BRTA Advisory Board Discusses New Administrator Contract

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Advisory (BRTA) Board met Thursday to discuss the acceptance of the new administrator and their contract.

The board recently offered the position to Kathleen Lambert, former American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) project manager for Haverhill. Lambert has accepted pending contract negotiations.

The board met to discuss her three-year contract. Lambert is expected to start in December, and work with Malnati until mid-March.

The board discussed a salary range of $145,000 with room to negotiate.

The table also discussed if Lambert would have her own vehicle, which many thought wasn't needed. They also discussed reimbursing mileage or using agency vehicles. Ultimately, they referred to using the existing BRTA travel policy at the end.

During the conversation board member Rene Wood acknowledged she planned to file an open meeting violation complaint due to the contract discussion not being on the agenda.

Administrator Robert Malnati discussed the Link 413 project. The BRTA is expecting two buses. The  retired busses are from Pennsylvania. These buses will help start two new routes: one will go from North Adams to Greenfield and the other will go from Pittsfield to Northampton. 

Malnati also discussed BRTA ridership and said that numbers were higher than last year, also equating the higher number to the fare free program currently running.  July had 67,000 riders, and August had 65,000. The BRTA plans to continue to be fare free through June next year.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.