The Select Board recognizes the service of Daniel Filiault, who resigned as emergency management director and from the Traffic Commission, at Monday's meeting held at Wahconah Regional High School prior to a special town meeting.
Dalton Select Board Announces Availability of Bardin Property
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board honored Emergency Management Director Daniel Filiault for his 42 years of service during their meeting on Monday night.
The former police chief has resigned from all appointed positions including the emergency management department and Traffic Commission so that he can retire and spend more time with his family and pursue other interests. Filiault had continued to be an active volunteer in the town's operations since his retirement in 2004 after 11 years leading the Police Department.
His resignation will be effective July 1 and he will be replaced with Glenn Lagerwall.
The board has also announced the availability of the Bardin property for purchase, which is the first formal step in the town disposing of the property.
During the town meeting on May 2, residents urged the town to sell the land rather than lease it.
The land is in both Dalton and Windsor, which led to issues about the ownership and the possible violation of an agricultural preservation restriction if it was sold by Dalton.
Some residents argued that the only way to resolve an APR violation would be to sell the land in Dalton and Windsor to the same person making it whole.
However, town officials cannot guarantee that the Dalton parcel be sold to the same person as the Windsor parcel because they have to put the land up for bid separately.
The board has also signed an agreement with CNRK Inc. of Northborough whose mission is to "facilitate environmental progress through the ethical and responsible collections of second chance clothing, shoes and household items."
CNRK will collect textile and other household items from a box at the transfer station that it has provided and pay the town 7 cents per pound.
"As textiles will soon be prohibited from municipal solid waste, we believe this is a win-win solution for the impending problem," Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said.
In other news:
• The board approve interdepartmental transfers for the following budgets: town manager, telephone/internet/email, town clerk, snow and ice, and employee fringe benefits. The finance committee also approved these transfers last Wednesday. For more information check out our previous article.
• The town is still in search for a highway mechanic.
• Anyone interested in the position of part-time recording secretary reach out to Administrative Assistant Alyssa Maschino at Ext. 202. The job posting can be found here.
The next Select Board meeting will be on July 11 at 7 p.m.
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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better Wages
By Katherine von Haefen Guest Column
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners.
Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families.
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child-care centers that provide slots for income-constrained families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly child-care director meetings to work on shared challenges and collectively propose solutions. We advocate for early childhood education and have a great partner in this work, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
Staffing is a key component of high-quality care. The research shows that skilled and consistent educators in a classroom create long-lasting change for children. However, wages are stagnant and frequently do not provide educators with basic financial stability. We often hear that educators have left the field because they are unable to make their finances work. Wages need to improve to better reflect the expertise and indelible impact teachers have in the field.
When we look specifically at our region, our data is concerning.
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we are struggling with transportation, affordable housing and lack of mental health resources, much like the rest of the state. We are also seeing a rise in economically challenged households.
After nearly 10 years of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant jump in income inequality, now exceeding the state and national trends and far above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Over half of our population are "economically challenged," meaning they are working but struggling to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-aged child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and public benefits just to meet their basic needs.
A large limb from a 32-foot sugar maple in the park fell next to the fountain area over the weekend. Caution tape and traffic barrels now surround the aftermath.
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The last estimate for construction was overly optimistic because, at the time, it was unclear how long obtaining the two easements would take, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
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Full cost estimates have not been completed but based on recent repairs made to the Clapp Park splash pad, it is estimated to cost between $350,000 and $450,000.
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King Kone had a soft opening at the end of the week, offering the frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.
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