DEERFIELD — With several town projects underway, Klara Ingersoll, Deerfield’s new town planner, is excited to help steer them across the finish line.
“Deerfield is facing a lot of similar changes as other communities in the valley related to focusing on making the town center a place where people come and stay and gather, and supporting the local businesses and economy that makes this town really unique,” Ingersoll said. “I’m interested and excited to learn more about Deerfield, and work with folks here on improving the quality of life.”
Ingersoll settled into her Town Hall office on Aug. 5, taking the place of former Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Alex Galloway, who now works as a land conservation specialist at the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Although Ingersoll has a different title as the town planner, she will continue Galloway’s work of assisting town committees and boards in bringing goals and projects to fruition through community outreach, obtaining grants and other forms of support.
Specifically, Ingersoll, 28, said she will focus on ongoing projects like the repairs along Elm Street and building senior housing at the former St. James Church property.
According to Ingersoll, she cannot turn these plans into realities alone, and she appreciates that aspect of the job.
“Working on a solution together and trying to answer the question of ‘What can be done?’ to me has been inspiring,” Ingersoll said. “I hope people will come into the office and share their ideas. … I really want to be someone that people feel like they can reach out to.”
Although she studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she switched gears and earned her master’s degree in regional planning at the university. There, she “developed a foundation in land use and transportation, economic development and community planning.”
Despite being different fields, Ingersoll said journalism and regional planning share a few similarities.
“Having a local government where there is an open exchange, and having open town meetings where people can come and sit on committees and be directly involved in shaping what is happening in the town and how the local government is functioning, is very hand in hand with more transparency and more accountability, and more grassroots democracy,” Ingersoll said. “That’s another thing that I’m excited to be a part of.”
While earning her master’s degree, Ingersoll conducted a transportation planning study with the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) that focused on equity, community engagement and accessibility. The study also captured “the need for that improved transportation infrastructure across the board in rural communities, especially in the Pioneer Valley.” A downtown revitalization project, meanwhile, taught her “the importance of a strong, well-connected downtown,” and how businesses, historic landmarks and “community character” can serve as strong assets in a town’s economy.
“I have a real interest in cultural landscapes, and the stories that ground places and community identity,” Ingersoll said. “That draws me to Deerfield.”
Ingersoll, who lives in Turners Falls, said the agricultural landscape, history and ongoing projects in Deerfield also compelled her to apply for the job as town planner.
“I have a deep appreciation for western Mass., and for the Pioneer Valley and Franklin County,” Ingersoll said. “I’ve already learned so much since I started, and I’m looking forward to learning from more people who have a lot more experience … working in Deerfield and Franklin County, and have a lot of respect for that work. I’m very honored to be a part of it.”
