our history

The Richmond Pond Association, Inc. (RPA) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2000 from a committee representing the Town of Richmond Conservation Commission, the City of Pittsfield Conservation Commission, the Boys’ & Girls’ Club of Pittsfield (now the Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires), the Western Massachusetts Girl Scouts’ Council (now the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts), and Lakeside Christian Camp (Northeast Baptist Conference). All are non-profit organizations or governmental bodies that, together with a few homeowners, held a common concern about the health and vitality of Richmond Pond. Nestled in the heart of the Berkshire Hills and shared by the Town of Richmond and City of Pittsfield, Richmond Pond is a 218 acre lake.

Website Features at a Glance

Scroll down this page or click on the links in this box for a description of What We Do, and a list of the volunteer RPA board members and our contact information. Please feel free to contact us with your questions and suggestions.

Further down the page is the most recent Annual Report.

How to Donate, Buying "A History of Richmond Pond" Book, Our Budget, and how to Stay Informed are found on this page as well.

For Current News, including details on the Goose Management Plan click on this link. Click on Website Submission if you have pond news items or pictures you would like posted on the website. See Calendar page for upcoming meetings & events. At the bottom of the page, you can Subscribe to receive RPA email alerts.

What do we do?

Since its creation, the RPA has conducted a volunteer water quality monitoring program to regularly take test samples for analysis of the lake and its four tributaries, from June through September. It also raises funds for the monitoring and control of invasive, exotic aquatic vegetation through draw-down and aquatic herbicide treatments. The RPA creates displays, postings, pamphlets and newspaper articles to provide public information and education about the Pond and related environmental issues. The RPA has engaged local school children in a bumper sticker contest and watershed education. Public education is an ongoing process, as are all the RPA activities to improve the water quality of Richmond Pond.

Clean Water - The RPA has also been working to identify and mitigate impact from storm water runoff that causes erosion, sedimentation and lake pollution. In 2002, the Town of Richmond was awarded a matching grant under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act of 1987, in the form of federal funds administered in Massachusetts by the Department of Environmental Protection and awarded to towns to control non-point sources of water pollution. The RPA worked in cooperation with the Town of Richmond for the 60/40 match, providing volunteer manpower to do much of the necessary work planting trees, bushes, monitoring the installation of drop inlets (catch basins), providing rip-rap to storm water erosion channels, monitoring the construction of detention basins, and working with engineers who designed the structures. The grant was issued to the town. No funds were received or expended by the Richmond Pond Association.

Sewers replace septic tanks - As part of this effort, a sewer system was also installed, serving all of the cottages and camps around the Richmond side of the lake (those in Pittsfield were already served by sewers). The septic systems, some of which had been leaching into the lake, were all de-commissioned as hookups to the sewer system were completed in 2006 and 2007. The water quality of the pond, as documented by the RPA’s water monitoring, improved substantially.

Communication - The RPA provides a forum for interaction between the major stakeholders at the Pond and allows a coordinated response for environmental issues facing the pond. Its focus on public education also helps bring about the goal of permanently protecting and preserving our beautiful Richmond Pond. As part of that effort, the RPA regularly updates this website, and periodically updates its brochure, which is available at the Richmond Town Hall, the boat launch ramp kiosk, Bartlett’s Orchard and in response to requests.

who we are

RPA Directors & Alternates

Directors (voting)

President (Vacant)

Louise Brogan Vice President kjb723@gmail.com

Doreen Donovan Secretary ddonovan54@hotmail.com

Laura Rosenthal Treasurer laurafsa@aol.com

Jonna Gaberman Asst. Treasurer jgaberman@comcast.net

Ken Kelley Past President/Current I.C. Rep. Kkelly@utica.edu

Miles Garfinkel At Large mggarfinkel@gmail.com

Kerry Hamilton At-Large kerryleehamilton@gmail.com

Ex Officio Directors (non-voting)

Danielle Fillio Richmond Town Administrator townadmin@richmondma.org

(413) 698-3882 ext. 7

Jim McGrath City of Pittsfield jmcgrath@cityofpittsfield.com

(413) 499-9344 (office)

Tom Potter Richmond Conservation Commission tm_potter@outlook.com

Ron Veillette Alternate Richmond Cons. Comm. ronsan@nycap.rr.com

Carl Foote Resource/Consultant Branch Farm Association carl.foote@verizon.net

Alternates

(Alternates may vote in the absence of the Director from their camp or association)

Joe McGovern Camp Russell jmcgovern@bgcberkshires.org

Kais Abderrahim Camp Russell kaisabderrahim@bgcberkshires.org

Barry Kellogg Richmond Shores barrykellogg@gmail.com

Brian Grebeldinger Richmond Shores bdinger22@hotmail.com

Linda Kay Richmond Shores lkay2@nycap.rr.com

Kitty Levitan Whitewood Association Lennielit@aol.com

Bruce Wintman Whitewood Associates bwintman@comcast.net

Cricket Nardacci Whitewood Associates cnardacci.1@gmail.com

Gordon Dinsmore South Pond Farm Association gordondinsmore@gmail.com

Al Nardacci Independent cottages nardacci@aol.com

Tim Mason Independent cottages TMason74@outlook.com

Holly Stover Branch Farm rstover1@nycap.rr.com

Please provide any list updates to Doreen Donovan via email or phone.

Website Administrator

Bruce Wintman RichmondPondWebsite@gmail.com

RPA meetings have traditionally been held monthly, April through October, on 4th Tuesdays at Richmond Town Hall. But during restrictions imposed by COVID during 2020 and 2021, meetings have been held virtually, at 7:00 pm, using Zoom conferencing technology. When 7:00 pm monthly meetings resumed in 2022, the first several meetings were held by Zoom. Subsequent monthly meetings may return to Richmond Town Hall. See Calendar page for meeting dates & Zoom links, which are posted there a few days before each meeting.

