GAP concert
A concert to benefit the arts programs at Mount Greylock Regional High School will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. at the Williamstown Elementary School on Church Street.
The program will feature violinist Lilo Kantorowicz-Glick, who has performed abroad and throughout the United States, and pianist James Goldsworthy, of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in New Jersey. The son-in-law, mother-in-law duo has performed many benefit concerts for local and international causes. They will play works by Vivaldi and Dvorak and a selection of short pieces in a program that will last about one hour.
Kantorowicz-Glick, who lives in Bennington, Vt., is a teacher as well as a performer. She has played at Carnegie Recital Hall, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and in Germany, and has taught violin and viola at Mannes College of Music, Queens College and Bennington College. In addition, she has conduced master classes in Shanghai and at Stanford University.
Goldsworthy has performed as an accompanist, chamber musician and soloist throughout Europe, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the United States. He has appeared on Austrian National Television, California cable television, BBC Radio and Minnesota Public Radio. He has taught at Goshen College and Stanford University and is presently a member of the faculty of the sacred music department at Westminster Choir College.
The event is sponsored by the Greylock Assistance Project to support all the arts programs at Mount Greylock — vocal, instrumental, visual and theater.
The GAP Fund was formed by concerned parents to help bridge the budget gap for co-curricular activities and teacher positions. It has been successful in restoring fall and winter programs, but funds are still needed for the balance of winter and spring activities.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the GAP Fund, P.O. Box 615, Williamstown, MA 01267. Checks should be made payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Fund and can be designated for any activity or sport.
Tickets for the benefit concert will be available at the door: $15 for adults, $8 for students in grades seven to 12, $5 for students in grade six and lower. Information: 458-4644.
Evensong
WILLIAMSTOWN — St. John’s Episcopal Church, at 35 Park St., has invited the public to a service of Evensong at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, featuring singer-songwriter Steve Gillette and his wife, singer Cindy Mangsen, as guest musicians, and Sister Natalie Cain as guest preacher.
Gillette and Mangsen have traveled, performed and recorded together since their marriage in 1989. Gillette has written songs for MGM and Walt Disney film scores, including songs for the Disney characters Jiminy Cricket, Dumbo, Rainbow Brite and Winnie-the-Pooh. His songs have been sung by many major artists, including Garth Brooks, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Kenny Rogers and Tammy Wynette.
Cindy Mangsen is well-known for her collaborations, especially in the trio Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen. She has made appearances on many syndicated radio programs, including “All Things Considered†and “Mountain Stage,†and was featured in concert on the public television series “In the Tradition.†She has performed at many folk festivals across this country and Canada.
Cain is a sister of St. Joseph and a North Adams native. Her ministries have included teaching, religious education, adult spiritual development, pastoral ministry, parish visiting and interfaith work. She is co-founder and program developer of the Women’s House of Peace and has for the past 10 years worked in grass-roots neighborhood leadership development with the North Berkshire Community Coalition. She is on the board of the Women’s Interfaith Institute of the Berkshires.
Using homegrown stories of personal inspiration, her reflection at this service will focus on the question, “Who is my neighbor?â€
St. John’s, next to the Williams College Faculty House, is accessible to wheelchairs. Information: 458-8144.
Book donations
Water Street Books, in conjunction with The Salvation Army, will provide new books for needy children and young adults for the holidays.
The BE A STAR program, now in its sixth year, will run through Dec. 1 at the book store. Patrons can choose a star from the store's holiday tree with the name and age of a young person and purchase a book for them. Water Street Books will give a 20 percent discount on all children's books and will wrap gifts for those purchases. Also, the store will give advice on appropriate purchases.
The Salvation Army in North Adams will distribute the books during the week of Dec. 17.
Prom meet
The Mount Greylock High School After Prom 2004 Committee will hold its first organizational meeting of the year on Monday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. in the high school library.
All juniors, seniors and their parents, are invited to attend to learn about the 2004 After Prom, which will be held on Wednesday, June 2, from midnight to 6 a.m. at Eastover Resort in Lenox.
