GREAT BARRINGTON — With potlucks, child care and specific committee goals, Sara Parker is revamping the Housatonic Improvement Committee to increase community buy-in without costing the town money.

“The easiest way to get people in a room is food,” Parker said. “It’s also about asking people to contribute in a low-stakes but meaningful way.”

So far, that’s proven true.

At the February meeting, more than a dozen residents showed up with goodies and participated in a lively discussion on the residential tax exemption the Select Board is considering. Attendees asked questions, shared their thoughts and listened to one another before the committee voted to send a letter of support.

To make it more appealing than a typical government meeting, the monthly gathering is also a potluck, giving people a chance to connect over a meal. The Berkshire Environmental Action Team provides free catering dishes to reduce waste.

Participants help themselves to a potluck meal Tuesday at the start of the Housatonic Improvement Committee meeting at the Ramsdell Library.

Before each meeting, Parker sends the formal agenda to an email list of over 90 residents, where she also has a link to sign up for the potluck. Everyone is invited to participate in a way that works for them.

“It can be chips or a rotisserie chicken or doughnuts you pick up on your way home or things you pull out of your fridge/pantry,” Parker said in an email blast. “We make a meal together when everyone contributes and every single thing adds up — maybe come early or stay late to help set up if you’re not able to bring something with you.”

When some community members said they wanted to attend but had to watch their children, the committee started asking for volunteers to watch them in another room at Ramsdell Library, where the meetings are held. While this isn't always taken advantage of, it's there for those who need it.

A meeting of the Housatonic Improvement Committee on Tuesday at the Ramsdell Library includes a potluck meal.

Throughout committee and Select Board meetings over the last year, residents have expressed feeling like Housatonic, a village within Great Barrington, is "overlooked,” “underinvested” and "structurally disconnected” when compared to the town center.

This includes improvements to sidewalks, parks and basic street maintenance seen elsewhere in town but not in the village. The community continues to deal with water quality issues and unreliable cell service.

Despite all of Housatonic’s challenges, it’s a community that stands with one another. When Parker moved to the area in 2024, she saw firsthand how resilient the community is and found her chosen family.

“My life has fundamentally changed by the community around me,” she said.

As someone "driven by community,” her passion for supporting those around was quickly noticed, and she was appointed to the committee in April 2025. By August, she became the chair.

In that role, she’s encouraged people to participate honestly and work together to make change — taking what residents want, making it attainable and then making it happen together.

Housatonic Improvement Committee Chair Sara Parker gets Tuesday’s meeting started at the Ramsdell Library.

She took over around the time of a visioning session where residents gathered to share what they want for the future of Housatonic. Now in the implementation phase, all five members have three goals with specific action items and targets, helping hold them accountable while setting a pace that prevents burnout.

At each meeting, Parker assigns tasks to committee members to complete by the next meeting, making sure they’re manageable. She checks in on progress, and members share updates or explain challenges so the group can work together to move things forward.

The six overarching goals are based on the results of the visioning session. This includes supporting Ramsdell renovation efforts, more opportunities for community connection, advancing local trail and canopy restoration, advocating for public outdoor spaces and improvement efforts, strengthening Housatonic’s shared story and improving communication between the committee and the community.

Parker knows the committee can’t solve all of the village’s problems — especially the persistent issue of discolored water caused by excess manganese — but there are steps they can take to make the village better. And that’s what she is trying to do.

“There’s a power in giving people a space to come together,” Parker said. “Everything revolves around getting people involved. “There is power and celebration and unity in knowing your neighbor's name.”