Highlights: Town Administrator Michael Canales, working with the Select Board and Finance Committee, has delivered an overall spending plan that should yield a 1.7 percent property tax increase for single-family
STOCKBRIDGE â Itâs clear sailing on Stockbridge Bowl â for now.
But, if the Eurasian milfoil weeds that bedeviled the state-owned, town-maintained âGreat Pondâ in most previous summers (excluding last year) return, the game plan to attack any infestation remains murky.
A weed-harvesting plan for limited portions of the lake this summer is âalmost finalized,â Town Administrator Michael Canales told the Select Board recently. The details await approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection. And any work by the town harvesters would depend on the extent of renewed weed infestation in a potential state-permitted 10-acre section.
Responding to an Eagle query, Stockbridge Bowl Association President Richard Seltzer said the town has announced plans to seek permits from MassWildlifeâs Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program for harvesting weeds around the full perimeter of the lake. The associationâs board expects a repo
STOCKBRIDGE â A lively campaign season ahead of next monthâs annual town election includes a two-way contest for a Select Board seat, pitting incumbent Ernest âChuckâ Cardillo against former board member Donald Chabon, who was chairman for two years.
Town Moderator Gary Johnston, a 43-year incumbent, is challenged by Jamie Minacci. Four candidates are vying for two five-year Planning Board posts.
During the recent Democratic Town Committee caucus, candidates seeking endorsement of the party aired their views.
Only committee members can offer endorsements of Democratic or unenrolled candidates at a secret ballot, which was held April 15, with 16 members voting.
At the caucus on the previous day, Cardillo said the current board âworks very well together; if we donât agree on something, we discuss it. We put our points across, vote on it and move on to the next topic.â
STOCKBRIDGE â An agreement between the town and the Stockbridge Bowl Association has ended the 13-month legal standoff over a proposal to rid the lake of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil weeds.
The town has paid the association $18,500 to compensate for recent legal expenses incurred in the dispute, which the group plans to use for long-needed upgrades and repairs to the town beach â a magnet for residents, especially younger families.
Women kayak on the Stockbridge Bowl over areas with thick Eurasian watermilfoil. Although last summerâs infestation was not nearly as bad as in recent years, the invasive weed is expected to make a comeback in the next year or two.