Williamstown Select Board Pivots to Teleconferencing

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
01:11AM / Monday, March 23, 2020Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Although several government meetings have been canceled in the last week because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Select Board will convene Monday as scheduled -- but via remote connection.

Town Manager Jason Hoch confirmed Thursday afternoon that the board will meet utilizing the Zoom videoconferencing platform.

The town's community access television station, Willinet, which regularly telecasts meetings from Town Hall, will transmit Monday's virtual meeting live and make it available for later viewing on the Willinet website.

Hoch said that Monday's meeting will be strictly a meeting of the five-member board. The planned joint meeting with the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee and Lanesborough Select Board to appoint someone to fill a vacant seat on the School Committee will be held at a later date.

"I think we're trying to make sure that we work the unanticipated bugs out before convening such a large group," Hoch wrote in response to an email asking about the town's plans.

Meanwhile, Williamstown has this week announced a few other coronavirus-related initiatives.

Starting Thursday, the town is suspending the requirement to use official trash bags at the Williamstown Transfer Station for anyone holding a current sticker. The temporary suspension is meant to eliminate the need to visit town hall or other locations where residents normally acquire the bags.

The Council on Aging is offering early morning rides to the Stop & Shop in North Adams on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take advantage of the store's special 6 to 7:30 a.m. hours for shoppers age 60 and over. Call the COA at 413-458-8250 before 2 p.m. on the Monday or Wednesday before you plan to shop to reserve a place.

Williamstown will be sending out the second installment of its real estate and personal property tax bills as scheduled. But Treasurer/Collector Rachel Vadnais noted in a post on the town website that Town Hall realizes unforeseen circumstances can create hardships for taxpayers.

"I am happy to work with you to find an approach that can help," Vadnais wrote. "It is important, though, that we actually have a conversation prior to the eventual due date. While it is always more pleasant to have these conversations in person, email and telephone are our healthiest options in the near future."

She can be reached at 458-9342 or rvadnais@williamstownma.gov.

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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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