LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town recognizes the need for additional resources to clear damage from last week's storm.

On Monday, the Select Board voted to allocate additional funds for the highway department to come in on a Friday for brush collection. The Town Hall and offices normally operate on a four-day week Monday through Thursday.

"Just to be clear we do have overtime in the appropriated budget that gets allocated for the year," Town Administrator Gina Dario explained. "So this is not money coming from another appropriation, that's not the vehicle to do that."

On July 16, severe thunderstorms hammered parts of North and Central County, downing trees and limbs and leaving more than 8,000 customers without power.
 
The Berkshires, eastern New York, and parts of Southern Vermont were under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 that night. The storm came through shortly after 6 p.m. with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain.

Lanesborough and Cheshire Fire Departments asked residents to stay home and give them time to clear the roads. Drivers were asked to avoid Goodell and Miner streets in Lanesborough.

Brush collection was set to happen in the coming weeks and in the meantime, residents can bring brush to the town dump at Orebed Road.

"The town's DPW  and tree warden are continuing to triage support for damage created by last night's storm," a post on the town's website reads.