This year marks the 11th annual Mount Greylock High School After Prom event, which is an all night, substance- free celebration for the senior class and guests. The event will feature non-stop food, entertainment, activities and prizes and is funded through donations from parents, local and area businesses and individuals. Information: Cara Miller, 458-5863.
Police grant
The Williamstown Police Department has received a $7,000 grant, part of a $2.2 million initiative by the state Executive Office of Public Safety for traffic enforcement over the holidays.
Williamstown is one of 217 local police departments and the state police to receive funding for the second year through the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau's "Click It or Ticket" and "You Drink & Drive, You Lose" campaigns.
The "Click It or Ticket" mobilization, from Nov. 10 to Nov. 30, will, said Chief of Police Arthur A. Parker Jr., "reduce the danger we all face from motor vehicle crashes during the heavily-traveled Thanksgiving Holiday period."
"In addition to preventing aggressive and impaired driving and speeding, this mobilization will allow us to increase compliance with the Massachusetts safety belt and child passenger safety laws, so more people will be protected," Parker said.
The programs, made possible by federal highway safety grants, combine traffic enforcement, public information, and community education.
According to a department release, the "Click It or Ticket" campaign helped increase safety belt use from 51 percent in 2002 to 62 percent in 2003, but this compares unfavorably to a 79 percent belt use nationwide. The lowest use, 58 percent, was found among teen-agers.
Massachusetts law requires all drivers and passengers to wear safety belts, or, in the case of children, booster seats or child safety seats. Drivers may be stopped by police solely for having a child under 12 years of age improperly restrained and are liable for a $25 fine for each child.
Massachusetts law requires children under age 5 weighing 40 pounds or less to ride in a child safety seat; children 5 and older and weighing more than 40 pounds must wear a safety belt, and for maximum safety, children weighing from 40 to 80 pounds should ride in a booster seat, officials have advised. They also strongly suggest that children up to age 12 should ride in the back seat (away from air bags). Garden show
The Williamstown Garden Club will honor the town's 250th birthday by sponsoring a show, "250 Years of Holidays," at the David and Joyce Milne Public Library on Dec. 5 and 6.
Show Chairwoman Rita Watson said the club seeks entries from the general public and members of other clubs as well as from local club members.
"250 Years of Holidays†will coincide with Williamstown's annual Holiday Walk. The show will have three divisions: Division I, Design, will include arrangements in the category "Holiday Traditions." Division II will feature container-grown plants and herbs, branches grown for foliage and a challenge class. Division III will be special exhibits, including educational and commercial exhibits, and a display of artwork by Edward Scofield and his students.
Entry forms and a detailed schedule of categories and rules are available at the library and from Watson, at 458-4828. The show will be open to the public on Friday, Dec. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Eclipse trip
“The sun will be totally eclipsed for about two minutes on Nov. 23, but only a few people and lots of penguins will see it,†according to Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial professor of astronomy at Williams College.
Totality, when the moon entirely hides the sun, will be visible only from a narrow path over Antarctica and the adjacent ocean. Two chartered aircraft will overfly Antarctica in the eclipse path, one icebreaker will carry passengers to the zone, and a handful of others will participate in additional expeditions.
Pasachoff will be on one of the aircraft, flying out of Melbourne, Australia, for a 14-hour nonstop round trip. He will work with Glenn Schneider of the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory to image the eclipse electronically, with the equipment mounted on a gyro platform for stability. Williams junior Zophia Edwards will also participate in the expedition.
Antarctic eclipses recur with an interval of 18 years and 11 1/3 days. Expeditions from New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland and India will also observe the eclipse from Antarctica, and NHK-TV, the Japanese public television system, is planning an HDTV documentary and broadcast of totality.
It will be the 37th solar eclipse for Pasachoff, the chairman of the Working Group on Eclipses of the International Astronomical Union.
Public meetings
A schedule of public meetings in or about Williamstown, as provided by Town Clerk Mary C. Kennedy, 458-9341, from official postings. Meetings are held at the municipal building, 31 North St., unless otherwise indicated:
Wednesday, Nov. 19: Cable Advisory Committee, 5 p.m.; Community Preservation Committee, 7:30 p.m.; Mount Greylock School Study Committee, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20: Prudential Committee, 5 p.m., fire station; Zoning Board, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24: Selectmen, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, Historical Commission, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, Conservation Commission, 7:15 p.m.
