Bonnie Eastwood, left, and Nancy Kain have been confirmed to the Historical Commission. Both have been volunteering with the commission as associates for some time.
Dalton Board Approves Appointments to Historical Commission
Historical Commission members pose with copies of 'Down Memory Lane,' a compilation of columns about Dalton that the commission republished. Thirty copies have been sold so far.
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board approved the appointment of two new members of the historical commission during its meeting on Monday.
Bonnie Eastwood and Nancy Kain have regularly attended commission meetings and have been crucial for a number of projects including the reissuing of "Down Memory Lane" and staffing a table during Dalton Day. They also volunteer at the Fitch Hoose House.
Thus far the commission has sold 30 copies of "Down Memory Lane," Eastwood said. She hopes to become more involved with the historic Fitch Hoose House.
The house is a significant part of the town's history, so the commissioners want to encourage more visitors. They had a successful season last year, she said.
This year, the commission hopes to better prepare for Dalton Day now that it has moved back intoTown Hall and can allocate more time to planning, Eastwood said.
"Anything that we can be involved in because we're just really excited about being accepted as members," Eastwood said.
Although they have been regulars at the meeting, acting as Historical Commission associates, they did not have voting privileges due to the lack of vacancies on the commission.
Eastwood has been working with the commission off and on since the 1990s but due to her work schedule was unable to be an official member. Now that she is retired she has enough time to allocate to Historical Commission work.
"I am retired now and I've been back for over a year as an associate. I just love anything historical especially when it has to do with Dalton," she said.
Kain is not a native of Dalton but moved here in the 1980s to raise her kids.
During interactions with Eastwood and Historical Commission co-Chair Deborah Kovacs, she learned of the extensive collection the commission has, that was previously stored at First Congregational Church during the Town Hall renovations.
While moving the items back to the Town Hall, Kain and commissioners have been organizing the collection and rediscovering some items.
"I'm a retired librarian so that's kind of right up my area. I like to organize information and make it available to people so we've been working [on] just sorting out the files and the pictures and all of the stuff that's up there," she said.
"And we're very excited about ways that we might connect the community to the really interesting information that we have about the town."
The commission has an array of ideas on showcasing its collection once it is organized, including the possibility of having exhibits.
"We've been finding a lot of things since we've been going over all the things that have been stored away all over the place that are fascinating," Kain said.
"And I think they would be interesting to people that are in Dalton or even in Berkshire County or Massachusetts and we would like to further that whatever we can do," Eastwood added.
They also encourage community members to share their ideas on how the commission can present its collection.
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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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