WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The board of the town s Affordable Housing Trust on Wednesday decided to move ahead with an emergency mortgage assistance program for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, approved a solution for a problem vexing a different town committee and learned that one of its members will be rotating off after May s town election. The board member in question is Anne O Connor, who made her colleagues on that panel the first to learn that she will not seek another three-year term on the Select Board this spring. O Connor, who occupies the trustee position designated for a member of the Select Board, noted that she brings a particular perspective to her work with the trust and all her town service: that of a resident who is a lifelong renter and who lives in Williamstown housing that was created to be affordable.
GREAT BARRINGTON â A former polluted site that now is home to a 45-unit affordable rental complex is safe for residents, according to environmental engineers who work for the developer and state regulators.
Concerns about the safety of the site reared up again Tuesday, after an email made rounds saying that a new contaminant was ârecently foundâ at the Bridge Street site. The message urged participation in a Tuesday evening Zoom meeting held by the developer of the $17.8 million project, Community Development Corp. of South Berkshire.
The housing will be ready for occupancy this spring.
GREAT BARRINGTON â A project to clean up a toxic eyesore and build 45 units of affordable and low-income housing now has a green light, as well as more grant money.The town Zoning Board of â¦
The Williamstown board of the Affordable Housing Trust on Wednesday talked about how it can reach more potential beneficiaries of its emergency rental assistance program and how it can structure a companion program for homeowners.
To date, the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by the trust and administered by Berkshire Housing Development Corp., has awarded just more than $17,000 in grants since its inception.
The trust recently transferred an additional $30,000 to BHDC to keep the program funded. But the trustees expressed concern that demand for the program, created for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been higher.
Dan Gura asked if the application process could be streamlined to avoid discouraging prospective beneficiaries.
To date, the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by the trust and administered by Berkshire Housing Development Corp., has awarded just more than $17,000 in grants since its inception. There also is one pending $1,500 award waiting for some documentation, said Liz Costley, who serves as the trust s liaison to the Pittsfield non-profit. You can see that s a second-time support for a restaurant worker in town, It may be increased depending on the conversation between the renter and the caseworker at Berkshire Housing. It s a hard time for a restaurant worker. They re trying to get more hours, but it s difficult, as you might imagine.
Four agencies submitted requests by Friday s deadline for grants ranging from $50,000 to $160,000. Together, the aggregate is more than 8 percent over the total funds the committee is expecting to be available for fiscal year 2022. The largest request is from the town s Affordable Housing Trust, which settled on a sum of $160,000 in new Community Preservation Act funding during an open meeting last month. The committee also had an inclination in the fall that the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation would be seeking town funds to support the acquisition of an Agricultural Preservation Restriction at Fairfields Farm; that request came in at $56,000. The Williamstown Historical Museum seeks $50,000 for the restoration, transport and reassembly of an historic barn to the museum s New Ashford Road (Route 7) home. Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity wants $80,000 to support the construction of a second single-family home on a lot at the corner of Cole Avenue an