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Dave Watkins

Greenfield Conservation Commission Votes to Send Wetlands Concerns to ZBA Before Quarry Permits Advance

GREENFIELD — May 12, 2026 — Greenfield Conservation Commission votes to flag wetlands concerns to the Zoning Board of Appeals before any action on three Butternut Street quarry permits. The commission voted 4-0 Tuesday to send formal comments to the ZBA regarding special permit applications tied to the pending sale of

Greenfield Human Rights Commission adopts bimonthly schedule through December 2026

Greenfield Human Rights Commission goes bimonthly, skipping July and September through year-end.

Greenfield Ways and Means Scrutinizes Fire, Police, and DPW FY27 Budgets

Greenfield's Ways and Means Committee reviewed proposed FY27 budgets for public safety and the Department of Public Works at a May 11 meeting that ran more than four hours with no formal votes taken.

Deerfield Town Meeting Defeats Senior Center and EMS Override Ballot Questions

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Deerfield's Annual Town Meeting defeated two Proposition 2½ override questions and a Specialized Energy Code adoption in a chaotic six-hour session May 11. Town Moderator Dan Graves presided over a 607-voter meeting that included multiple recounts, a botched paper-ballot attempt, and

Whately Select Board Backs Cheaper Energy Opt-In for Aggregation Program

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Whately Select Board unanimously backed an energy aggregation change and fielded a major school building grant update at its May 11 meeting. The board voted 3-0 to support the Energy Committee's plan to substitute the aggregation program's lowest-tier optional product

Whately Center School Committee Plans Festival Outreach to Boost RFI Response

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Whately Center School Committee maps outreach strategy as RFI draws three early inquiries. The committee, which is seeking to identify potential partners for the reuse of the Center School building, spent its May 11 meeting coordinating a table at the upcoming town spring festival and planning

Whately Housing Committee Launches Engineering Study of Long-Idle State Road Property

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Whately Housing Committee advances engineering study of long-dormant 268 State Road parcel. Chris Chamberlain, principal civil engineer at Berkshire Design Group in Northampton, outlined a phased assessment plan at the May 11 committee meeting that includes wetlands delineation by Ward Smith of Wendell Wetlands Service

Whately Finance Committee Backs $7.5 Million FY 2027 Budget, Up 7.44 Percent

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Whately Finance Committee recommends $7.5 million FY 2027 operating budget, a 7.44 percent increase over the current year. The committee voted unanimously Monday to forward the budget to town meeting, after two late-arriving costs — $56,759 in tuition and transportation for a student

Shutesbury Planning Board Reviews New Clean Energy Permitting Law Ahead of October Deadline

SHUTESBURY — May 11, 2026 — Shutesbury Planning Board warns of gaps in new state clean energy permitting law ahead of October 1 local deadline. The board spent most of its May 11 meeting reviewing the 2024 Clean Energy Law and its implementing regulations, which require municipalities to consolidate permitting for smaller

Whately ZBA Orders Site Visit, Expert Review of Bay State Blasting ANFO Silo Plan

WHATELY — May 7, 2026 — Whately's Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public hearing on Bay State Blasting's bid to store ANFO emulsion in a new above-ground silo at 71 Chestnut Plain Road, setting a site visit for May 16 and a next hearing date of

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