Brief thoughts on some of the events making news around Franklin County and the North Quabbin area:
When Greenfield Savings Bank completed the renovations of its branch in Shelburne Falls, there were more than a few eyebrows raised and some not-to-subtle comments made. That included the observation that the building looked more like a fast-food restaurant than a bank. While no one was complaining about the craftsmanship, the focus was on the new look that didn’t fit with the rest of the buildings up and down Bridge Street. Bank officials could have simply tuned out the talk. Instead, under bank President John Howland, who took over in March 2015, the building is going to get a $250,000 face-lift so it will blend in with the architectural feel of downtown.
“As I looked around, I saw that this building would look great in some places — but not here,” Howland said. While we can appreciate the desire to stand out, in a downtown, it also pays to do something that is keeping with the character of the neighborhood.
As the three member towns of South County Emergency Medical Services wrangle over a permanent location for their ambulances, it’s good to see that those differences aren’t getting in the way of supplying their EMTs with what they need, like a replacement for a 15-year-old ambulance. The Deerfield Selectboard, as the service’s fiscal agent, approved the purchase of a new ambulance, based on the recommendation of the EMS Board of Oversight. It’s an investment in the service and its importance to Deerfield, Whately and Sunderland.
Greenfield officials are smart to try to get ahead of the permit parking situation before the reopening of the courthouse. While a lottery will make access to limited parking more equitable, we suspect there are still going to be folks unhappy over where they may find themselves having to park. Meanwhile, the town is still awaiting word on its efforts to get more state money to build a parking garage near the courthouse, seen as a more permanent solution to downtown parking problems.
It’s good to learn that there is movement in the effort by New England Natural Bakers to build a new plant on the property that once housed Oxford Pickles in South Deerfield. It’s been eight years since the town took ownership of the property and two years since the Greenfield-based company put in an offer for the land. New England Natural Bakers representatives say that they’re wrapping up negotiations. We can’t imagine that the two sides ever expected the talks to take this long, but if it means in the end that the company is able to grow in South Deerfield, it will be worth the wait.