Whately Subcommittee Sets June Launch for Farm Kitchen Survey, RFI Outreach

WHATELY — April 27, 2026 — Whately's school building reuse subcommittee finalized plans to survey area farmers on commercial kitchen demand and push an RFI to potential building partners. The committee agreed to distribute a Google Forms survey to roughly 40 food-crop farms in the Whately area starting in early June, with members making follow-up phone calls after an initial email, after the Agriculture Commission provided no feedback on the survey in three weeks. A member identified as Caroline agreed to draft a press release using existing RFI language for use in the Greenfield Recorder, the Scoop newsletter — deadline May 13 — and the town's Facebook page, along with a scannable QR code. Building superintendent Garrett confirmed the town's insurance does not cover public events inside the building, limiting any tours for RFI respondents to appointment-only visits. A nonprofit to manage the building remains a possibility but carries a $500 filing fee and will be revisited depending on RFI results. The committee's next meeting is May 12.