Harper Center
Elder Services Nutrition Program serves hot meals. Call 458-8250 or 458-5156; 48-hour notice is appreciated. Voluntary donations for van transportation are 50 cents one-way from Williamstown and $1 one-way from North Adams. Service is available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Wednesday, Nov. 19: 1 p.m. bridge. Thursday, Nov. 20: 10 a.m. Tai Chi., 11 a.m., van to Wal-Mart, 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. crafts, 3:30 p.m. knitting group, 4:30 p.m. Weight Watchers. Friday, Nov. 21, 10:30 a.m. exercise, 12:30 a.m. pizza lunch. Sunday, Nov. 23: 11:30 p.m. lunch. Monday, Nov. 24: 10:30 a.m. exercise, 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. line dancing. Tuesday, Nov. 25: 9 a.m. oil painting, 1:15 p.m. Friendship Club Bingo.
Potluck dinner
Mount Greylock Partners will host a community potluck supper and the Wacky/Tacky gift exchange on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria.
Individuals and families are welcome. The potluck and gift exchange are free, but everyone is asked to bring a food item to share with others, based upon the category that corresponds to the first initial of one’s last name: A-F: juice or soda, G-L: dessert, M-R: main dish, S-Z: tossed salad or fruit salad.
Everyone, including each person in a family, is also asked to donate a gift for the gift table — something that is nearly new or too good to throw away. Information: John MacDonald, 458-0151.
DeathsRichard Victor “Red†Harris, 76, of 300 Henderson Road, Clarksburg, a former resident of Rowe and Williamstown, died Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.
He was born in Somerville on Sept. 25, 1927, a son of Albert Victor Harris and Dorothy (Foster) Harris. He attended schools in New Bedford and graduated from New Bedford High School. He then served in the U.S. Army infantry during World War II and obtained the rank of staff sergeant.
After his military career, he attended Bryant Business College in Providence, R.I., and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then became associated with the Hoosac Mills Corp. in New Bedford and was transferred to the North Adams plant in 1959, where he was general manager and controller.
In 1972, Mr. Harris became the assistant administrator for Farren Memorial Hospital in Turners Falls. In 1979, he obtained the position of executive vice president at Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, and, in 1985, was appointed president of the center. He retired in 1990.
Mr. Harris was an avid golfer and bowler. He was former member of the North Adams Rotary Club and the Industrial Management Club of Northern Berkshire and was a former director of the United Way Fund in North Adams. He held memberships in the Greenfield Kiwanis Club, American Hospital Association, Hospital Financial Management Association, Western Massachusetts Administrators Council and the New England Conference of the Catholic Hospital Association. He participated in various other civic activities. He coached for several youth baseball leagues in Williamstown and was a referee for the Williamstown Pee Wee football league.
He leaves his wife, Jean L. (Richards) Harris, whom he married on Sept. 9, 1950; two sons, Mark V. Harris of Williamstown and Scott S. Harris of Cranston,R.I.; a sister, June Hastings of New Bedford, several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews,
The funeral was Tuesday at the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams, with the Rev. Jill Graham, pastor of the First Congregational Church of North Adams, officiating. Burial followed in Eastlawn Cemetery, Williamstown.
Kerby Simonds, 81, of Stratton Road, died Monday, Nov. 10, at North Adams Regional Hospital.
She was born on Aug. 29, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minn., daughter of Frederick Kerby and Mary (Winning) Comer. She attended schools in the United States and Canada, moving wherever her father, an actor, had roles.
She married John Peebles Boyd in 1943, but they divorced. She later married David Haskell Simonds (Williams College ’39), who died in 1996.
In the 1940s, she was the assistant to Lois Long, who wrote the “On and Off the Avenue†page in The New Yorker magazine. In the 1950s, she was an advertising copywriter at Timely Associates in New York City. She worked for the Williamstown News, writing a page called “Village Fair,†which had two columns, “Homespun†and “Serendipity,†as well as various items of local interest. In 1974, she was the publicity director for Williamstown Community Chest. She was also a volunteer at the Women’s Exchange for 35 years.
