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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Cable Committee Recommends Attorney for Spectrum Contract RenewalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:50AM / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An enthusiastic legal counsel interview won over most of the Cable Advisory Committee.
On Thursday, the panel recommended Stoneham attorney William Solomon for the city's Spectrum contract renewal. At a rate of $200 per hour, he gave a $19,000 cost estimate and the committee voted to recommend $25,000 for funding to provide a buffer.
Solomon and Boston attorney William Hewig were interviewed last week and a special meeting was called for the decision so that it has a chance of being on the next City Council meeting agenda.
Pittsfield's 10-year contract ends in September 2024 and it is recommended that the contract negotiations take place over 12 months.
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MassWildlife Biologist to Speak at Berkshire Green Drinks| 11:44AM / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Wildlife biologist Nathan Buckhout will present at the March Berkshire Green Drinks gathering on Wednesday, March 8, at 6:00 PM in person at Shire Breu-Hous inside The Stationery Factory, 63 Flansburg Ave. and online via Zoom. Buckhout will talk about Mustelids, otherwise known as the weasel family, and go over some common characteristics of the diverse group. Mustelids are a family of carnivorous mammals, which include weasels, minks, otters, fishers, martens, and wolverines, among others. Buckhout will briefly discuss each species presently in Massachusetts, as well as species that have disappeared from the region. He will also discuss some 0 Comments
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Two Sentenced On Drug Charges| 08:17AM / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.– Oasis Hason and Ahmed Shabazz were found guilty of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and sentenced to one to two years in state prison. On Thursday, Feb. 16 Hasan, age 25 of Yonkers, N.Y., and Shabazz, age 27 also of Yonkers, were both found guilty of Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute. Both men were acquitted of charges relating to items found in a locked safe found inside the residence (Trafficking in Heroin (18-36 grams), Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm, Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, and 2 counts of Possession of Ammunition). The defendants had been arrested
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Pittsfield School Committee Pilots New Special Ed ProgramBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee last week voted to pilot the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System. For the past seven years, teachers have been looking at different programs to assist in educating children with disabilities. The program is designed to be used with students in "substantially separate" classrooms to teach basic and advanced language skills to students diagnosed with autism. Many of these students have severe cognitive needs, some of which are nonverbal, in the classroom. Teachers requested to pilot the PEAK system because they were struggling meeting the needs of these students 0 Comments
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Lanesborough Residents Query Public Safety Building Proposal at Public HearingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:52AM / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | |
 LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Residents virtually queried planners on Tuesday at the first of three public hearings scheduled before a March 9 vote that will determine the fate of the proposed $5.9 million public safety building. The special town meeting on March 9 will include warrant articles that authorize the purchase of 405 South Main St. for the build and approve the nearly $6 million project cost. The site formerly housed the Skyline Country Club's driving range and is owned by Pittsfield's Mill Town Capital. The complex will include police, ambulance, emergency medical services personnel, sleeping quarters, garage space, an emergency management center, and
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Town Officials Want More Input Into Central Berkshire School BudgetBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:07PM / Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Elected town officials encouraged the Central Berkshire Regional School District to work on reducing its budget and being more open to collaboration with the towns that fund it. "We want to get ahead of that so you're aware of what we want to have as a town," said Select Board Chair Joseph Diver at Thursday's public hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget. "And I think the other general comment is I heard over the years that the School Committee members serve students and not the residents of the town who you have been elected by. "I believe that you need to represent the towns that you're elected by and understand 0 Comments
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Public Facilities, Housing Prioritized for Pittsfield CDBG FundsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:43PM / Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This year's allocation of Community Development Block Grant funding will largely go to housing rehabilitation and demolitions and public facilities, at 33 percent each. So far, projects include sidewalks and ramps in the Morningside and West Side neighborhoods and near the Fenn Street emergency shelter, four housing rehabs, one accessible ramp, and two building demolitions.
Nineteen percent of the funds will go toward economic development for projects including technical assistance funds to six small businesses and COVID-19 fund direct assistance to another six. Fifteen percent will fund public service projects that include 15 programs and two
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MassDOT to Host Second Meeting of the Freight Advisory Committee| 12:06PM / Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | |
 BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that the second meeting of the Freight Advisory Committee will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 11:00 a.m. The meeting will be held virtually, with participation available via Zoom Webinar. At this meeting, the team will present the work that has completed since the first meeting and solicit feedback from the public. The 2023 Massachusetts Freight Plan is a planning document that will define short-term and long-term vision for the freight system in the Commonwealth, and includes air, rail, truck, maritime, and multimodal transportation. Information on the 2023 Massachusetts 0 Comments
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Regional Economic Plan Made More Accessible to PublicBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
04:48AM / Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has been working to improve awareness to its Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. The CEDS committee has created a video, story map, and short summary plan to improve accessibility to the plan. Many residents are unlikely to read a document that is more than 100 pages so these resources make it easier for them to stay up to date on how the area will guide economic development strategy for the next five years. The committee worked with a Williams College student to create a Spanish translation, too. The CEDS is a coordinated regional planning process that documents 0 Comments
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Dalton Planning Board Reviews Renewed Warren Landfill Solar Energy ProjectBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
01:33PM / Monday, February 20, 2023 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — The Planning Board is considering approving a solar energy project that could lower the cost of energy for both the town and its residents. The nonprofit Citizens Energy Corp. started this project about nine years ago and was fully permitted back in 2014. At the time, Citizens was awarded through a competitive procurement the opportunity to build a solar project on the town's closed landfill and developed a relationship with the landowner of the adjacent Warren farm so it could develop multiple landfills. The project was declared not viable because the electrical grid could not accommodate it but with recent grid 0 Comments
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Berkshire Nonprofit Awards Call for Nominations| 10:39AM / Monday, February 20, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, in partnership with The Berkshire Eagle, will host the 6th annual Berkshire Nonprofit Awards on Tuesday, May 23 at Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield. The awards recognize work being done by individuals in the nonprofit sector. "Everyone seems excited to return to an in-person event," says NPC founder Liana Toscanini. "The networking part of the celebration, being all together again, is something people look forward to." Nominations are being solicited from across the Berkshires in seven categories: Executive Leadership, Board Leadership, Rock Star, Unsung Hero, 0 Comments
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State Gets Millions for COVID-19 Testing Costs| 08:03AM / Monday, February 20, 2023 | |
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $4.5 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing testing for daycare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $4,480,000 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Early Childhood Education and Care for contracting to provide testing services for early education and care (EEC) affiliated providers, staff, children, and families between March 2021 and June 2022. The contractor operated mobile specimen collection sites, provided all equipment necessary for site operations, confirmed eligibility for testing, and handled 0 Comments
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