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Mount Greylock Making Lighting Improvements on Campus

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The new field and track is not the only upgrade to Mount Greylock's outdoor athletic facilities this fall.
 
In addition to the new multisport grass field ringed by an eight-lane running track, the school is slated next month to have the lights at its current varsity soccer/lacrosse field retrofitted with new LED fixtures.
 
Interim Superintendent Joseph Bergeron said Thursday that the new lights will be mounted on the existing poles around John T. Allen Field.
 
Bergeron said the replacement project will be funded, "through a National Grid program where 50 percent of the cost is a grant and 50 percent comes over years through on-bill rebates/payments related to the cost savings associated versus the old bulbs."
 
After a payback period of about six years, the district will reap the full financial benefit of lower energy purchases associated with the LED bulbs, he said.
 
"The LEDs will save energy and provide more focused and better light with less light pollution," Bergeron said.
 
As for the new field, installers were on-site on Wednesday testing the output to make sure the fixtures are positioned properly to provide full coverage of the field.
 
The track is fully installed and ready to host meets this spring.
 
The sod on the infield is laid — and the unseasonably mild October weather can only help the grass take root. Several school personnel have said that they hope the field might be ready to host at least two lacrosse games — one boys and one girls — in the late spring of 2025.
 
Otherwise, the projected start date for the field is September 2025, in time for the next soccer season.

Tags: MGRS,   playing fields,   

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Williamstown CPA Requests Come in Well Above Available Funds

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Community Preservation Committee faces nearly $300,000 in funding requests for fiscal year 2026.
 
Problem is, the town only anticipates having about $200,000 worth of funds available.
 
Seven non-profits have submitted eight applications totaling $293,797 for FY26. A spreadsheet detailing both FY26 revenue and known expenses already earmarked from Community Preservation Act revenues shows the town will have $202,535 in "unrestricted balance available" for the year that begins on July 1.
 
Ultimately, the annual town meeting in May will decide whether to allocate any of that $202,535.
 
Starting on Wednesday, the CPC will begin hearing from applicants to begin a process by which the committee drafts warrant articles recommending the May meeting approve any of the funding requests.
 
Part of that process will include how to address the $91,262 gap between funds available and funds requested. In the past, the committee has worked with applicants to either scale back or delay requests to another year. Ultimately, it will be the panel's job to send the meeting articles that reflect the fiscal reality.
 
The individual requests range from a high of $100,000 from the trustees of the town's Affordable Housing Trust to a low of $8,000 from the Williamstown Historical Museum.
 
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