DALTON, Mass. — Dalton had several staffing changes and controversial situations this year from heated debates over the proposed public safety facility, Berkshire Concrete's mining operation, and more. 

 

Here is the Dalton news you may have missed in 2025. 

 

Change in Government

 

The year began with several twists and turns starting off with a close raise for the vacant Select Board member seat when Joseph Diver left his position. 

 

A citizens' petition forced the board to call for an election that Robert Collins won by about a dozen votes.  He only served on the board for four months until the annual election which resulted in the two open seats being filled by incumbent Marc Strout and Antonio "Tony" Pagliarulo in the four-way race.

 

Also in January, the Fire District voted to terminate the its Fire Chief Christian Tobin just a year after hiring him. 

 

The decision came after an investigation by Kerry Gilpin of Comprehensive Investigations and Consulting, which began when the board announced Tobin's paid suspension in August over allegations of sexual harassment, grant overspending, and employee concerns. 

 

Tobin's attorney, Jonathan Thomas Zepka of Elizabeth J. Quigley & Associates, alleges that Tobin was never contacted by the district and no interview was performed. 

 

Tobin filed a lawsuit against the district in May and according to public records the case transferred to U.S. District Court on June 26. 

 

The district's Assistant Fire Chief Chris Cachat has been serving as the interim fire chief since the termination. 

 

The trend of termination continued into February with the Select Board's decision to terminate the town manager's executive assistant Alyssa Maschino for sharing an anonymous letter, which proved controversial. 

 

In March, the Select Board appointed Lori Venezia as the new executive assistant to the town manager.

 

Staffing changes continued later in February with the announcement by the former Town Manager Tom Hutcheson of his intention to retire effective July 1. 

 

A town manager search committee was formed and the Select Board voted for Dalton native Henry "Terry" Williams III to fill in as the interim town manager till a permanent replacement could be found. 

 

Of the 22 applications received, the Town Manager Screening Committee put forward three finalists: Eric Anderson, Lisa Blackmer, and Jonathan Elwell and the board hired Anderson. 

 

Longtime Dalton Town Accountant Sandra Albano also announced her retirement this year, effective Oct. 2. Her position was filled by Tiffany Whitney. 

 

Police Station

 

A hot topic this year has been the development of a proposed public safety complex that had resulted in a stalemate over a possible location. 

 

Last year, Police Chief Deanna Strout informed the Select Board about the dire condition of the police station. 

 

Since then, she has attended several meetings emphasizing how the condition of the station, located in Town Hall, has been deteriorating for the last 28 years and is not a viable long-term option. 

 

This is something the Public Safety Advisory Committee agreed to early on during the project. 

 

The sticking points have been cost and location, which had the advisory committee in gridlock for months. Several public officials have expressed their desire to have a new station constructed on town-owned land for the cost savings. 

 

However, the only land sizable to fit the facility is next to the Senior Center, but some neighbors have conveyed their disapproval for that space, which had been earmarked for affordable housing. 

 

The town's consultant, Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC based in Berlin, Conn., ranked the old Dalton High lot, located in front of the Senior Center, as the most viable option.  

 

After a lot of debate between committee members and a stalemate between the committee, Select Board, and residents, the committee directed the town's consultant, Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC in Berlin, Conn., to do a feasibility assessment of the existing space.

 

This task is in addition to his work in developing a rendering of both a one-story and a two-story station on a "fictitious" parcel that resembles the lot next to the Senior Center.

 

Fire District

 

The Fire Department welcomed its new ambulance in March, after voters approved borrowing up to $350,000 for its purchase and any related costs.

 

The ambulance will not only transport patients but also honor late firefighter Christopher Doyle, who died on Sept. 15, 2019, from a sudden heart attack at age 27. 

 

The district has also been navigating how to address its space limitations and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues. 

 

In October, an ad hoc committee was established to investigate the options to address the station's needs in a feasible manner. 

 

To help mitigate cost, fire station staff have been working to renovate the basement of the fire station. The basement is used for a day room and workout/decompression area by staff. 

