Savoy residents Bob Veronesi, (Agricultural Commission), Joe Bettis,(Conservation & Agricultural Commissions), and Don Phinney (Planning Board & Town Park Commission), attended a meeting sponsored by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) on Wednesday evening, November 2nd, at the BRPC offices on Fenn Street in Pittsfield. The meeting addressed the organization, benefits, and role of Agricultural Commissions currently being implemented in rural towns in the area. Savoy recently passed a 'Right To Farm' by-law at its Annual Town Meeting in June. The Savoy Agricultural Commission was created at that time to serve as a local voice advocating for farmers, farm businesses and farm interests in the community. The meeting was to introduce the newly formed organization to the role of Agricultural Commissions. Speakers included Doug Gillespie, Commissioner of the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources and representatives of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau. Co-sponsors included the American Farmland Turst, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Nathan Karns, Executive Director of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, introduced the speakers and welcomed the more than thirty representatives who attended.
...from the Town Clerk