Lanesborough Health Board Investigating Complaints at Physical Therapy Office

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Board of Health on Tuesday discussed several complaints it recently received about a lack of mask-wearing at Greylock Physical Therapy.

Board member and town Food Inspector Nancy Simons-Ruderman said she had answered two calls to the board in recent weeks complaining about masks not being used in the facility. GPT, located at 31 Williamstown Road, is required by state COVID-19 regulations, according to the Simons-Ruderman, to have a masked and COVID-19 vaccinated staff.  

"These people do have a license with the state," she said. "So if they have a license with the state, they're supposed to, obviously, be following these requirements set by the state."

The most recent regulation has been in place since May 29, 2021.

Simons-Ruderman said she reached out to GPT about the complaints and left her number to get a response back from Lisa J. Baumgart, proprietor of GPT. Simons-Ruderman said the response she ultimately got was from Baumgart's lawyer telling her that further inquiries must go through their law office.  

"Two days later, I got an email from her lawyer. I don't know how he got my email address, but he sent it to my private email," she said. "And again, stating that all future inquiries need to go to their office. And then, maybe 10 days later, then we get the certified letter."

While Ruderman said there were no new complaints to the office in the last few days, she sent an email Tuesday to the state Department of Labor Standards regarding the issue. The board also discussed the possibility of sending a similar letter to other relevant entities.

"The other thing that the two people that called in said that was, 'They don't even ask, they don't even require the clients coming in to wear the masks either.' So, obviously, some of them are masked up. I thought maybe after I didn't get a response, I was going to ride up there and see, but then I said, 'Nah, give them time to respond. And then, you know, I get the email from her lawyer."

While such situations are usually not her focus as the board's food inspector, Simons-Ruderman said she felt it was necessary to follow up on the complaints. She said she would update the board again once she had more information on the situation.


"When you're an agent with the Board of Health, and we get complaints, we have to, because we're a representative, we have to follow through on complaints."

In other business, the board discussed the possibility of creating a survey on offering trash collection for Lanesborough residents.

"What I hear is, for the towns that have this service, people love it," said board Chair Lawrence Spatz.

Spatz said he created a preliminary list of questions that he thought of, noting that it could potentially go out with the next round of tax bills.

"If it doesn't increase the postage on the tax bill, it could go out with a tax bill," he said. "And the next one is in July."

Town Clerk Ruth Knysh said she has heard about residents wanting trash collection in the past.

"A resident came in today to pay her excise, and she was inquiring about why taxes are going up. And then she was like, 'I don't usually complain but we don't really, you know, get anything.' And she said, 'All I want is trash pickup.'"


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Lanesborough's Proposed Age Friendly Park Gaining Momentum

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. —The Senior Park Committee, now the Age Friendly Park Committee, is making progress with a plan that supports recreation for all stages of life.

The panel has over $30,000 secured for the project at the underutilized Bridge Street Park which is estimated to cost as much as $250,000 to build.  Elements include pickle ball, shuffleboard, bocce, and a "shezebo."

"(The park) really just got forgotten about and abandoned and I looked at it and looked at it and looked at it and said it shouldn't be abandoned. Our senior population is increasing, we're getting older," Chair Linda Pruyne said.

"My whole concept behind this age-friendly park is that when we were kids and we didn't have jobs and responsibilities, we'd go to the park and hang out with friends, and now we're retired, don't have jobs, we should go back and hang out in the park with our friends."

The effort has secured $15,000 in free cash during the last annual town meeting, $15,000 from the New England Rural Health Association with the help of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and $1,000 in private donations.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will start a complete replacement of the bridge over the Town Brook next year.  Some of the park will be used as a staging area before the improvements are made but committee members want to establish it as a place to gather so that it is well known once the project is completed.

A design made by William Cook includes a variation of game courts, seating, a walking path, and maintains the baseball field.  Pruyne came up with the idea for a "shezebo," which is an all-season combination of a "she shed" and a gazebo.

While they have estimates for a couple of elements, there is not a price set on the full project just yet.

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