Letter: Williamstown Youth Center Essential Community Component

To the Editor:

I am writing to thank Pat Meyers for prompting me to share the many reasons why $77,000 is a reasonable request for the Williamstown Youth Center to make to the town Finance Committee. In fact, this amount is a bargain considering the sheer volume and quality of the programs we provide for our town's families.

First, I should clarify the numbers. It is true that the dollar amount of our request has increased in the past eight years. I would point out, however, that in 2014 the average daily attendance in our After School Program was around 80-85 students. This year, it is 110 out of a total enrollment of 161. To put things in perspective, about two-fifths of the enrollment at the Williamstown Elementary School are in our building from 3:10-5:30 at least one day a week. When you account for inflation, the truth is that we are providing more services for less money than we were eight years ago.

Unfortunately, this is only one of many examples of how Meyers' letter is misleading.

They say "the Youth Center needs to raise its fees and go back to having fundraisers to help offset its expenses." They will be happy to hear that this year we raised our program fees by 10 percent across the board, while providing an option for families to pay more if they are able. As for fundraising events, in the 17 years I have been part of this organization, we have had our annual Snowfest/Springfest fundraiser, regularly sent out appeal letters, and hosted events sponsored by corporations and other organizations. In fact, as I write this we are working on not one but three fundraising events that will be held in the next six months. I confess that I'm not sure what it is they'd like us to "get back to." The reality is that funding is not an either-or proposition; to be financially responsible, the WYC needs to both fund raise on its own and ask the town and Community Chest for support.

It is also useful to remember that many if not most communities in Massachusetts and elsewhere have recreation committees that are part of town government and that are wholly funded by local taxes. Many also have after-school programs that are included in school committees' budgets. I invite anyone reading this to point me to a municipal department that can operate for less than $77,000 per year.

Michael Williams,
Executive director of the
Williamstown Youth Center

Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:37AM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.

 

"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.

 

"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."

 

The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.

 

"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.

 

"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."

 

Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.