Woodlands Partnership Hosts Survey, Listening Sessions on Emergency Response

Print Story | Email Story

WINDSOR, Mass. — The Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts is embarking on a public safety services study of the 21-town region with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Collins Center will focus on municipal services in the Woodlands Partnership region as they relate to increasing tourism, use and accessibility of public forests, diminished tax base, and the ability of first responders to provide emergency services.

Funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the study is intended to provide towns with direction and support in receiving additional funds and identifying strategies for municipal financial sustainability, as well as inform state policy and procedure related to Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) on state-owned land and other programs.
 
Three listening sessions will be held for community members and emergency responders to provide feedback about experiences and suggestions for improvement. The sessions will be held:
  • Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom (online)
  • Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Windsor Town Hall (hybrid)
  • Thursday, February 27, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Shelburne Fire Dept (hybrid)
For more information and to learn how to attend, please visit woodlandspartnership.org/events. Can’t make it? Take the surveys here. First Responders: https://tinyurl.com/3vp3eat7; Community Members: https://tinyurl.com/bddvv52x. Email kconlin@newenglandforestry.org for a paper copy.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton to Hold Special Town Meeting Monday

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Voters will reconvene Monday for a special town meeting to decide on six articles, including an item to permit mobile accessory dwelling units. 
 
The meeting will take place on Monday, June 29, at 7 p.m., at Wahconah Regional High School. 
 
The first article requests voters authorize amending the vote taken on Article 3 at the May 4 annual town meeting allowing the town to increase or decrease funding for one or more departments for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
 
Article 2 requests voters establish a line item for the Clean Air Committee. Subsequently, Article 3, transfers the available funds, that were appropriated at previous town meetings, into the new account. 
 
Article 4 requests voters transfer a sum of money, not yet provided, from the Capital Stabilization Fund to cover costs to the Department of Public Work's roof repair project that exceed borrowing.
 
The most anticipated articles are on amending the town's current bylaws to allow mobile tiny homes, Articles 5 and 6. 
 
For more than two years, Amy Turnbull has been advocating to amend the bylaw but has met obstacles delaying the effort. 
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories