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The new Dalton ambulance has arrived and now has to be customized with decals and lettering.

Dalton Fire District Ambulance Arrives

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District's new ambulance has arrived and is anticipated to be in service by March 1 as an Advanced Life Support unit.
 
The new apparatus arrived in basic white so still needs its decals and lettering put on and to be outfitted with supplies.
 
In December, district voters approved borrowing up to $350,000 to purchase a new ambulance and any related costs.
 
The district contracted RSI Signs in Pittsfield to complete the 2024 Ford F450 Road Rescue Ambulance decals. 
 
The department is still using its 2019 Ford Econoline for calls until the new apparatus is ready to be put in service.
 
The Fire Department has two ambulances: a 2019 Ford Econoline and a 2016 International. During several meetings, it was demonstrated that both vehicles needed to be replaced because of their deteriorating condition. 
 
The district will be trading in both vehicles. According to previous comments from the district, the Ford has a trade-in value of $30,000 and the International $2,500. 
 
All the paperwork to trade in the vehicles has been completed, District Clerk and Treasurer Melanie Roucoulet said. 
 
The district got a loan from Greenfield Co-op with a 4.75 interest rate, which could go down in following years. 

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Pittsfield Cannabis Cultivator Plans Dispensary

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD. Mass. — A cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has opted to sell its products on site in Downing Parkway. 

The Zoning Board of Appeals this month approved a special permit for J-B.A.M. Inc. to operate a dispensary out of its existing grow facility. There will only be changes to the interior of 71 Downing Parkway, as there will be less than 500 square feet of retail space in the 20,000-square-foot building. 

"My only concern would be the impact, and really would be traffic, which I don't think is excessive, the odor, if there was one, but that doesn't seem to be an issue, and I think it's a good location for a marijuana facility," board member Thomas Goggins said. 

The company's indoor cultivation site plan was approved in 2019, an amendment to add manufacturing and processing in 2021, and on the prior day, a new site plan to add a retail dispensary was approved by the Community Development Board. 

J-B.A.M. cannabis products are available in local dispensaries. 

The interior of the facility will be divided to accommodate an enclosed check-in area, front entrance, retail lobby, secure storage room, offices, and two bathrooms. There are 27 parking spaces for the facility, which is sufficient for the use. 

No medical or recreational cannabis uses are permitted within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a setback that is met, and the space is within an industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac. 

"The applicant desires the restructuring of the business to be more competitive in the industry with the ability to grow and sell their own cannabis products so they have more financial stability," Chair Albert Ingegni III, read from the application. 

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