By DAVE FEHR
In that juicy Clark Art Institute/WACC/Sweetwood/Greylock H.S./Phelps Knoll Water Line Brouhaha of a few years ago, the specter was raised of Route 7 south becoming another Route 2 east.
That wasn’t about to happen, water line extension or not. Williamstown simply isn’t that big. The population has been around 8,000 (including 2,000 Williams students) forever, but at least it isn’t shrinking like most of the county. Probably we could attract more families with young children if they could find affordable housing, but seemingly there’s a limit to that possibility, too.

By Dave Fehr
How do you like your economic development: vigorous, or not at all?
People around here seem to fall into two camps, or actually two permanent camps plus special groups formed to address specific situations.
In Williamstown, some folks — perhaps most folks — want to see no change whatsoever. Not one tree felled to build a new home, not one square yard of grass paved over, no additional cars, no additional people. They like it just the way it is.

By DAVE FEHR
The Willliamstown Select Board elections in May were focused heavily on issues of economic and residential development.
The town meeting did so as well, especially the articles concerning an elected vs. appointed planning board. If you went to the meet-the-candidates sessions, or followed the process in the papers, you heard and read some interesting viewpoints:
Philip Guy: “I do not agree with the contention that any residential growth is costing the town money. We need this extra revenue in order to continue fully funding our schools.” (He lost his Select Board seat.)
Ron Turbin: “Persuading software companies to relocate here might be easier than imagined.” (He won, and is now a selectman.) Ron, now that you’re in office, start persuading. You’ll find that it’s excruciatingly difficult, as the Berkshire Capital Investors and Village Ventures people know all too well. Those were local venture capital efforts with twin goals: (a) Generate a financial return to the investing partners, and (b) Create jobs in the region. The net result is, 10 years later, few remaining area jobs, maybe none in Williamstown itself. It was a shot worth taking, but the projects will likely not be replicated in Berkshire County. BCI and VV actually invested seed money in companies willing to locate here or, if they had begun here, to remain in the area and grow. Even that didn’t get the job done.
Dusty Bahlman: “Private developers should be asked to increase the town’s stock of lower-priced housing.” (He also lost.) You don’t (ITAL) ask (ITAL) developers, you offer incentives to them. If Cable Mills is a go, and provides some affordable units, it will be because town and state funding grants went to the developer to offset the losses he would incur when including these alongside his market-priced units. Same for the biscuit factory in North Adams. Around here, private money alone won’t support either affordable or low-income housing. Governments, churches, Williams College (Pine Cobble development, the old elementary school apartments) and charities must provide the extra funding needed.
Turbin, again: “I’ve always thought this would be a great place for a brewery.”