Lenox Select Board Authorizes Dam Inspection Contract, Boosts Chime Tower Budget

LENOX -- March 19, 2026, Lenox Select Board approves dam inspection contract and increases Chime Tower restoration budget by $70,000. The board voted unanimously Thursday to authorize town administrator Michael to sign a $86,600 contract with engineering firm Tighe & Bond for Phase II field inspection of the Stockbridge Bowl Dam, funded from an existing dam account, while revising a future Town Meeting capital request downward from $150,000 to $105,000 to cover a second inspection phase totaling $104,200. The board also amended the capital budget to add $70,000 from free cash for Chime Tower stone restoration after exploratory work revealed 22 deteriorating base stones requiring replacement, bringing total project costs to $194,000 against $144,000 already appropriated. Earlier in the evening, Anthony Garrow of Beta Group presented a full pavement condition assessment showing the town's 36.1 miles of paved roads average a score of 77.8 out of 100, with an estimated $4 million backlog and an annual maintenance cost of $340,000 to hold that score steady. The board also approved a no-cost grant application for Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to complete the town's long-stalled Open Space and Recreation Plan, a prerequisite for accessing state park improvement grants, and continued a $2,500 Stockbridge Bowl Steering Committee speaker-budget request to the April 2 meeting pending an explanation from committee chairman Michael Nathan.