West Stockbridge Select Board Authorizes Special Town Meeting, Hears Housing and Broadband Update

WEST STOCKBRIDGE — June 5, 2023 — West Stockbridge Select Board hears State Rep. Pignatelli on housing, broadband, and rural funding equity. Chair Andrew Krouss presided over the June 5 meeting, where the board approved a one-day beer and wine license for Turnpark's annual Hoopin' Heart arts festival, authorized a joint National Grid and Verizon pole installation on Austin Road, and voted to hold a special town meeting on June 26 if needed to address unresolved financial matters. State Representative "Smitty" Pignatelli told the board that Chapter 90 road funding for West Stockbridge holds at approximately $150,000 annually and urged the town to develop a local housing plan before pursuing state dollars: "Don't wait for the state to tell you what to do." Pignatelli cited Governor Healey's new standalone Secretary of Housing and the appointment of rural director Ann Gobi as signs the administration is beginning to focus on small-town needs, while a resident raised persistent complaints about incomplete broadband coverage — an issue a representative from MBI is expected to address at the board's June 20 meeting.