Whately Major Projects Information Meeting Nov.

15 at 7pm
Please join an open meeting to learn about and discuss four major Whately projects. There will be a brief
presentation on each project followed by your opportunity to provide comments, ask questions, have open
discussion about the projects, and help to shape work going forward.
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MERGING WHATELY WATER DISTRICT & WATER DEPARTMENT

There are currently two public water supplies in the Town of Whately. We propose to merge the two systems to insure
adequate water for the center of town. The goal is to provide long term water security and fire protection for residents.
The Whately Water District was formed in 1971. It replaced a private water system which was operated for nearly 100
years by the Allis family and served the residents in the center of town, where shallow backyard wells typically ran dry in
the summer months. The Water District has 2 bedrock wells near the Whately Inn, off Haydenville Road. These wells are
barely adequate to provide enough water for the District. Additionally, environmental regulations and insurance costs
make it inefficient to operate such a small water system.
The Whately Water Department was started in 1984 following the contamination of shallow wells in the eastern part of
town by agricultural pesticides. The Water Department has two gravel pack wells off Chestnut Plain Road which provide
ample water for the town.
The two water systems come within several hundred feet of each other by the town center cemetery. A pump station will
be needed to boost the water pressure to serve the District. There will be significant costs associated with designing and
installing a pump station.
The first step in this process is hiring an engineer to design an appropriate booster pump station. This effort is supported
by the Commissioners of both the Water Department and the Water District as well as by the Select Board, though no
formal vote has been taken.
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TOWN CENTER HISTORIC DISTRICT LANDSCAPE DESIGN STUDY

The Town approved use of CPA funds in fall 2015 to engage the Conway School of Landscape Design to study the Town
Center Historic District, with a focus on traffic calming, sidewalks, landscaping, storm water runoff, lighting and parking.
The Conway School was asked to provide a conceptual design to make Town Center more welcoming and walkable for
residents and visitors. This spring, the Conway School team surveyed the landscape, spoke with Town residents,
employees and Mass DOT representatives, and held two well-attended open meetings. An ad hoc Committee appointed
by the Select Board to guide the process held a third open meeting in September and then identified the following
priorities, many of which will be eligible for Complete Streets funding from the DOT:

Top priorities
o Reposition sidewalks and improve lighting, add crosswalks, restore double row of trees
o Engineering study of the triangle to address poor sight lines and confusing right-of-way
o Improve and add parking around Library and Town Hall
Second priorities:
o Improve site around Veterans Memorial and anticipate second stone for post-Vietnam vets
o Investigate use of swales and/or infiltration basins to improve drainage and reduce erosion throughout the
District
Third priorities:
o Continue sidewalk to south end of Historic District
o Redesign existing street lights to reduce overnight glare
o Add parking behind Center School
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Babysitting Service Will Be Provided

Tuesday, November 15th @ 7 PM Whately Elementary School

Whately Major Projects Information Meeting Nov. 15 at 7pm

-------------------------------------------------------------------WHATELY AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND

The Whately Housing Committee was established in 2012 to assist our Community Preservation Committee
CPC) in identifying projects for CPC funds restricted to providing affordable housing in the community. This
housing could be for senior citizens. The purpose of the Trust shall be to provide for the acquisition, creation,
preservation, rehabilitation and support of affordable housing in the Town of Whately for the benefit of low and
moderate income households. In furtherance of this purpose the Trust shall be authorized to acquire, by gift,
purchase, or otherwise, real estate and personal property, and to provide funds for the benefit of low and
moderate income households to assist in the acquisition, creation and preservation of housing affordable for
such families. The Trust shall use such property, both real and personal, and shall dispense such funds in such
manner as the Board of Trustees shall deem most appropriate to carry out such purpose consistent with the
affordable housing policies adopted by the Selectboard.
The Whately Housing Trust would be funded annually by Town Meeting upon the approval of the CPC. The
Trust would be a municipal agency subject to open meeting laws, would require an annual audit, could not
spend more than $10,000 in any year without prior approval of the Selectboard, and there would be members of
the Selectboard and the CPC on the five-person Board of Directors of the Trust. These checks and balances
would provide ample oversight over Trust activities and expenditures while still allowing quick decisionmaking.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOWN HALL COMMUNITY CENTER RENOVATIONS
Plans for the future use of our historic Town Hall, which was vacated in the fall of 2015 when Town Offices
moved to 4 Sandy Lane, have been refined considerably over the past year to address these needs:

a permanent home for the Whately Historical Society and its valuable collection of artifacts that is
secure and climate-controlled and will allow more programming and access for the public;
an accessible second-floor auditorium that will provide multiple cultural and community organizations
with space for performances, exhibitions and events; and
a general meeting room for community groups.

The overall project, which includes a small addition on the east to accommodate a platform lift, will stabilize
the building, which anchors our Town Center National Historic District, by updating insulation, HVAC and
septic systems and restoring windows. It will also add accessible rest rooms and a small kitchen. All work
would comply with the U.S. Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Historic Preservation.
Funding from the CPA and private gifts for development of bid-ready documents was approved at Town
Meeting in April 2016, and the architects Jones-Whitsett are completing that work this month in collaboration
with the Municipal Building Committee and the Historical Commission. The entire rehabilitation project will
be eligible for CPA financing and for Massachusetts state grants for historic preservation, cultural facilities,
accessibility, and energy efficiency. Private fundraising will also continue. The work will be done as funding
is secured.

---------------------------------------------------------------------Babysitting Service Will Be Provided

Tuesday, November 15th @ 7 PM Whately Elementary School