Okay, six o'clock, call the meeting to order.

Pursuant to mass general law 7C38 2F 20F after notifying the general public body, any person make a video audio recording of the help set of meeting of the public body and maybe transmit the meeting through any media.

The beginning of meeting the chair inform other enemies of any sort of report.

Meeting to be reported by the town of their merrington, CTSV and birth birth and any members of the public wish we would speak at the meeting must receive permission of the chair listing the data items of those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting.

Not all items listed today, in fact, we discussed another item that's not listed, maybe brought up to discuss it to the extent permitted by a law.

No,

nothing thank you.

Nothing.

I just have one thing.

I started last meeting.

Um we were talking about freedom of information request.

And at the beginning of the meeting, um just to understand what staff is going through and want maybe a financial request later uh during budget time.

There are right now 16 open FOIs.

So that's 16 distinct ones happening to be from the last time.

And I'll go through some of them.

One is about uh Anners Police Department cameras, Brookside Road Ridge, South County Connector, All Star Salvage.

There's at least three about all star salvage, West Sheffield Road Project, license plate meters, uh all-star salvage, another one, uh police department salaries for the past 10 years, police reports, redactions, um,

and

what shop here rolls parcels.

All perfectly fine, all perfectly legal, but

is

taking up a lot of staff time, and some people don't understand uh how much time these can take up between town manager, town clerk, and other staff members.

So I thought every meeting we would just really just go through go through those quickly so everyone would get a handle on what some of the time is being used for.

Town managers report.

Thank you.

Um town managers report for August 24, 2026.

On Thursday, August 20th, a portion of the former Cook's Garage building collapsed, raising concerns about the stability of the remaining structure and the potential for additional debris entering the Housatonic River.

I do want to sincerely thank town staff who responded immediately along with DEP.

In addition to the site visit, police and fire conducted an exterior safety assessment and a follow-up drone inspection to evaluate conditions without placing personnel at unnecessary risk.

I am meeting with staff this week to review the findings, determine the appropriate path forward for securing or addressing the remaining structure and coordinate any necessary environmental and regulatory requirements.

As part of that discussion, we will also be identifying anticipated costs, applicable procurement requirements, potential funding sources, and any authorization that may be needed before the town proceeds with additional work.

And I will keep you all posted as stats are determined.

Um Thursday, August 20th, busy day.

Um Depart the Department of Public Works successfully completed the planned stabilization work on East Sheffield Road.

Although the town had advertised that the road could be remain closed until 3 p.m.

DPW team was able to complete the work within a single day and reopen the road ahead of schedule, minimizing the disruption to residents and motorists.

I do want to thank DPW staff for the planning coordination and park work in getting this important work accomplished safely and efficiently, and importantly, getting the road back open to the community sooner than anticipated.

As we approach the end of the uh summer season, lifeguard coverage at Lake Mansfield will be limited as many of Berkshire South's uh seasonal lifeguards return to school.

The town has been working closely with Berkshire South to communicate available coverage and ensure residents and visitors know when lifeguards will be on duty.

Lake Mansfield Beach remains open, but on days when a lifeguard is not present.

Swimming is at the individual's own risk, and visitors are encouraged to use appropriate caution and closely supervised children.

I appreciate First South and our town staff for according continuing to coordinate coverage throughout the remainder of the season.

And I especially appreciate the community's understanding as we navigate the realities of late summer seasonal staff.

On Saturday, August 22nd, the town was proud to join the De Boys Freedom Center and members of the community and state for unveiling of a permanent interactive storytelling kiosk, honoring the extraordinary life and legacy of Elizabeth Freeman.

The kiosk now stands in front of Town Hall on the historic site of the courthouse where Freeman successfully pursued her freedom in 1781 and helped advance the principle that slavery was incompatible with the Massachusetts Constitution.

The event was an important opportunity to honor Freeman's courage while creating a lasting and accessible way for residents and visitors to engage with their story and its significance to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and the nation.

The unveiling also marked the town's recognition of August 22nd as Elizabeth Freeman Day, ensuring that her remarkable legacy continues to be remembered, shared, celebrated in the community where she helped make this free.

Today I am pleased to welcome James Nassey as Great Barrington's new health agent.

James officially rejoined the town team today and would work closely with the board of health, town departments, residents, businesses, and supporting important public health services in our community.

Our community relies on.

Please join me in welcoming James back to Bray Barrington.

And we are excited to have him here on our team.

We do look forward to the experience, collaboration, commitment of public service he brings to the role.

Today, town staff participated in a two-hour procurement training led by Patricia Burke and Renee O'Rourke of the Commonwealth Operational Services Division or OSD, focused on making better use of statewide contracts in the Combise purchasing system.

The hands-on session wash staff through.

They actually were here.

They came from the side that come here.

So a three hour trip just to come here and sit with 20 of your staff members.

Locating statewide and trade person contracts, searching for vendors and items, verifying that vendors are properly awarded under the state contract and placing orders through the SIST.

The training is part of our continued effort to strengthen the town for care and practices by giving staff practical tools and a clearer understanding of the resources available to municipalities through OSD and Combise.