Lanesborough ARPA Committee Approves Funds for Police Station Sitework

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The American Rescue Plan Act Committee has approved $15,000 for geotechnical and other sitework for the combined police and ambulance building project. 

Police Station Committee Chair Kristen Tool asked the Select Board for the money on Monday, which the board granted pending ARPA Committee approval. The group unanimously approved the allocation. 
 
"She met with [Town Administrator Joshua Lang] on the subject. Josh suggested ARPA money, because there is not any money set aside for that," said Police Chief Robert Derksen. 
 
The committee also approved and additional $4,000 for technology improvements for the town, $1,800 for new town hall building keys and a little over $800 for defibrillator pads. 
 
After these appropriations, the ARPA budget has about $65,000 left over. Lang said the town received all of its allocated ARPA money. 
 
Lang said he would also like some remaining money to be set aside for work on a town master plan. He requested $25,000 from the committee, which he said should cover about half of it. 
 
"I think it's one of the most important things any community can can do. I've seen these types of plans help bring in new grants, new funding," he said. "As well as ensuring that, instead of working in silos a lot of times as we often see, it allows us to be unified in our planning going forward."
 
The committee was generally receptive to the idea. Select Board Chair Charlie Durfee said the committee would discuss the appropriation at its next meeting.

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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. 
 
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