday, May 08, 2022Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

We are writing in support of Jane Patton for re-election to the Select Board.

Jane led the board through a tumultuous time in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd (in Minneapolis in 2020) and the revelations of misconduct in the Williamstown Police Department. Under Jane's leadership, the Select Board created the DIRE committee and she served as a member in its inaugural year. Over the past two years, Jane has shown up every day, listened empathically and worked diligently to build back the trust that was lost with many in the community. She asked the difficult questions, held people accountable and made the tough decisions.

Jane and her colleagues on the Select Board have improved accountability and transparency in town. We have a new town manager and we will soon have a new police chief. The town's HR policies have been revised and are available to the public and we will soon have a position to implement those policies and assist with important diversity work. The Police Department is seeking accreditation and they are working more closely with citizens in town to better understand how policing impacts everyone in our community. While the town is in a better place, there's more work to do and the town will be well served with Jane continuing that work.

In addition to her tireless leadership during these difficult times, Jane continues to be an advocate for much needed recreational opportunities for all members of our community, believes we need to create more diverse housing options in town and supports the environmental initiatives of the COOL Committee

Jane has strong ties to the community. She and her wife, Emily, have lived in town since 2008 and their two daughters are students at Mount Greylock. In addition to her service on the Select Board, Jane has served on numerous town committees.

When Jane says she'll always do the right thing, even if it's the hardest thing, believe it. She's been doing it for nine years and she'll keep doing it.

Please join us and vote for Jane Patton for re-election to the Select Board on May 10.

Andi Bryant, Karl Mullen, Merritt Colaizzi, Elaine Neely, Liz Costley, Fred Puddester, Tom Costley, Susan Puddester, Brian Drake, Reena Sharma, Karen Falk, Sanjay Sharmads, Joe Finnegan, Bob Stegeman, Tom Green, Carol Stegeman, Kristen Johanson and Charles Swabey.
Williamstown, Mass.

Tags: election 2022,

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Williamstown Studying Major Overhaul for Main Street

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Wednesday, July 29, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The town is working with a Worcester civil engineering firm to redesign Main Street with an eye toward a major project sometime in the next decade.

Community Development Director Andrew Groff was before the Select Board on Monday night to talk about Town Hall's use of a $500,000 state grant to do preliminary design on major improvements to that portion of Route 2 that runs from Water Street west to the Field Park rotary, through the middle of Williams College's campus.

Groff introduced the elected officials to Amanda Bazinet of Worcester's Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, who is helping the town to develop a plan for Main Street that would align with the commonwealth's Complete Streets Program.

"Our project goals, in addition to the increased pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, is just, in general, improving the sightlines and improving the intersection geometry," Bazinet said.

"Complete Streets … has a lot of different facets to it. As Andrew had mentioned, the goal is to improve the safety for all of the roadway users — not just the motorists. We're looking at improving it for pedestrians, bicyclists, anyone using a mobility device. We want to create streets that are safe for all ages and abilities to use. So, while bicyclists will still be allowed, legally, to use the roadway, we want to look at providing a separate bicycle accommodation along the corridor, whether it's a shared use path along both sides of the streets that is a little more accessible to young children or older people with disabilities to look at all transportation options."

One goal is to encourage "active transportation." The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, who the town hopes one day might fund the construction, has a "healthy transportation policy," Bazinet said.

That MassDOT funding would come through the Transportation Improvement Program, which is managed locally by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. The design work underway now is being done with an eye toward going after TIP funding years down the road.

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