Williamstown Select Board OK's 'Heroes' Banners, Names Skate Park for Max Rothschild
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Select Board Monday voted, 4-1, to allow the Hometown Heroes banners program, joining several other communities around North Berkshire.
The vote finalized a conversation that began at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting.
As happened two weeks ago, several residents spoke from the floor of the meeting to raise concerns that the banners send the wrong message by glorifying the military and promoting military service to young members of the community.
Unlike two weeks ago, however, more people turned out Monday to urge the board to accept the plan to hang the Hometown Hero banners on utility poles around town between Memorial Day and Veterans Day starting in the spring of 2027.
One of those supporting the banners was the former chair of the Berkshire Democratic Brigades, who told the board that the banners are one small way communities like Williamstown can help make up for a “blemish” on the nation.
Sherwood Guernsey reminded the board members that the thousands of men and women who made the sacrifice to serve in the Vietnam War were not, by and large, honored for their service in their own time.
“When soldiers came back after incredibly difficult conditions … what happened in this country?” he asked. “I remember so well that it was extremely quiet when they came back, to say the least. There weren’t any crowds supporting them. There weren’t any parades saying, ‘Yes, you fought for this country.’ Whether I believed in that war or not, and I did disagree with that war.
“When my high school friend, who had volunteered, when I found out he came back, I called him personally, and I said, ‘Peter, I’m one of those who has been on the peace lines saying, ‘No,’ to this war. But I’m saying, ‘Yes,’ to congratulate you for having served and fought in a war that you believed was your duty to do for this country. I think we need, therefore, to give that same kind of ‘telephone call’ to our veterans, if you will, saying, ‘Thank you.’
“I want this program for that reason. I will never forget what I think was a blemish on this country for not standing up for those who did serve. Even though I chose not to, and I chose to go in a different service [the Peace Corps].”
The lone member of the Select Board who ended up voting down the Hometown Heroes proposal argued that the details needed to be fleshed out more, including how many banners will be involved and where they will fly. Stephanie Boyd argued that they should be treated like other signage in the community and limited to commercial areas, and she suggested that the planned five-month display, from the end of May to the middle of November, might be too long.
Boyd said she had looked at other communities and found a variety of time frames when the Hometown Heroes banners are displayed.
“There are a couple that keep the banners up all year,” she said. “There are some that do just the few weeks around Veterans Day. That’s my preference, for a couple of reasons. We’ve had people who say, ‘We have other heroes in our town. Maybe we should honor them, too.’ We might like to consider that maybe we honor some other people in this town. Let’s not lock up everything for this very important group and maybe keep the window open for other folks.
“I also think that when you see something on the road, after a while you just stop looking at it. When you put it up for a short period of time, people notice it more. We can make it more special.”
Ultimately, her other four colleagues chose to follow the lead of communities like North Adams, Adams and Lanesborough that already have some form of the banners in place and authorized Veterans Agent Kurt Durocher to work with the town manager to iron out the details for a display from Memorial Day to Veterans Day as he asked.
As emotional as the banners program became for some residents of the town, Monday’s Select Board meeting also featured a different bittersweet moment.
Bill MacEwen was before the board to announce the grand opening of the new skate park on Stetson Road.
MacEwen also asked the board to name the new park for Max Curtis Rothschild, a 7-year-old resident who died in an accident while riding his bicycle in August.
MacEwen said that, sadly, it is not uncommon for such parks to be named after children who have died in their communities, and he cited several examples from around New England.
“When I started working on this project, I was grateful I wasn’t doing it for that reason,” MacEwen said, saying that the presentation was difficult to get through.
“But we’re at the point where we have an opportunity to recognize Max and honor his family. A few weeks ago, I spoke to Adam [Rothschild, Max’s father] and asked if he’d like to memorialize Max in his name. He spoke to Laura [Kaufman, Max’s mother], and they loved the idea.”
The board voted unanimously to go forward with the dedication to Max Rothschild’s memory.
MacEwen said the park is on budget and on schedule for an Oct. 17 ribbon cutting.
In other business on Monday, the board heard a presentation from the North Berkshire Educational Sustainability Study steering committee and finalized the town’s trick-or-treating hours for Oct. 31: 4 to 5 p.m. in the commercial district on Spring Street and 5 to 7 p.m. in residential neighborhoods.
Tags: skate park, veterans,
