Dalton Traffic Commission Advises on Senior Center Voting

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Traffic Commission will be sending the Select Board a letter with recommendations on ways to improve voting at the Senior Center. 
 
During its meeting on Wednesday, Traffic Commission Chair William Drosehn informed everyone that the Select Board has requested they draft a letter about how voting at the Senior Center has been going thus far. 
 
Last August, the Select Board voted to relocate the town's polling station to the Senior Center to improve accessibility for voters with mobility impairments. 
 
There have been two elections at the new location so far: the primary and local elections. Based on their observations of these elections, the commission's main recommendations were to have employees park farther away, improve signage, and consider getting a shuttle to the Senior Center. 
 
The primary elections were "pretty orderly" and had a fair number of people. However, the 12 to 15 people working the polls and the people who work at the Senior Center took up almost 25 percent of the parking, Drosehn said.
 
One possibility is to have the employees park along the edge of the road or in the grass field. 
 
Fire Chief Christian Tobin said parking on the edge of the road is fine and commented that the grass field is nice, but the more cars that go on it, the more ruts and mud will form. 
 
Tobin recommended having a shuttle service in which voters park at different locations around town, such as the American Legion and First Congregational Church, and the shuttle brings them to and from the voting station. 
 
Drosehn said he was amazed at how well voting at the Senior Center went. On the day of the town election, it was pouring rain, and people were trying to park close to avoid the rain. The way they were coming in was like a well-organized dance, he said. 
 
Voters formed a line that didn't get out into the road and waited so they could be close enough to the door and not get soaking wet, he said.
 
"I think judging by what I've seen that parking lot because of the way the parking is … it's diagonal parking, not straight. So it seems like that works nice and smooth for everybody," Drosehn said. 
 
He said the big problem with having voting at the Community Recreation Association was that it was difficult to get in and out of the parking lot and that may be why a lot of people didn't vote. 
 
The turnout at the last two elections was better than average, Drosehn said. It is unclear if it is because of the type of election or if it was because voting took place that the Senior Center. 
 
Commissioner Adelard Nadeau said the commission needs to discuss traffic flow in that area during elections. The streets are narrow and not designed for that amount of traffic, he said. The real test will be during the November general election. 
 
This is when a shuttle service would come in handy, Tobin said, there would be no worry about the weather and blocking the center with a line of cars. 
 
Commissioners also recommended the need for more signage the day of and leading up to elections. 
 
Tobin recommended the town utilize the solar-operated signs to say when elections are taking place and where. They work 24/7, and eyes are drawn to them because people are used to seeing them for road direction. 

Tags: traffic commission,   voting,   

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Pittsfield Subcommittee Supports Petricca TIF

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Some city councilors are happy to support a longtime city construction company's expansion. It will take a majority of the council support the tax exemption plan.

On Monday, the Finance subcommittee voted in favor of a 10-year tax increment financing agreement for Unistress Corp.'s $4 million expansion at 550 Cheshire Road, which is expected to create 50 new jobs. 

"This is the perfect opportunity. When we give out TIFs or we give out GE economic funds, people talk about helping local business. This is a great local business that hires a lot of people, that pays good salaries so I'm 100 percent for this. This is an easy slam dunk for me," Councilor at Large Earl Persip III said.

"I don't know anybody who's against this. The only time I hear people are against it is they don't understand the TIF program and how it actually works."

Last month, the council acted as a decades-defunct financing authority to OK MassDevelopment assistance for the company. Approval from the Pittsfield Industrial Development Financing Authority, formed in the 1970s, is needed to move the process forward yet that body is far in the past.

At the time, Mayor Peter Marchetti reported that he would return with another proposal to help the company.

"Petricca doesn't have to put an expansion into Pittsfield just like years ago, Interprint did not have to put an expansion in Pittsfield. They could have chosen to move to Georgia, which was on the table for them and an opportunity," he said.

"So anytime the city can come to the table and assist a local business, especially to grow and expand, we should be there with whatever tools in our toolbox that we have."

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