With No Races to Decide, a Light Turnout in Williamstown Town Election

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — All four candidates on the town election ballot easily won election on Tuesday in a light day of polling at the elementary school.
 
In a town with about 5,000 registered voters, 438 ballots were cast in an election with no contested races, a turnout rate of about 8.6 percent.
 
Incumbent Select Board member Jeffrey Johnson received 408 votes for a second three-year term on the body.
 
Anna Halpin-Healy was returned to the library board of trustees for another three years with 419 votes.
 
Laila Boucher was re-elected for another three years as one of the town's two representatives on the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District (McCann Tech) board with 412 votes.
 
And newcomer Samantha Page was elected to a five-year seat on the five-person Planning Board with 406 votes, according to acting Town Clerk Tom Webb.
 
Webb, with eight votes, was the winner of a write-in vote for a five-year term on the town's Housing Authority. Fifty ballots were submitted with write-ins for the spot, which had no names on the ballot.
 
Webb said Wednesday afternoon that about 300 of the 438 votes cast came in by mail, about 68 percent of the total.
 
Last year, when there four candidates running for two seats on the Select Board, just shy of 1,000 ballots were returned.

Tags: election 2024,   town elections,   


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Friday Front Porch Feature: An Energy-Efficient New Build

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Are you looking for a sophisticated home with low utility bills?

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 15 Orchard Lane.

This three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath, contemporary farmhouse was built in 2025 and is 1,704 square feet on less than an acre. The house features an attached and insulated two-car garage. 

The interior boasts hardwood floors, electric fireplace and a kitchen with stainless steel appliances. The primary bedroom and en suite are located on the first floor, and two bedrooms, a full bath and bonus space on the second floor. 

The home is electric and energy efficient with heating and cooling technology from the latest Energy Star-rated heat pump technology.

Down in the waterproofed full basement, there is a dehumidifier and a battery-backed sump pump. It has a generously sized covered side porch. 

It is on the market for $829,500.

We spoke with Paul Harsch III with Harsch Associates, which has the listing.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market? 

This home stands out from anything else on the market now or that has been available in recent memory because it is brand new. Save for a portion of the foundation and some first-floor framing, it is completely new and much expanded from the original house. Unless one is building from scratch, to find a brand-new home is virtually impossible as there is no spec building and hasn't been any for many years. 

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Crisp, clean, all new, bright, and spacious with the cathedral ceiling in the living room space yet compact and efficient. 

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history? 

The sellers had designed this as their forever retirement home but family matters dictated they remain in Texas thus they are reluctantly giving up their dream home here.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for? 

The buyer for this home wants a quiet location yet very convenient to the center of things. They want ground-floor living with spare bedrooms on the second floor for guests or office space. They want a modest-sized yard not requiring a lot of expense or care to maintain but providing a pleasant hot-weather retreat in the shade of mature trees. This buyer wants an efficient low-maintenance home not requiring any attention or work on the exterior other than perhaps the occasional power washing of the siding to show the crisp white lifetime siding. They want a totally dry basement with a warranty to back that up, and they want a spacious two-car garage to protect themselves and their vehicles from the weather or summer heat.

Are there any recent renovations or standout design features? 

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