We welcome your input

We are an all-volunteer association. Please feel free to contact any of us for additional information about the pond, pond management, the RPA or your related questions or suggestions. We welcome your input, and our monthly meetings are always open to the public.

For meeting times see below or Calendar page

annual report 2023

For the convenience of members and the public, the RPA met using the Zoom format with good attendance, monthly from April through October. The RPA’s annual meeting was held August 22nd, in person, and was hosted at Camp Arrow Wood. The attendees enjoyed a meal of tacos and ice cream and heard reports on initiatives.

The Pond was not treated again this year, partly due to a lack of response from Natural Heritage to questions regarding herbicide treatment. The goal is to have new permitting approved for 2024 which would include herbicide treatment, weed harvesting, and the annual lake draw down. The RPA, in collaboration with the Town and City of Pittsfield, is exploring hiring a consultant to help develop a comprehensive lake management plan and assist with permitting. Weed mapping of the pond was done in 2023, paid for by the City of Pittsfield.

RPA officer elections were held in the fall. This year Ken and Carl left their respective positions of president and treasurer on the Board of Directors. Ken will remain an active Board member as the representative for the independent cottages. Re-elected were Louise Brogan as vice president, Laura Rosenthal as treasurer, Jonna Gaberman as the assistant treasurer and Doreen Donovan as secretary. The elections concluded with a vacancy in the role of president. To increase the pool of potential candidates for officer positions, an amendment was made to the RPA Bylaws, “If one of the RPA officer positions remains unfilled, following outreach to all eligible/voting members of the RPA board, an alternate or ex officio member of the RPA board may be elected to fill the position, on an interim basis and would serve with voting authority.”

Ongoing:

• RPA volunteers conducted tributary monitoring, with testing done twice this summer. All beaches are tested weekly by their contracted agencies, for E. coli. The E. coli and nitrate counts have been low, below the warning levels. Phosphates continue to be high in Clarks Brook, which promotes algae growth in the northwestern part of the pond.

• Cyanobacteria testing was done bi-weekly by the Lakes & Ponds Association of Western MA, paid for by the RPA. The levels for cyanobacteria have been well below the state threshold. Ongoing monitoring is again planned for 2024.

• The Town funded and managed the public boat ramp monitors. They were able to staff the boat ramp with sufficient monitors. There were no applicants for the lifeguard positions again this year. The beach opened without a lifeguard and the gate was locked at 6 pm. The beach was cleaner this year. The Town is working on a solution to replace the deteriorated handicap accessmat into the swim area.

• RPA’s goose management plan was discontinued this year. There was no volunteer to manage the program.

• The Town worked with Camp Russell to restore the deteriorated detention basin at the camp.

• RPA board member Miles Garfinkle and Holly Stover have been working on removing purple loosestrife from around the pond and along Town Beach Road. This is a long range project to slow down the spread of this invasive plant.

• The RPA website and Facebook page were regularly updated. Bruce Whitman is managing the RPA website. He has updated the calendar and added live links. Pond updates were submitted monthly to Richmond Record.

• The annual “Developments at Richmond Pond” funding solicitation newsletter was distributed by mail in July.

• The picture book, The Gem of Richmond - A History of Richmond Pond, was a successful endeavor with 750 books published and over 600 sold. They remain for sale at Bartlett’s. Books have also been donated to Richmond School. Ken has shared his experience with publishing the book with other lake organizations, to encourage similar efforts.

Respectfully submitted,

Louise Brogan, Vice President

Laura Rosenthal, Treasurer

Jonna Gaberman, Assistant Treasurer

Doreen Donovan, Secretary

Previous Annual Reports found Here

Our FINANCIALS

Fiscal Year July 2023 - June 2024

Total Revenues Received $13,420

Total Expenses Incurred $6,179

Gifts received totaled $10,524. Annual dues from the four community associations, one camp, and the independent cottages raised an additional $2,520. And $350 was received in book sales.

Our major expenses this fiscal year consisted of the RPA annual picnic, printing materials, and cyanobacteria testing. Increased expenses for weed management expected in the coming year.

The RPA continues its support of the pond's dam at The Camp by Bousquet. A balance of $25,502 is held by the RPA in its special dam maintenance reserve fund, to assist the dam owner with maintenance, repair and inspection expenses, as we all benefit from the dam.

stay informed & Help us manage the pond

Please get involved

Ask us - If you have questions about anything pond-related, please call or email one of our officers. We'd love to hear from you! See our contact information above.

Volunteer - The Richmond Pond Association relies upon volunteers to achieve our goals. If you have time to help out, please call or email one of our officers. Click on the Contact Info link above to access our contact information.

Become a Subscriber - Whether or not you currently have time to volunteer, either regularly or occasionally, we encourage anyone with an interest in the pond to become a free subscriber to our website. All subscribers receive a monthly email newsletter with agendas for our meetings (late spring to early fall), including referral to new minutes posted on the website, plus occasional alerts and updates about pond-related events and developments. We do not share our subscriber list with anyone. Insert your email address below and click on Sign Up.

Donate - We can't keep the pond healthy without your support. Donation Options are presented below.

Donate to Richmond pond

Your donation helps support such expenses as the inspection, maintenance and repairs to the dam, pond-related education, weed management expenses, tributary monitoring, and the hiring of boat ramp monitors to inspect all boats for invasive species, especially zebra mussels. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations are fully tax-deductible.

To donate by check - Please make donation checks payable to Richmond Pond Association and mail them to: Richmond Pond Association, PO Box 447, Lenox, MA 01240. Include a return address so we can acknowledge your donation.

To donate by credit card or PayPal - Click the Donate Now link below and follow the instructions.