Williamstown Select Board Approves Permanent Conservation Restriction on Loose Road Farmland

WILLIAMSTOWN -- July 13, 2026, Williamstown Select Board unanimously approved a conservation restriction on a seven-acre Loose Road farmland parcel that has been in continuous agricultural use for more than a century. Dan Williams, director and land protection coordinator at Williamstown Rural Lands, presented the restriction on property owned by Judy and Bruce Grinnell, currently listed for sale, noting that the parcel carries a USDA designation of farmland of statewide importance, abuts the town's Burbank and Mount Williams Reservoir properties, and borders the Mount Greylock Reservation. Agricultural Commission Chair Sarah Garner called it "a very important farm in town because it's one of the few farms that actually has a succession plan." The board also approved a Berkshire Gas telemetering station on Church Street in Location A, continued a larger North Street regulator station decision to July 27 pending consultation with the Clark Art Institute, reappointed Daniel Gura and newly appointed Deborah Chalk to the Affordable Housing Trust, and approved revised legislative language for a library trustee election-cycle change. Town Manager Bob Menicocci reported the fiscal year closed with roughly $45,000 in unspent funds, about four thousandths of a percent of the budget.