Lanesborough Asks for Input on Master Plan

12:44PM / Thursday, October 24, 2024Print Story | Email Story

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Residents are being asked to weigh in on the development of the town's first master plan.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, through Senior Community Planner Seth Jenkins, is working to meet with town officials, boards/committees, and citizens to inform the plan.

The document will provide the town with a clear direction for development, growth, and investment in the coming 10-20-year timeframe. The Planning Board will oversee the document's creation and help to implement the plan's objectives.

Master plans are typically divided into the following sections: goals and policies, land use, housing, economic development, natural and cultural resources, open space and recreation, services and facilities, circulation, implementation.

Massachusetts General Law, Title VII, Chapter 41, Section 81D assigns the responsibility of creating a master plan to the Planning Board to provide "a basis for decision-making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality."

To inform their decisions, the Planning Board needs input from the residents and stakeholders — the deadline is Nov. 1.

"We are asking residents and businesses to tell us about their needs and desires for the town's future," said Jenkins. "The master plan is being paid for with a $50,000 grant from the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and $10,000 matches from both the town and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission."

The plan is expected to be finished by May 31, 2025. The link for the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/r/LanesboroughMP.

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Berkshires Remember First Responders, Military Personnel Lost at 9/11 and Aftermath

By Jack Guerino & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:30PM / Friday, September 11, 2026

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre speaks at Friday's memorial.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The county's two cities held memorials on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Great Barrington was scheduled to hold a dedication of piece of steel from the World Trade Center at 6 p.m.

North Adams held its ceremony in the fire station's side garden starting at exactly 8:46 a.m., the time Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.

The small square of grass was packed with police officers, firefighters, wire and alarm personnel, dispatchers, and Northern Berkshire EMS employees, and city employees, officials and community members.

After the ceremonial tolling of the bell, an honor guard presented the colors.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey said it felt odd welcoming people to a very solemn event.

"What happened 25 years ago put a mark on emergency services. It put additional pressure on police, fire, EMS, and dispatchers," Macksey said. "While we remember those who lost their lives during 9/11, and those who ran to help as many as they could during 9/11, we have to pause and appreciate those who continue to serve despite that awful threat that occurred 25 years ago."

She said it was a direct attack on the United States and all of its people.

"It was a question of our freedoms and our ability to be safe in our communities," the mayor said. "I can say today that here in North Adams, it could happen to us, but I know with the professionalism of our Fire Department, Police Department, EMS, and our dispatch team, we are a better community; we are a safer community than we were 25 years ago."

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