 

Berkshire Concrete 

 

For the last year, several residents have attended numerous meetings to voice their frustrations about sand leaving Berkshire Concrete's unauthorized digsite. 

 

Attendees emphasized that the dust is a nuisance, and believed to be, by residents, an environmental concern and health risk. 

 

The process of getting this addressed has been slow given public officials uncertainty with how to address it. Residents were jumped around to several different boards because of the multifaceted nature of the situation. 

 

In February, the town ordered Berkshire Concrete to stop work on the site because of a "clerical error" that resulted in abutters being improperly notified. 

 

Although work stopped on the site, the sand laid out in the open with only part of it being mitigated because Berkshire Concrete intended to get a special permit to continue mining on that parcel. 

 

In October, the Zoning Board of Appeals determined that Berkshire Concrete's unauthorized dig site on parcel No. 105-16 needs to be fully remediated or covered to abide by town bylaws. Berkshire Concrete has since appealed this determination.

 

During the special permit hearing in November, Planning Board members continued Berkshire Concrete's hearing to provide them time to supply more updated, accurate, and clear plans. 

 

It was recommended that Berkshire Concrete review the recommendations made by the town's consultant Berkshire Environmental Consultants, which determined the dust mitigation plan as insufficient. 

 

In December, the hearing was continued again into next year with the stipulation that Berkshire Concrete, a subsidiary of Petricca Industries, have all its documents submitted to the town 10 business days prior to the next meeting.

 

Berkshire Concrete has engaged Foresite Land Services to provide the documents requested by the board. 

 

Bardin Property 

 

After navigating regulations that complicated the town's attempts to sell the Bardin property, the town sold the three parcels under a state Department of Agricultural Resources to Thomas and Esther Balardini for $150,000. 

 

The 148 acres of land, which consist of three parcels, came into the town's possession in 2016 in a taking for delinquent taxes. The town first placed a lien against the property in 2009.

 

Now that the sale of those complicated parcels are complete, all that remained was to sell the last parcel, which was believed to be straightforward as it is not impacted by APR.

 

However, this proved wrong when the board voted to sell the 9.15-acre property, located off Route 9, right on the town line of Windsor, to the third highest bidder. 

 

The town received four bids on the property: $30,000, $31,500, $51,000, and $51,510. Dicken Crane of Holiday Farm was the highest bidder at $51,510 but was not awarded the parcel. 

 

Despite this, the board awarded it to them in an effort to keep the property intact. Pagliarulo voted against this decision and Esko was not present for the first vote. 

 

After hearing of the board's decision, Crane attended the next meeting to request the board reconsider its decision before signing the purchase-and-sale agreement, clarifying what he believed to be misconceptions that lead to the decision. 

 

Despite Crane's requests, the board maintained its initial vote and agreed to sign the purchase-and-sale agreement to the Balardinis. The decision passed 4-1, with Esko voting against. Pagliarulo said he voted in favor to respect the initial vote. 

 

Residents again flocked to a Select Board meeting to protest the sale, demanding answers as the three member board signed the quitclaim deed.

 

Close to a dozen people attended this Monday's meeting, which had one item on the agenda: to "discuss and act upon transfer of [the] North Street parcel to Thomas and Esther Balardini." 

 

The agenda did not have public comment and residents were not happy about that, protesting and demanding a reasoning for their decision. 

 

Dalton Cable Contract

 

The station has been operating in Dalton for more than four decades, broadcasting on topics including public interest, education, local news, and local sports. However, the last time it had a contract was in 1997 with Time Warner Cable, which was purchased by Spectrum in 2016. 

 

The Cable Advisory Committee has been working to update its contract with the hopes of negotiating a 10-year license contract which would include PEG (Public, Educational, and Governmental) capital, capital contributions, franchise fees, connections, and other items to be negotiated to help meet cable association's needs.

 

Budget Challenges 

 

The town is entering the new year and will soon embark on its budget planning process. This year however, will come with a notable challenge.

 

It has been said that this year's budget planning will demand both strategic thinking to ensure financial stability for the town while maintaining critical services.

 

The town does not have a lot of budgetary flexibility because it does not have a lot of room with relation to Proposition 2 1/2.