Lanesborough Public Safety Committee to Query Residents on Rejected Proposal

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Public Safety Building Committee wants to know specifics of why residents voted down the nearly $6 million dollar police and EMS complex in March.

About a month into its work, the reconstituted committee is mapping out a survey for this purpose.

"This committee was criticized for not being transparent and not having the public involved," Chair Mark Siegars said about the now-dissolved Police Station Committee. "And we're going to just go the opposite direction."

On Tuesday, the panel approved a drafted survey that queries residents on their attendance or lack of attendance at the special town meeting in March where the vote was made, if they voted for or against the proposal, and if the committee should present more public information.

Utilizing Zip 'N Sort mail services, they plan to send the survey out to registered voters and have it available at Town Hall, at the annual town meeting on June 13, and on election day on June 20.

Included in the ATM warrant is a vote to appropriate and transfer $40,000 from the town's stabilization fund for the redesign of the new public safety building. Because $108,000 was approved at last year's ATM and has not been used, it will not create an additional burden on the taxpayers.

"So it is no new taxes," Siegars said. "It already sits there to be used on the police station."

The funds will go toward a geotechnical survey to determine if the former Skyline Country Club at 405 South Main St. is suitable for building.

Also during the meeting, member Eric Harrington defined a path forward for the committee.


"I think we've done a great job at getting our heads in the same direction, tackling things," he said to his colleagues.

After sending out the town survey, the panel will evaluate and discuss the responses and then potentially create a design for a police department and cost.

"In case this survey comes back this way that the town only wants to see a police department we have to be prepared for that," he warned.

Siegars reminded the committee that its mission is to explore various options for the proposal.

"Our mission is to look at just a police station, a police station with EMS, a police station with an add-on later of EMS, a police station EMS without a carport in that location," he said.

The next job will be to research funding for the station. They will research what monies are available in Lanesborough, what grants are available and what is the maximum available dollar, and what is available elsewhere without raising the tax rate.

"Monies is a big one," Harrington said. "It's going to be our biggest hurdle, it's going to be our busiest time, I think, in this project."

He believes that they can do the project without raising the tax rate even a dollar.

The committee will meet again on June 27 and it will have a public meeting on July 8 in the community room at town hall.


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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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