Fire Chief Craig Pedercini provides information on articles at the Fire District's annual meeting. Right, Markus Burns, a member of the district's Community Advisory Committee, gives an update.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — After decades of service to the town's fire district and decades more to the protection of lives and property, Ed Briggs said an emotional goodbye at Tuesday's annual district meeting.
"I've enjoyed every bit of it," said Briggs, who decided not to run for a 14th consecutive three-year term on the district's Prudential Committee. "I've spent most of my life involved in fire departments, so that will be a change.
"I appreciate the voters electing me for 13 terms. I don't know if that's good or bad. But it's gone in a flash."
Briggs will not truly be gone from Williamstown's fire service, and his service will involve a flash.
Prudential Committee Chair John Notsley told Tuesday's meeting that he has appointed Briggs the district's official photographer, a title that is more meaningful than one might think.
"It's kind of an important role because when we have a bad situation and call in the fire marshal, they want to see what we saw when we arrived," Briggs said. "I've gotten to know some of the marshals, and when they arrive, I give them the chip out of the camera or – in the old days – got the film developed as fast as I could so they could start their investigation."
In addition to his service behind the lens, Briggs has played an integral role in advancing the district's efforts to build a new fire station, Notsley said.
"We're going to miss Ed's expertise and thoughtfulness," Notsley said. "He's been a fantastic guy. He kept the board rolling along."
Notsley is the sole remaining member from the Prudential Committee in its days as a three-member board; it was expanded to five in 2019. Last year, another longtime public servant, Ed McGowan, stepped down after serving 18 years on the committee and 50 as a firefighter and chief in the town.
Prior to the start of the annual meeting, the district held its election for new committee members to fill Briggs' seat and the one vacated during the year by former Chair Richard Reynolds.
Alex Steele and Joe Beverly, the only candidates on the ballot, were elected with 36 votes and 33 votes, respectively.
Thirty-eight voters participated in the election from 4 to 7 p.m., and 25 residents checked in to the annual meeting in the Williamstown Elementary School gymnasium.
The meeting members needed to take care of one bit of business to bless the results of the election. At the end of the meeting's previously warned agenda items, Notsley sought a vote to allow Steele, a call volunteer firefighter in the district for 18 years, to serve on the Prudential Committee in light of what could be seen as a conflict of interest.
Like the other 11 votes in the meeting, which took a little more than half an hour, the motion passed unanimously.
None of the meeting members spoke from the floor to question the articles crafted by the Prudential Committee over the last couple of months. But Chief Craig Pedercini went to the podium a couple of times to provide additional information on some of the special fiscal articles outside the district's regular operating budget.
Before a vote on a $120,000 appropriation for a new brush truck for the Forest Warden, Pedercini explained the current truck is nearly 30 years old and actually broke down last year during the fight to contain the East Mountain wildfire.
Likewise, Pedercini said his primary vehicle, known as "Car 1," recently broke down during a call. The Prudential Committee sought and received from the meeting approval to spend up to $70,000 on a new command vehicle to replace the 10-year-old rapid response command vehicle.
Tuesday's meeting included reports from the district's Building Committee and Community Advisory Committee, who both received thanks from Notsley for their service to the district.
In turn, the advisory committee's Markus Burns thanked the department's firefighters.
"As a town, we kind of take it for granted that when there's an emergency, the district shows up," Burns said. "We don't necessarily consider everything else that goes into the work done by the district. [The advisory committee has] learned about the limitations of the current space and also the staff and recruitment challenges.
"We've been happy to try to help think of different ways to adapt to the availability of volunteers."
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Williamstown Fire Committee Talks Station Project Cuts, Truck Replacement
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
Some of the "value engineering" changes are cosmetic, while at least one pushes off a planned expense into the future.
The committee, which oversees the Fire District, also made plans to hold meetings over the next two Wednesdays to finalize its fiscal year 2025 budget request and other warrant articles for the May 28 annual district meeting. One of those warrant articles could include a request for a new mini rescue truck.
The value engineering changes to the building project originated with the district's Building Committee, which asked the Prudential Committee to review and sign off.
In all, the cuts approved on Wednesday are estimated to trim $1.135 million off the project's price tag.
The biggest ticket items included $250,000 to simplify the exterior masonry, $200,000 to eliminate a side yard shed, $150,000 to switch from a metal roof to asphalt shingles and $75,000 to "white box" certain areas on the second floor of the planned building.
The white boxing means the interior spaces will be built but not finished. So instead of dividing a large space into six bunk rooms and installing two restrooms on the second floor, that space will be left empty and unframed for now.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
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The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more