Brief thoughts on some of the events making news from around Franklin County and the North Quabbin area:
Another warning flare has been sent up regarding the cost of public education, this time by the towns in the Pioneer Valley Regional School District. A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday at the Bernardston Senior Center for town and school officials from Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield and Warwick to discuss ways to control district spending and rising costs. The district’s finances, including deficit spending, is becoming a concern for the towns.
“We’ve got to try to map out a process to get the costs under control,” Bernardston Selectman Stanley Garland said. “We know we cannot continue the way we’re going now. We have to make changes.” This meeting will undoubtedly be the first of many on the subject and we suggest that residents of the town attend as many of these as they can to stay informed about the direction the discussion takes and whatever potential solutions arise.
The recent closing of the Burger King restaurant in Greenfield sparked discussion on a number of social media sites about the kind of restaurant that people would like to see as a replacement. Most can probably be filed under “wishful thinking,” not necessarily for Greenfield but for that specific piece of property. The property owner is a limited liability company now based in Florida and it will be interesting to see whether the LLC will try to keep the place as a Burger King or attempt to go in another direction.
A new year and a new home: let’s hope that is a better combination for World Eye Bookshop. A Main Street fixture in Greenfield is moving just a couple of storefronts away from its existing home to a cozier spot, one that houses the Magical Child toy store. Since the two businesses are owned by the same individual, it does provide for some savings on rent. Meanwhile, another storefront opens up and it will be interesting to see who moves in to World Eye’s former location.
We, too, don’t think it’s a bad thing for Deerfield to get an independent review of the proposed medical marijuana dispensary proposed for land on Greenfield Road. The proposal has to get a Planning Board vote to change the zoning from residential to commercial that would then allow New England Patient Network to move forward with building on a house lot across from Yankee Candle Co.’s store. Making sure that everything, including security, is done just right will help avoid hassles down the road. As Planning Board Chairman John Waite said, “It’s the first medical marijuana facility in Deerfield. We have the time, we might as well use it.”
Now that the combined emergency dispatch proposal between Athol and Gardner will have an airing before residents at an Athol special town meeting, it will be another indicator to see how the plan is received. A petition drive by an individual who didn’t like how the issue was handled by Athol’s town government succeeded in getting more than the necessary signatures to place it on the meeting agenda. We would think those residents, and others who aren’t happy with the plan, will show up at the meeting, scheduled for Jan. 27. It should make for a lively debate. Stay tuned.