Poetry Event to Celebrate Earth Day and the Hoosic River Watershed

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A poetry event focused on the Hoosic River Watershed will take place on Thursday, April 24, at 4:30 PM.

Poets and individuals interested in poetry of all ages are invited to participate in this Earth Day celebration.

The event will begin at the Mohican Recreational Path – Syndicate Road Trailhead parking lot. Participants will walk along the Hoosic bike trail in Williamstown to seek poetic inspiration. Writing prompts will be available for those who wish to use them. Time will be allotted for participants to share their poems, phrases, or other creative expressions inspired by the river. The program is scheduled to last for 1.5 hours.

This free workshop is open to the public and is funded by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Registration is required and limited to 16 participants. Interested individuals can register at the provided link.

The facilitator for this event is Arianna Alexsandra Collins, the Executive Director of the Hoosic River Watershed Association. Ms. Collins is also a naturalist educator and poet with over 30 years of experience in outdoor education and community engagement. She has been facilitating quarterly Poetry Shares at her local library in Ashfield for several years. Samples of Ms. Collins’ poetry can be found at https://hearkentoavalon.com/earthvoice-poetry/.

 

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Williamstown Finance Committee Finalizes Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The tax bill of a median-priced single family home will go up by 8.45 percent in the year that begins July 1 under a spending plan approved by the Finance Committee on Wednesday night.
 
After more than a month of going through all proposed spending by the town and public schools and searching for places to trim the budget and adjust revenue estimates, the Fin Comm voted to send a series of fiscal articles to the May 19 annual town meeting for approval.
 
The panel also discussed how to appeal to town meeting members to reverse what Fin Comm members long have described as an anti-growth sentiment in town that keeps the tax base from expanding.
 
New growth in the tax base is generated by new construction or improvements to property that raise its value. A lack of new growth (the town projects 15 percent less revenue from new growth in fiscal year 2027 than it had in FY26) means that increased spending falls more heavily on current taxpayers.
 
The two largest spending articles on the draft warrant for the May meeting are the appropriations for general government spending and the assessment from the Mount Greylock Regional School District.
 
The former, which includes the Department of Public Works, the Williamstown Police and town hall staffing, is up by just 2.5 percent from the current fiscal year to FY27 — from $10.6 million to $10.9 million.
 
The latter, which pays for Williamstown Elementary School and the town's share of the middle-high school, is up 13.7 percent, from $14.8 million to $16.8 million.
 
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