Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Food Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission reviews food-access toolkit and notes local resources; suggests accessibility fixes
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a local extract of a Food Access Toolkit chart and concluded Williamstown has several existing resources (food shelf, Pump N Pantry, Hannaford, occasional farmers markets) but identified gaps in accessibility where sidewalks and transit connections could improve access.
David Traczyk presented an excerpt from the Local Planning for Food Access Toolkit — a chart of food-access strategies he felt was most relevant to Williamstown. "What I did was to make a copy of, I think, page 10 —6 the chart that shows examples of food access strategies. I thought that this would be more relevant," Traczyk said. The commission noted existing town assets, including the food shelf, Pump N Pantry, and nearby Hannaford, and said occasional farmers markets further support access.
Discussion turned to barriers to access rather than availability: commissioners highlighted a missing sidewalk network and limited parking and suggested adding sidewalks and parallel parking to make businesses more accessible. They also noted a bus route from The Gardens to Hannaford and discussed whether to add a town-plan chapter on food access informed by survey responses.
