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Lanesborough Contracts With PCTV To Run Television Broadcasts
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
02:30PM / Wednesday, October 29, 2014
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The Board of Selectmen approved the contract on Monday.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Pittsfield Community Television will be contracted to run the town's local access station.
 
The Board of Selectmen approved Monday of a six-month contract with PCTV to film and air a few meetings a month. Town Administrator Paul Sieloff says the first six months will be "low risk" period to see how well the new relationship will. 
 
"We picked six months because we thought that would be a time period of low risk," Sieloff said. "We looked at this as a potentially long-term relationship."
 
PCTV staff will do the filming and broadcasting for Lanesborough's channel for $25 an hour. 
 
"What we would normally charge for a technician is $25 an hour," said PCTV President Peter Marchetti.
 
Resident Ronald Tinkham has been running the town's community television station but wants to give it up. No one else stepped up to take over when the town sought volunteers. Sieloff then approached PCTV for an agreement.
 
The town also wants to improve the equipment over time. Sieloff said PCTV staff will help the purchasing of items in the future.
 
Bernard Avalle, PCTV executive director, estimated it will cost $27,800 to upgrade the town's equipment. That includes live streaming, on-demand showings, remote posting to the bulletin board and school closings, and archiving, among an array of benefits. The more upgraded equipment the town has, the less manpower it will require for PCTV to run the station.
 
"That would be an investment that goes on for years," he said.
 
The town is paid by the cable companies a franchise fee to run the station. LCTV currently has about $15,000 in that account to pay PCTV for operations and to upgrade equipment.
 
In other business, the Selectmen denied a resident's request to use the Bridge Street baseball field as a dog park.
 
Selectman Robert Ericson says he wants to look at the specs on the heating equipment before the town replaces the oil burner at the Police Station.
"I'm sure people were sincere with their request, it is just a problematic request," Sieloff said, adding that both the animal office and the recreation committee voiced concern about the idea. "It just did not seem like a good request."
 
Board of Selectmen Chairman John Goerlach said while this request was denied, the town will look into another location. Selectman Robert Ericson, however, didn't agree with the concept at all.
 
"The truth is, I've seen a lot of places with dog parks and people don't pick up after their dog. Or the dogs attack one another," Ericson said.
 
Sieloff also reported that all of the quotes to replace the heating system with an oil furnace at the Police Department were lower than switching to propane. 
 
"In every case the oil-fired was way less," Sieloff said.
 
O'Connell was the lowest bid with $6,960. 
 
However, the town is looking to become designated a green community by the state, which would gives the possibility for grants so the Selectmen opted not to award a contract at this time. 
 
The Selectmen also put off a vote on installing a small hot water heater. The police station's heating system still works but there is not hot water for a sink the officers use to wash their hands.
 
Ericson, who is on the town's energy committee, asked to put off the vote on both a water heater and oil heating so he can review the proposal. Ericson said with the town renovating the station over time, including adding more insulation, he wants to make sure the heating system isn't too big for the future.
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