Sheffield Approves Fall Festival Sponsorship, Awards Library Elevator Contract to Alpine Elevator

SHEFFIELD -- June 1, 2026, Sheffield Select Board approves $2,000 fall festival sponsorship and awards $180,500 library elevator contract. The board voted unanimously Monday to become the lead sponsor of a Sheffield Fall Festival planned for October 17, backing a proposal from Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Betsy Andrus, who described a full-day event on the town green featuring jack-o'-lantern displays, local business showcases, and family activities, with an estimated first-year attendance of roughly 1,000 people. The board also awarded the library elevator modernization contract to Alpine Elevator at $180,500, rejecting a competing bid whose $145,655.08 headline price carried $120,000 in additional charges. Three public hearings cleared the way for Berkshire Mountain Distillers LLC owner Chris Weld to add beer service at his 356 South Main Street facility under the Two Lanterns Brewing Company name, navigating a Massachusetts requirement for a physically designated 100-square-foot brewery space on paper. During public comment, a resident identified as Chair Douglas told the board that between 26 and 42 percent of vehicles entering the Sheffield transfer station over 11 days lacked a visible dump sticker, and estimated the town may be losing as much as $140,000 a year in unpaid fees.