Volunteers with the group GIVers – The Greenfield Independent Volunteers – approached the select board with a question; how important is the town’s Memorial Day festivities?
The group has organized the event for nearly 15 years, and says over time it has experienced a slump in volunteerism, which ends up placing the burden of planning the event on a select few.
“Do you really think it’s important to maintain a special day and a downtown activity for Memorial Day?” a GIVer asked the board at the meeting on Thursday.
The board agreed the event does act as a reminder for those who gave their lives to the country, serves as a community glue, and holds a special place in townspeople’s hearts.
Select board member Stephen Atherton said when he was a kid, the celebration was a big deal. “It was a huge ordeal, it was something to look forward to,” Atherton said.
Similar sentiments were shared by many at the meeting.
“We need to preserve those ceremonies and make them public affairs, they don’t have to be a two hour parades with dogs and ponies and all that other stuff, but the purpose behind Memorial Day needs to be observed,” said select board member Robert Marshall.
The board said it supports some sort of continuance of the festivities, but whether it will have to be downsized or not has yet to be determined.
Select board members suggested writing an article about the situation for the Greenfield Spirit as a way to highlight the need for volunteers.
The Stephenson Memorial Library director and its trustees met with select board members about work that needs to be done to the building’s basement.
Margo Charig Bliss said the library’s foundation has experienced severe leaking for several years.
“We have been carefully working our way to an adequate solution,” Charig Bliss said, adding that all parties are trying to take everything into consideration before dirt is moved.
Library Director Julie Perrin said they won’t know the project’s cost until bids are received.
A pre-bid meeting for the project is scheduled to take place on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.