Letter: Sometimes It Is Best Not to Tinker With Tradition

To the Editor:

Williamstown has a long-standing tradition of displaying American flags on utility poles along the town green (Route 2) from Memorial Day through Veterans Day. At the last Williamstown Select Board meeting, there was a 4-1 vote to replace every fourth American Flag with a Progress Pride (rainbow) flag during the month of June.

Was there any indication in the Select Board meeting packet or the posted agenda that this potentially controversial topic would be discussed, even voted upon? The Open Meeting Law requires that the public have timely notice of anticipated topics and ample opportunity to comment. If not appropriately posted, only "emergencies" are permitted and must be defended as such if requested. Was this an emergency? Were the legal obligations of the Open Meeting Law met?

Furthermore, Statements of American Flag Protocol specify that the American flag is to be the prime focus of any flag display. There are few exceptions to this rule, and they are clearly stated in the protocol. Does the current Select Board plan pass protocol muster?

Memorial Day is a national holiday, with most cities and towns crafting their own unique traditions and celebrations. Its primary intended meaning was and is to honor those who perished in service to our country. It has taken on the meaning of offering comfort and support to family and friends who have lost someone to death. It is usually celebrated in a respectful — almost religious — manner. Will the Select Board's decision to replace our American flag with a flag underscoring any other cause diminish the intended solemnity of Memorial Day?

Donna Wied
Williamstown, Mass.

Williams College Art Museum Will Be a Lab for Sustainability

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:47AM / Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Michael Evans and Tanja Srebotnjak of  the Zhilka Center for the Environment get into details about green standards. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The sustainable aspects of the new $175 million Williams College Museum of Art will influence the next generation of arts leaders. 

 

"Really building a learning laboratory for sustainable art museums for the future," said Pamela Franks, museum director, at Monday night's community forum.

 

"One of the really distinctive features of the Williams College Museum of Art is its long tradition and contribution to the field of arts leadership. So a student who's leading a tour today may be the director of a major museum tomorrow, and everything that the student learns over the time that they're here at Williams becomes a kind of possibility for impact moving forward."

 

The forum at the Williams Inn was the latest public update on the museum's progress and information on its various aspects, this time on its sustainability focus. 

 

When it opens in fall 2027, the single-story structure designed by Brooklyn-based firm SO–IL will be something of an epitome of the college's sustainability and conservation ethos, first formally adopted by the trustees in 2011.

 

Over nearly 20 years, construction and renovations on campus have focused on attaining energy efficiencies, with projects over $5 million required to reach the gold standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. The college has also sought the Living Building Challenge's Petal level in several cases. 

 

The museum is also looking to become an International Living Future Institute core building, of which only two now exist, and is focusing on Energy Use Intensity benchmarks, with the goal to operate with 70 percent less usage than a comparable 1990 museum. The structure will also be "zero ready" for solar, although it will powered through electricity not solar panels.