Great Barrington to Host Housatonic Water Works Information Meeting

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Selectboard will hold a special meeting about ongoing issues with the Housatonic Water Works on Monday, Oct. 17 at 4:15 p.m.
 
The meeting will be open to the public via Zoom, and the meeting details will be posted on the town calendar on the town website on meeting day.
 
The meeting includes an informational conversation with Aquarion Water Company, which operates a nearby privately owned water supply in Sheffield.
 
The town has been reviewing potential options for addressing persistent water quality problems impacting a number of customers of Housatonic Water Works, a privately owned water company. 
 
The Oct. 17 meeting is the first of several public conversations the Selectboard will hold to discuss and narrow down these options.
 
The Selectboard has also instructed Town Manager Mark Pruhenski to arrange for an independent appraisal of Housatonic Water Works, and that process will soon be under way.

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A Thousand Flock to Designer Showcase Fundraiser at Cassilis Farm

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — More than a thousand visitors toured the decked-out halls of Cassilis Farm last month in support of the affordable housing development.

Construct Inc. held its first Designer Showcase exhibition in the Gilded Age estate throughout June, showcasing over a dozen creatives' work through temporary room transformations themed to "Nature in the Berkshires."  The event supported the nonprofit's effort to convert the property into 11 affordable housing units.

"Part of our real interest in doing this is it really gives folks a chance to have a different picture of what affordable housing can be," Construct's Executive Director Jane Ralph said.

"The stereotypes we all have in our minds are not what it ever really is and this is clearly something very different so it's a great opportunity to restore a house that means so much to so many in this community, and many of those folks have come, for another purpose that's really somewhat in line with some of the things it's been used for in the past."

"It can be done, and done well," Project Manager Nichole Dupont commented.  She was repeatedly told that this was the highlight of the Berkshire summer and said that involved so many people from so many different sectors.

"The designers were exceptional to work with. They fully embraced the theme "Nature in the Berkshires" and brought their creative vision and so much hard work to the showhouse. As the rooms began to take shape in early April, I was floored by the detail, research, and vendor engagement that each brought to the table. The same can be said for the landscape artists and the local artists who displayed their work in the gallery space," she reported.  

"Everyone's feedback throughout the process was invaluable, and they shared resources and elbow grease to put it together beautifully."

More than 100 volunteers helped the showcase come to fruition, and "the whole while, through the cold weather, the seemingly endless pivots, they never lost sight of what the showhouse was about and that Cassilis Farm would eventually be home to Berkshire workers and families."

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