Fohlin says Photech demolition may start in 3-4 weeks

Here are highlights of Town Manager Peter Fohlin's 90-minute talk on Wednesday April 13 to the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast meeting. Understand the standard-of-proof on this report is not journalistic -- details may need to be checked or fleshed out. Perhaps the principals mentioned can post. -- bill densmore

Topics covered:

POLICE GIVEBACK ON HEALTH COVERAGE
PHOTECH DEMOLITION IN A MONTH
TACONIC LUMBER SALE TO RK MILES -- 50 JOBS
WILLIAMS INTEREST IN TOWN GARAGE SITE
ON-STREET PARKING FOR WATER STREET?
COULD TOWN ENCOURAGE WIRELESS 'HOT ZONE'?
A CELL TOWER AT MOUNT GREYLOCK RHS?
RELOCATE FIRE STATION?

Now the details . . .

POLICE GIVEBACK ON HEALTH COVERAGE

The town's police union has agreeed to increase to 25% from 10% the share its members pay for their health-maintenance-organization coverage. Fohlin hopes this will be a model for negotiations with the teachers union at Williamstown Elementary School and at public-works department.  UPDATING: Chris Marcisz's story in Thurday's Berkshire Eagle has more detail on this story.

PHOTECH DEMOLITION IN A MONTH

Calling it "perhaps the biggest blight on the town," Fohlin said he had just heard from the Boston Federal EPA office that "in 3-to-4 weeks they will be out here with a crew and will begin to organize the demolition of the site." The Environmental Protection Agency is involved because PhoTech is a "superfund" toxic cleanup site and the demolition will be largely with federal money. Fohlin said he's been working "quietly but relentlessly" with the help of town resident Jennifer Trainer Thompson to get the demolition started. He thinks the building will be gone by the end of the summer, making way for "light convenience, retail and recreational" use of the site alongside the Hoosic River.

TACONIC LUMBER SALE -- 50 JOBS

Meanwhile, the R.K. Miles lumber company of Manchester, Vt., is buying Taconic Lumber Co., and will move it to the site of the shuttered Berkshire Ivy Guild greenhouses on U.S. Route 7 (Simonds Road) heading toward Vermont, creating some 50 new jobs, Fohlin said. This will also open up property on the otherside of the river near the PhoTech mill. Of Miles, Fohlin said: "They are a socially responsible, creative, vital organization."

WILLIAMS INTEREST IN TOWN GARAGE SITE

Williams College "expressed some recent interest" in the former municipal-equipment garage site at 59 Water Street and "something may come of that." The town got about six expressions of interest in the site after the garage was razed, with the most extensive coming from local developer Charles Fox.  "He had a terrific visionary plan for the property," Fohlin said. "I give Charlie credit for putting in the energy and the money to develop that plan . . . I have become a big fan of Charlie Fox over the years . . . [although] he doesn't come without some challenges." Fohlin said the problem was that the commercial-retail-residential building Fox envisioned was on too grand a scheme to win financing. The town may have better luck marketing the town garage parcel if it waits until after the 90-unit Cable Mills project of Keen Development, down Water Street is completed in a couple of years . . . Fohlin said the town will probably seek a state PWED grant for study and planning the future of the town garage site.

ON-STREET PARKING FOR WATER STREET?

Fohlin said he, Public Works Supt. Tim Kaiser and Inspectional Services chief Mike Card have hatched an idea for widening Water Street on the west side in order to have sidewalks on both sides, streetlights and on-street parking. The aim is to make the street work better for retail development. Holding up a formal presentation of the plan is a deadline with the state over whether the right-of-way should belong to the town or the state, Fohlin said.

COULD TOWN ENCOURAGE WIRELESS 'HOT ZONE'?

An $85,000 grant obtained by the town's former police chief enabled equipping the town's police cruisers with wireless voice/data networks for in-car laptop computers. But a byproduct was the same wireless network is now carrying data/voice traffic among the town's various worksites -- saving $1,000 a month in fixed-line charges that were being paid to the phone company. Fohlin thinks this system may be a model for the creation of a "wireless hot spot" for untethered Internet access in the town core. But he thinks development should be done by a private entrepreneur, rather than by the town, unlike, he said, in the city of Philadelphia, which announced its plans on April 7.

A CELL TOWER AT MOUNT GREYLOCK RHS?

Speaking of telecommunications, Fohlin responded to a question from Mary Lou Galusha about the lack of good cellular phone service on portions of Green River Road. He observed that the Mount Greylock Regional School District "is missing the boat, not having a cell phone tower out there" on the school property. Such a tower might generate $30,000 or more a year for the school in rent charged to the cell carrier and would reduce the so-called "dead zones" along Cold Spring and Green River roads and in South Williamstown.

RELOCATE FIRE STATION? (THIS ITEM UPDATED 08-04-05 with comments from Peter Fohlin)

A few other random thoughts from Fohlin . . . he suggested it might be time for the Williamstown Fire District (an independent political entity) to consider moving the fire station in order to free up its current Water Street location for parking or commercial development. On Aug. 4, 2005, Fohlin commented in an email to GreylockNews.COM that a possibly suitable location for a relocated fire station might be a lot behind the Williamstown Agway on Main Street, be because, Fohlin wrote, of "great sight lines for oncoming traffic, large lot, no need to displace Agway, and school busses are relatively easily relocated from what is now an essentially vacant lot" . . . Commenting on the state income tax as a possible means of funding local government and schools, Fohlin called the tax "regressive" because it is a flat 5 percent. Fohlin says the only funding option (other than changing the state's local aid formulas) is raising property taxes through Proposition 2-1/2 overrides, since, as he put it, "any business that tried to live on a 2.5% increase in revenues over 20 years would go out of business."

Comments

[Anita Barker]

I understand that the Cable Mill will now have 84 apts. (as opposed to the original 90) with a few larger apts. Still 25% affordable, but I don't suppose any of the big apts. will be in the affordable range. Too bad, but we must be grateful to have affordable apts., even though larger apts. for families would be nice.