3 Updates from the Town of Great Barrington

Street reopening, bulky waste and Zoom meetings regarding the local Asian Community are the subjects of this town update.

Regarding street reopening, a temporary bridge will reopen Division Street to through-traffic within a year. The interim span will have one lane with stoplights at the east and west sides. It will also have a cantilevered span for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Division Street bridge, built in 1950, was closed in 2019 by the state due to serious structural and safety problems. The permanent bridge replacement is contingent upon approval and funding by the state Department of Transportation, which is several years away according to the town.

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Tighe & Bond, the engineering firm handling the temporary bridge design and engineering, updated the Selectboard at its meeting on Monday, Apr. 12. The full update can be found here.

"Reopening Division Street is a top priority for the residents and businesses in the neighborhood and for our Selectboard," said Town Manager Mark Pruhenski.

On the topic of bulky waste, if you are looking to do some spring cleaning and want get rid of some bulky items then you are in luck this weekend as the town is hosting a bulky waste collection day for Great Barrington residents this Saturday, Apr. 17 at the town transfer and recycling station on Route 7, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

No business waste will be accepted.

Items accepted include furniture, mattresses and box springs, rugs and carpeting, windows, doors, cabinetry and similar items.

Items not permitted include demolition debris, household trash and household hazardous waste; washers, dryers, refrigerators, computers, monitors and televisions; household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and toasters; tires, auto batteries and yard waste.

A separate Household Hazardous Waste drop-off day for Southern Berkshire residents takes place Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. at the town of Lee’s transfer station on Route 102. Accepted items for the May drop-off event can be found here.

For more information, call the Department of Public Works, (413) 528-0867.

Finally, Great Barrington Police are continuing to show support for the Asian community as they have scheduled two Zoom conversations and they're inviting the local Asian Community to jump in the conversation. The department is hoping to gain insight into the challenges of this community locally, and how they can help to better serve them.

The Zoom conversations will take place on:

Wednesday, Apr. 21 at 11:00 am

Wednesday, Apr. 28 at 4:00 pm

All participants are required to register. Please send an e-mail to Cara Becker cbecker@townofgb.org with your name and e-mail address.

Space is limited.