LH1: 2018 first request
After Ken’s unexpected visit on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, we met Jason Jayko at the site of alleged trespass, where he used a surveyor’s wheel. Although he wouldn’t engage with me, I haven’t heard any objections, so I assume he confirmed the factual information from my previous post.
This is the first installment in my new Long History (LH) series. Stay tuned for LH2: 2019 First Snow.
Jason Jayko was actually the first member of the New Ashford government I interacted with when I bought my parcel in 2018. This interaction began when Katie Jackson from B&B Tiny House Company sent a petition on my behalf to the town officials regarding the tiny house I planned for my property. Here is the PDF file of that petition, which she attached to the email:
Here is the email she sent to the Select Board and Zoning Board of Appeals:
Katie Jackson katie@bbtinyhouses.com
Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 10:10 AM
To: planningboard@townofnewashford.com, elmartinfarm@verizon.net, dtorrico@town.adams.ma.us, jasonjayko@townofnewashford.com, kenmcinerney@townofnewashford.com, markphelps@townofnewashford.com, loritro@verizon.net, Piotr Masiakowski pmasiak88@gmail.com, Jason Koperniak jason@bbtinyhouses.comDear New Ashford Town Officials and Zoning Board of Appeals,
My name is Katie Jackson and I work at B&B Tiny House Company in North Adams. Piotr Masiakowski is a resident of New Ashford and one of our clients. He has hand-delivered the attached letter to the town hall and I wanted all of you to have it in your email as well.
He is requesting permission to use his 200 sq. ft. tiny house on wheels (travel trailer) as a permanent dwelling on his property on Ingraham Road. Piotr's tiny house will be a 10' x 20' version of our RVIA-certified Hoosic Tiny House, permanently affixed to a cement slab on his property.
If you have any questions, please contact me at katie@bbtinyhouses.com or Jason Koperniak at jason@bbtinyhouses.com. Piotr's email address is pmasiak88@gmail.com.
Thank you, and we look forward to building Piotr's tiny house.
Katie Jackson
B&B Tiny Houses by B&B Micro Manufacturing, Inc.
bbtinyhouses.com (530)686-5680
Following this email, here is Jason Jayko’s response:
jasonjayko@newashford-ma.us <jasonjayko@newashford-ma.us>
Tue, Jul 24, 2018 at 6:40 AM
To: Katie Jackson <katie@bbtinyhouses.com>
Cc: dtorrico@town.adams.ma.us, Piotr Masiakowski <pmasiak88@gmail.com>, Jason Koperniak <jason@bbtinyhouses.com>Katie, We have not received the hand delivered letter as stated. Please let us know where it is and when we can expect it.
Jason Jayko
New Ashford
Select Board Chair
After receiving Jason's email, I realized the delay was my own oversight, as I had not yet delivered the letter to Town Hall. Here is my reply:
Piotr Masiakowski <pmasiak88@gmail.com>
Tue, Jul 24, 2018 at 8:09 AM
To: jasonjayko@newashford-ma.us
Cc: Katie Jackson <katie@bbtinyhouses.com>, Donald Torrico <dtorrico@town.adams.ma.us>, jason@bbtinyhouses.comHi Jason,
This is entirely my fault: I have volunteered to "hand deliver" the letter, but then was not able to find a time when the town hall was open. I apologize for not trying harder!
I still carry the hard copy of the letter in my backpack. Please let me know how can I deliver it in a way that is most convenient to you.
Best regards,
Piotr Masiakowski
Although I sent this follow-up, I never received a response from Jason. Later, however, I was contacted through my neighbor by Mark Phelps, who advised me that the Tiny House Company “is trying to take me for a ride.” He also mentioned that the Select Board never considered my application, reasoning that “if they allowed it for me, everyone would want it.”
This brings up an important question: Why did Jason request the hand-delivered letter if he already had a PDF copy attached to Katie’s email—and, if the Board never intended to consider my application? What’s more, if he truly needed the hard copy, why didn’t he respond to my email, sent less than two hours after his, where I offered to deliver it at his convenience? These details suggest that the Board did not engage with me in good faith from the beginning.
