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Health Inspector Ruth Russell meets with the Williamstown Board of Health on Monday. She started in her post earlier this fall.

Williamstown Board of Health Meets with New Health Inspector

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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Board of Health members Sandra Goodbody and James Parkinson participate in Monday's meeting.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The town's new health inspector hit the ground running this month, reversing a condemnation order on a Simonds Road property after improvements were made to the residence.
 
Ruth Russell, who took over this fall for the retired Jeff Kennedy, held her first meeting with the Board of Health on Monday morning and provided an update on the enforcement order issued by her predecessor on the single-family home on Route 7 near the Vermont state line.
 
Russell said she conducted a reinspection with a representative of the Berkshire Public Health Alliance, which was helping the town cover its inspection needs after Kennedy's retirement.
 
"The inside of the house was in a lot better shape than the photos I'd seen from Jeff's prior inspection," Russell said. "We agreed it was back to a livable condition and reversed the condemnation order.
 
"It looked a lot better."
 
Community Development Director Andrew Groff told the board that the town's agreement with the Public Health Alliance remains in place until June. And the town reached an additional agreement with Great Barrington to have Russell mentored by Rebecca Jurczyk, who, coincidentally, was mentored by Kennedy under a similar intermunicipal agreement when Jurczyk was hired by the South County town.
 
"There are so many different parts of the job: barn inspections, food inspections, housing, wells and Title 5," Groff said. "There are lots of local professionals available to provide resources and mentoring as needed.
 
"Our agreement with Great Barrington runs, I believe, for six months. It allows Rebecca [Jurczyk] to come up at least two times a month, not more than four. And it allows Ruth [Russell] to go down to Great Barrington if, let's say, Rebecca has a housing issue we haven't had for a while."
 
For the benefit of residents looking in on the town's community access television station, Willinet, Russell said she was a 2019 graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in environmental conservation. Prior to her post in Williamstown, she had been working in the hazardous waste field, she said.
 
"I'm excited to be here," Russell said. "I"m learning a lot, and I'm sure I'll be learning a lot for years to come. We're getting there, and it's going great so far."
 
Board of Health Chair Erwin Stuebner said the town was fortunate to be able to fill the position.
 
"Health agents are at a premium in the county and the state," Stuebner said. "We had a search that was not very productive, and, all of a sudden, Ruth came out of nowhere."
 
In other business on Monday, Stuebner provided an update on a dispute between neighbors over noise from roosters that came before the board this summer.
 
He said the complaining neighbor, James Abdou of 392 White Oaks Road, had taken his issue to the commonwealth's Department of Environmental Protection.
 
"We have maintained that our position is this is not a public health situation but a dispute between neighbors," Stuebner said. "We do not believe we should be involved. We did communicate back that if DEP tells us differently, we will honor that and do the best we can."
 
Devan Bartels noted that Abdou has other options for redress at the local level.
 
"We did encourage Mr. Abdou to pursue formal channels for submitting a new bylaw for the code of Williamstown," Bartels said. "Raising awareness, having a citizen's petition, putting something before town meeting for next spring — it's within his purview to do that.
 
"Noise is gaining ground as a significant public health concern. But, as a Board of Health, given the important interests on both sides, we didn't feel it's appropriate for our board to legislate on this. Once there is legislation from the town, we can help enforce it."

Tags: board of health,   health inspector,   

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Guest Column: Full Steam Ahead: Bringing Back the Northern Tier Passenger Railroad

by Thomas HuckansGuest Column

You only need a glance outside to see a problem all too familiar to Berkshire county: closing businesses, a shrinking population, and a stunning lack of regional investment.

But 70 years ago, this wasn't an issue. On the North Adams-Boston passenger rail line before the '60s, Berkshires residents could easily go to Boston and back in a day, and the region benefited from economic influx. But as cars supplanted trains, the Northern Tier was terminated, and now only freight trains regularly use the line.

We now have a wonderful opportunity to bring back passenger rail: Bill S.2054, sponsored by state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester), was passed to study the potential for restoring rail from Boston to North Adams. In the final phase of MassDOT's study, the project is acquiring increased support and momentum. The rail's value cannot be understated: it would serve the Berkshire region, the state, and the environment by reducing traffic congestion, fostering economic growth, and cutting carbon emissions. The best part? All of us can take action to push the project forward.

Importantly, the Northern Tier would combat the inequity in infrastructure investment between eastern and western Massachusetts. For decades, the state has poured money into Boston-area projects. Perhaps the most infamous example is the Big Dig, a car infrastructure investment subject to endless delays, problems, and scandals, sucking up $24.3 billion. Considering the economic stagnation in Western Massachusetts, the disparity couldn't come at a worse time: Berkshire County was the only county in Massachusetts to report an overall population loss in the latest census.

The Northern Tier could rectify that imbalance. During the construction phase alone, 4,000 jobs and $2.3 billion of economic output would be created. After that, the existence of passenger rail would encourage Bostonians to live farther outside the city. Overall, this could lead to a population increase and greater investment in communities nearby stops. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, adding rail travel options could help reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution along Route 2 and the MassPike.

The most viable plan would take under three hours from North Adams to Shelburne Falls, Greenfield, Athol, Gardner, Fitchburg, Porter, and North Station, and would cost just under $1.6 billion.

A common critique of the Northern Tier Rail Restoration is its price tag. However, the project would take advantage of the expansion of federal and state funds, namely through $80 billion the Department of Transportation has to allocate to transportation projects. Moreover, compared to similar rail projects (like the $4 billion planned southern Massachusetts East-West line), the Northern Tier would be remarkably cheap.

One advantage? There's no need to lay new tracks. Aside from certain track upgrades, the major construction for the Northern Tier would be stations and crossings, thus its remarkably short construction phase of two to four years. In comparison, the Hartford line, running from Hartford, Conn., to Springfield spans barely 30 miles, yet cost $750 million.

In contrast, the Northern Tier would stretch over 140 miles for just over double the price.

So what can we do? A key obstacle to the Northern Tier passing through MassDOT is its estimated ridership and projected economic and environmental benefits. All of these metrics are undercounted in the most recent study.

Crucially, many drivers don't use the route that MassDOT assumes in its models as the alternative to the rail line, Route 2. due to its congestion and windy roads. In fact, even as far west as Greenfield, navigation services will recommend drivers take I-90, increasing the vehicle miles traveled and the ensuing carbon footprint.

Seeking to capture the discrepancy, a student-led Northern Tier research team from Williams College has developed and distributed a driving survey, which has already shown more than half of Williams students take the interstate to Boston. Taking the survey is an excellent way to contribute, as all data (which is anonymous) will be sent to MassDOT to factor into their benefit-cost analysis. This link takes you to the 60-second survey.

Another way to help is to spread the word. Talk to local family, friends, and community members, raising awareness of the project's benefits for our region. Attend MassDOT online meetings, and send state legislators and local officials a short letter or email letting them know you support the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Project. If you feel especially motivated, the Williams Northern Tier Research team, in collaboration with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA), would welcome support.

Living far from the powerbrokers in Boston, it's easy to feel powerless to make positive change for our greater community. But with your support, the Northern Tier Rail can become reality, bringing investment back to Berkshire County, making the world greener, and improving the lives of generations of western Massachusetts residents to come.

Thomas Huckans, class of 2026, is a political science and astronomy major at Williams College, originally from Bloomsburg, Pa.

Survey: This survey records driving patterns from Berkshire county to Boston, specifically route and time. It also captures interest in the restoration of the Northern Tier Passenger Rail. Filling out this survey is a massive help for the cause, and all responses are greatly appreciated. Use this link.

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