Plainfield Select Board member Winton Pitcoff has notified the town that he will be resigning from the board.
Pitcoff has been on the board for three years and said the current demands of work and family have been preventing him from giving his full attention to his duties as a Select Board member.
“I have had to miss a lot of meetings because of my job,” he said.
Pitcoff, 50, is the director of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, which does policy and advocacy work pertaining to food issues in the state.
“We deal with hunger issues, farmland, agriculture, fishing, food access, really every part of the food chain,” he said.
Pitcoff said that he has enjoyed being on the Select Board and is proud of the accomplishments the board has achieved during his tenure.
“I am particularly proud of the job we have done to upgrade the town’s human resource policy and employee job descriptions,” he said.
He said his successor will have to help lead the town with financial budgets that are stretched thin.
As a small rural town with a small tax base, Pitcoff said that the biggest issues facing Plainfield are the constant and growing financial challenges.
“We have to provide all of the services that a big city does and do it on our budget,” he said. “While the school is a huge part of our budget, it is also expensive to do the basic day to day stuff that we are required by the state to do.”
He noted that in order to simply meet state standards relating to the police and fire departments as well as municipal technology, the town is constantly playing catch up.
Pitcoff said that he plans to remain active in town affairs possibly serving on other boards and committees that do not have the same time commitment the Select Board requires.
“He has said the he will remain on the board until the election,” Plainfield Select Board Chair Howard Bronstein said. “Then the newly elected member can begin serving right away.”
Typically held on the first Saturday in May, officials are unsure as to when the town elections will be held this year, due to Plainfield’s recent declaration of a state of emergency to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
WILLIAMSBURG – Taking over a grocery store in the middle of a pandemic could be daunting for many, but Stephen Smith and Sean Mallari, new owners of the Williamsburg Market are taking things in stride and doing what they can to serve their customers during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
“Things are going very well here,” Smith said. “I am happy to say that though product is moving quickly, we have been able to keep up with demand, so, so far so good.”
Smith said that the store receives one large delivery every week that is helping their food inventory hold out well.
“The only things we are short on, are things like rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer,” he said.
Thus far, the market has kept its regular store hours and Smith said that store employees are following safety precautions and working hard to keep shelves stocked and serve customers.
“It is important that we make sure that our staff stays healthy,” he said. “I have to give the employees kudos for showing up and working hard during this time.”
Select Board Chairperson Denise Banister said that she was pleased to see people remaining calm, shopping locally and doing what they need to do to stay safe and keep their neighbors safe, while out purchasing necessary supplies.
GOSHEN – The rabies clinic originally scheduled for March 28 has been canceled.
Dog owners waiting to renew dog licenses will need to get their dogs’ rabies vaccination done elsewhere, then provide the town clerk with a current rabies certificate, and a completed Goshen dog license form.
While there is typically a $25 late fee charged if dogs are not licensed by March 31, a grace period will now extend to June 1.
As town offices are closed, all paperwork, as well as a $5 check for a spade or neutered dog or a $10 check for an intact dog, must be mailed to the town clerk. Don’t forget to include a stamped self-addressed envelope.
For more information contact Town Clerk Kristen Estelle at 268-8236 ex. 107.
Ideas for this column on life in the Hilltowns can be sent to Fran Ryan at: Fryan.gazette@gmail.com.