WILLIAMSBURG — It was a big day in Williamsburg Saturday as hundreds of people attended the annual town wide picnic and special Revelation Day demonstrations that turned the center of Williamsburg into a live mock-up of what the future could hold for the town.
“This is the first time the town has done something like this and it is a great turn-out!” said Gerald Mann, Williamsburg resident and member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. “It gets people out; they have all of the cool information and all kinds of things to see, and the food is really good!”
People of all ages showed up for the big event enjoying hot dogs, hamburgers and dozens of potluck dishes as they listen to live music, mingled with their neighbors, re-kindled old friendships and sparked new ones.
Held on the lawn of the former Helen E. James School on Main Street, those in attendance also had the opportunity to visit information booths on the Mill River Greenway project and a proposed Public Safety Complex.
The Police and Fire Departments had maps and potential designs for the safety complex, an idea that has been discussed in town for the last several years due to the deteriorating conditions and inadequate space of the current police and fire stations.
“We have had a lot of people come by, and so far, everybody understands the need and thinks that we have to do something,” Williamsburg Fire Chief Jason Connell said. “What that will actually end up being is yet to be determined.”
Connell said that he feels it is important to get as much information out as possible before the Special Town meeting in October, when the town will vote on funding for the design stage of the process.
He also said that it was important to involve other groups and organizations in the planning process.
“We are working along with the Greenway Committee and others to make sure that everyone ends up happy with the design,” he said.
The James School is being considered as a possible site for the new public safety complex, or for a potential town commons.
For the event, the town had removed a section of hedgerow that had surrounded the school grounds, providing a better view of the area.
The Mill River Greenway Committee had its own information table at the event.
The greenway is a planned bicycle and pedestrian path that will connect Williamsburg and Haydenville Centers with the Mass Central Rail Trail.
It will run up South Main Street to the Haydenville Library, then run along the river side of Route 9 for two miles within the public right-of-way to James School.
The committee had a mock-up of a small portion of the greenway in front of the school and held a celebratory “mock-opening” for the project complete with a ribbon cutting performed by Landscape Architect and retired UMass professor of Landscape Architecture Nick Dines.
About 100 people then joined in a lighthearted old style promenade along several yards of the future greenway. Children rode tricycles, some adults carried parasols and others wore top hats and other festive garments.
“Up until now this project has been so abstract, we felt it would help the community to visualize what the greenway will look and feel like,” Greenway Committee chair person Gaby Immerman said
Immerman noted that Smith College had donated the costumes worn by participants and that Wanczyk Gardens in Hadley loaned the committee 50 plants for the greenway mock up and a that of a small tea garden between the Grange and Old Town Hall, which would create more seating in the town center and provide a front entrance to Angel Park.
“I don’t know how they pulled this all together, there are some many different pieces.” Jennfier Black a teacher and resident of Williamsburg. “And the turn out! I look around and it is not just one or two segments of the community, everybody is here.”
State Rep. Stephen Kulik said he enjoyed his time the event and also said he appreciated seeing people come together to enjoy and support their community.
“Unfortunately, many communities have gotten so divided these days,” Kulik said. “This event shows that we all want what is best for the town, and we can come together to make good things happen.”
Dillon Sussman, a senior planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Committee, said that the PVPC partnered with the town to organize some of the day’s events.
Sussman said that the project was funded by a grant from Healthy Hampshire, part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion Municipal Wellness and Leadership Initiative.
“The idea was to reveal the possibilities of the future of Williamsburg,” Sussman said. “To get people engage and give them the opportunity to have a well rounded conversation their town.”
The day also included an open house of Commons Coworking in the James school building, booths for the Friends of the Library, Senior Center, Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, Williamsburg Schools, and a variety of crafts and cultural exhibits. The Williamsburg Historical Society was open to the public and a barbeque dinner was held at the Grange.