CHESTERFIELD — Kate Reid, formerly the assistant director of the town’s Council on Aging (COA), will be stepping in as interim leader and says she will use the time to “hold place.”

Reid, a social worker who holds a master’s from the Springfield College School of Social Work, has experience working in hospitals, mental health counseling and grant management.

Marianne Drake, chair of COA board of directors, said the “The Select Board and COA board are happy to welcome Kate with her energy and diverse experience in social services. She will build on the excellent work done by Brooke and Jan,” she said, referencing Reid’s predecessors.

Brooke Bullock, whose last day is Friday, is stepping down after a couple months as director. She served after Jan Gibeau retired in late October following a 10-year tenure at the helm.

As of now, Reid will serve through the summer, said Brenda Lessard the town’s administrative assistant.

Mark, Sabadosa to hold town hall next week

CHESTERFIELD — Area voters are invited on Friday to “ReMarks and Refreshments,” a town hall with state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the Chesterfield Community Center, 400 Main Road.

Mark represents 57 cities and towns in Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire and Hampden Counties.

Sabadosa represents the communities of Northampton, Chesterfield, Goshen, Cummington, Hatfield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington.

Block grant meeting for hilltown communities

CHESTERFIELD — Community Development Block Grants will be the subject of discussion on Monday, March 10, when residents of the towns of Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Plainfield, Savoy, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington will be able to have a say in grant funding for fiscal year 2025.

The discussion, which begins at 5 p.m., will take place in the Chesterfield Select Board Room, 422 Main Road.

Last year funds went toward the Hilltown Elder Network, Health Outreach Program for Elders and the Goshen Food Pantry.

Residents will have the opportunity to voice how effective these programs have been in bolstering resources, as well as pitch potential funding toward housing rehabilitation, social services or other resources.

A snow date has been set to March 24 at 5 p.m.

Storm aftermath

By the end of the day Tuesday, the lights were back for 18,400 in the hilltowns after a wind storm swept the area early last week, downing trees and power lines in Cummington, Plainfield, Goshen and Chesterfield, as well as the Berkshire County communities of Ashfield, Sandisfield, and Colrain.

“Using smart switches we’ve installed to our electric system, our remote system operators restored power to more than 7,500 of those customers from a backup source in fewer than five minutes,” said Kaitlyn Woods, communications manager for Eversource Energy.

She added that crews worked under tedious conditions and “tackled extensive damage in remote areas — using specialized off-road vehicles to navigate rugged terrain. These time and labor intensive repairs brought back on one to two customers at a time.”

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.