Mrs. Simonds leaves a daughter, Tracy Boyd of Bridgehampton, N.Y.; a son, David H. Simonds of New York City; four stepchildren, Christopher H. Simonds, Sarah M. Simonds, Katherine K. Simonds and Michael E. Simonds; two grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. from St. John’s Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. John’s Memorial Fund or the Village Ambulance Service, through the George M. Hopkins Funeral Home, 61-67 Spring St., which is handling the arrangements.
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Lanesborough Officials Take Road District Dissolution Off Warrant
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board has removed a town meeting warrant article regarding the dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District.
JMJ Holdings development consultant Tim Grogan spoke in public comment saying the Berkshire Mall owner is currently has purchase-and-sale agreement for the mall.
Back in February, the Select Board settled a tax dispute with JMJ Holdings by agreeing to move forward in dissolving the district if the company paid $1.1 million to the town. JMJ Holdings had to provide a signed development-and-purchase agreement 30 days before the town meeting.
JMJ holdings did not submit a payment to be made by May 9. Because of that, the Select Board voted to take the article of the warrant to be voted at the annual town meeting.
Meanwhile, the Baker Hill Road District presented a slideshow defending the district and explaining what it does.
The district currently provides a non-resident-funded revenue stream of around $500,000 per year. These funds help pay for police cars and officer salaries, dump trucks, fire trucks, and more for the town.
"Dissolution would mean the district's three commercial property owners would no longer have to pay for upkeep of the Route Seven/Eight connector road. As a result, the BHRD annual contribution of more than $500,000 to Lanesborough would disappear permanently, since the services and maintenance costs associated with the Route Seven and Eight connector road would still remain," said Tom Caraccioli, PR consultant with AH&M Inc. "Lanesborough would have to absorb these costs and continue to provide emergency services to the mall and Target. The financial burden for these remaining expenses would then fall on Lanesborough taxpayers through higher taxes or the reduction of other important town services."
The proposal with JMJ would affect the town in a negative way Caraccioli claimed.
"JMJ is proposing a one-time payment of $1.1 million to Lanesborough in exchange, JMJ would never pay BHRD taxes again. The decision to dissolve the BHRD by accepting this proposed $1.1 million would be a permanent choice that would have irreversible consequences," he said. "There will be no official system in place to cover recurring costs once the money from this single payment is spent. Therefore, the proposed one-time payment is not a long-term solution for the town of Lanesborough."
JMJ's dispute was that the Berkshire Mall no longer exists as a functioning entity and it should not be on the hook for protection and maintenance that had been based on the mall's operation in its heyday. The company is seeking to redevelop the site as senior housing and town officials were asking the state to take over the Connector Road.
District officials said it's not guaranteed that the state would take over the road linking Routes 7 and 8, built to service the mall back in the '80s, and that the state Department of Transportation had historically discouraged the town from asking. Even if it happened, it could take three to five years, during which no BHRD funds would be collected if the district is dissolved. The state would not replace the revenue they support, and they argued the state is facing its own budget issues making it unlikely they would want to take over.
The road district was created by an act of the Legislature and would require another act to dissolve it. The town meeting article asked for voter support for a home-rule petition to start that process.
After the presentation, it was asked what the current financial status of the BHRD, given that JMJ hasn’t paid in a long time and if the district actually has the money or if it is dependent on the mall sale.
Mark Siegars, attorney for BHRD, reminded the room that the mall is under a purchase and sale agreement and if the sale closes, the district expects to receive more than a million dollars because of the lawsuit and lien, but does not have that cash yet. If the sale does not go through, BHRD will take the mall and sell it. The district still gets payments from Target, which is separate from the mall.
There were also some questions on the district's history, with Select Board member Jason Breault asking if the mall did not have a high tax rate from the district, would it still be solvent. The exchange became heated between Siegars and BHRD Chair Bill Prendergast.
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Brooke Harrington scored four goals, and Abigail Rodhouse had a hat trick as Wahconah won its second straight Western Mass title and the rubber match against the Mounties in the third one-goal game between the teams this spring. click for more
