The new year will likely bring new business to Bernardston, with more solar farms seeking town approval, a new retail store in development and an expansion planned for Heirloom Collective, the marijuana grower on Route 10.
Bernardston was in the news a lot in the latter half of 2018 because of a solar farm planned for a field in the center of town on the west side of Route 5. There is not yet an expected date for construction, because technically, the project is still under review by the town, but the solar company is accommodating the concerns of neighbors, town planners and the Grover family, who owns the land, said Town Coordinator Lou Bordeaux.
Two other solar projects are now on the horizon, Bordeaux said. One is planned to be on the Greenfield town line, on the west side of Route 5. It would be mostly in Greenfield, with some spillover into Bernardston, Bordeaux said. The project will be discussed by the Conservation Commission in January.
The other would be built on a capped landfill in Bernardston, Bordeaux said. The town has gotten a grant for the project and has commissioned an engineering study. The project will also be reviewed by the Planning Board.
Expansion at the Heirloom Collective could bring 20 to 40 new jobs to Bernardston, Bordeaux said. The company is already growing for the medical marijuana market, and in meetings with the Selectboard has mentioned tentative plans for expanding into recreational.
“It’s a job creation project, which I think a lot of people lose sight of,” Bordeaux said.
No plans for construction have been mentioned.
Bernardston recently made Northfield EMS its primary ambulance provider. The arrangement is informal now, but Bordeaux said he expects it to be solidified, in a few steps, over the coming months. The arrangement could, in a few years, lead to a regional ambulance service, similar to what the South County towns have, Bordeaux said.
He added that Fire Chief Pete Shedd, who coordinates Bernardston’s ambulance service, has been satisfied with Northfield’s call responses so far.
While town officials pursue quality of life improvements for residents, the Pioneer Valley Regional School District is weighing school closures, and Pearl Rhodes Elementary School is one of its options.
“The big elephant is going to be the school,” said Municipal Assistant Michelle Giarusso. She also chairs the HEART Committee (Honest Education and Retainaing Trust), which serves as an inter-town advisory board for the Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee.
If the school district is going to close Pearl Rhodes, a decision will have to be made by the end of January. The building’s lease requires a certain amount of advance notice be given to the town for budgeting purposes.
There are less controversial changes expected as well.
Simon Keats Road bridge, which is now down to one lane, could be repaired this year, Giarusso said. State funding is available, but is also limited and usually competitive, she said.
A regional fire service with Greenfield may also be coming, Giarusso said, although the two towns have only recently begun talks. “There’s still a lot of things to consider,” Giarusso said.
And a broadband internet system will “hopefully” be in place by the end of 2019, Giarusso said. Through a state program, the town already has high-speed internet in the library, Town Hall and at Pearl Rhodes. But for residents, the best option is still DSL, which is relatively slow by today’s standards.
The revitalization of the former Mount Hermon campus may be the most noticeable change this year for many in Northfield, but the presence of a new town administrator will likely make a difference to those in Town Hall.
Andrea Llamas will start as town administrator in January. She was chosen by the Selectboard after a search process of about three months conducted by a private company.
Llamas has worked for the last 11 years as Buckland’s town administrator, and in Conway and then Ashfield before that.
“My hope is that I’ll be (in Northfield) for another decade,” Llamas said. She sees the town administrator’s role to be assisting the heads of the town’s departments in meeting their own goals, and to bring her own expertise as a resource for them.
Outside of Town Hall, the biggest change will be from the campus. Thomas Aquinas College is opening this fall with a freshman class of 30 to 40 students, and a sophomore class of about the same size comprising students brought in from the school’s California campus, said the school’s Director of College Relations Anne Forsyth.
Before then, the school will also host summer programs for high school students, Forsyth said.
“We’re looking forward to being part of the community,” Forsyth said.
Over the next 10 years, the school plans to grow to a total enrollment of about 400, she said.
The campus is also occupied by the Moody Center, which held a launch event this fall. In publicity materials, the Moody Center has alluded to tentative plans for development. Town Administrator Bernie Kubiak said that because of his own interim status, the town has held off on having conversations with the Moody Center about development.
“(The development of the campus) is a prospect of bringing lots of people into town,” Kubiak said. “It’ll offer some opportunities. It’ll also offer some challenges.”
In other news, the town will continue to pursue a single public safety building for its emergency service departments. Construction will not happen this year, Kubiak said; but the town has a site for the building, and next has to bring on a project manager.
“It takes a while to build a public building in Massachusetts even under optimum circumstances,” Kubiak said. “It’ll be a while before people see a shovel in the ground.”
Maintenance and repairs to town infrastructure and government are expected this year, and the uncertain future of Warwick Community School will factor into at least some of it, said Town Coordinator David Young.
Payments on recent renovations to Warwick Community School will be paid off in the 2021 fiscal year, Young said. The town is also weighing costs that could come sooner if the Pioneer Valley Regional School District closes Warwick’s school.
Warwick’s Finance Committee now has no members, leaving planning decisions to the Selectboard and town coordinator, Young said. Former Selectwoman Dawn Magi has been assisting with what would normally be Finance Committee work. Young said that the town is eager to fill those position.
The establishment of a Highway Commission will be proposed at Town Meeting this spring, Young said. The commission would oversee the Highway Department and set its priorities.
Salt use on roads in the winter is still being evaluated financially and for its effectiveness on the different kind of roads in town.
The wireless broadband internet service is two years into a rebuild. Completing it this year will be a priority for the town, Young said.