Sept. 7: Chicken barbecue
WHATELY — The chicken barbecue will return for its 31st year on Labor Day, Sept. 7.
From noon to 1:30 p.m., residents can stop by the Whately Congregational Church, 177 Chestnut Plain Road, and pick up a meal with chicken, fresh corn and a baked potato from local fields, a roll and a homemade brownie.
The takeout meals are available by reservation only before Aug. 29. Adults pay $20 and tickets for children cost $10, cash or check only. To reserve a meal, call 413-665-2653.
Whately ZBA selects peer reviewer for Baystate Blasting Inc. special permit
WHATELY — Zoning Board of Appeals members settled on Berkshire Design Group to peer review Baystate Blasting Inc.’s proposal to install a new silo at the Whately site that would be used to store explosive materials.
According to land use consultant Robert Levesque, the proposed new silo to store the explosives would be 9.5 feet wide and 18 feet tall. He described the silo and surrounding “containment tub” as a “multi-layered containment system” designed to prevent any leaks.
Currently, nine separate containers store the explosives at 71 Chestnut Plain Road, and “reallocating” the materials to one silo would benefit the site’s operations, Levesque said during the May 7 public hearing for an amendment to Baystate Blasting Inc.’s special permit that would allow for the construction of the new silo.
ZBA Chair Debra Carney told her fellow ZBA members at the Aug. 6 meeting that she hopes the peer reviewers will look at information provided by Baystate Blasting Inc., along with the Board of Health and Water Commission members, regarding the application and address concerns that arose from the May public hearing.
“Are any possible safety gains from storing ANFO (ammonium nitrate fuel oil) emulsion diminished or eliminated by the fact that the proposed storage tank holds more than 60,000 gallons, has no provision for protection from a lightning strike, is not monitored 24/7 in the event of a leak or other breach, is not contained in a building and/or in a containment tank that could accommodate a complete leak of all material in a heavy rainstorm, which could possibly cause the material in the containment tank to overflow into the groundwater?” Carney stated as the question she hopes Berkshire Design Group will be able to answer for the board by the end of September.
Next hearing on proposed Dollar General set for Sept. 3
SUNDERLAND — The Zoning Board of Appeals’ discussion on the proposal for a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General at the corner of Route 116 and Clark Mountain Road will continue on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sunderland Town Offices.
While the continuance was originally scheduled for Aug. 3, the applicant requested the ZBA reschedule the hearing to a later date.
New ballot box installed at Whately Town Hall
WHATELY — Residents now have a new spot to drop off their ballots for the upcoming elections.
According to Town Clerk Amy Lavallee, Eric Elliott and Garrett Barry of the Highway Department installed a new ballot box outside Town Hall, 194 Chestnut Plain Road, that will be checked every morning of the week. Another dropbox is available at the Town Offices, 4 Sandy Lane.
Deerfield resident named to Dickinson College dean’s list
CARLISLE, Pa. — Ella Iona Macphie Hynds, a Deerfield Academy alumna from Deerfield, earned a spot on the dean’s list for the spring semester at Dickinson College.
Hynds, the daughter of Peter and Catriona Hynds of Deerfield, is a rising senior majoring in Spanish and Portuguese studies, and biochemistry and molecular biology. To earn a place on the dean’s list, students must have a grade point average of 3.7 or higher.