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Dalton Green Committee Needs Survey Participants

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee needs more responses for its climate action plan survey. 
 
Only 40 responses have come back, 33 digital and seven hard copies, which is only about a third of the way to the committee's goal of 96, committee member Todd Logan said during Wednesday's meeting. 
 
The plan aims to guide the town toward achieving the state's net zero goal by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease its dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 
 
The plan should be detailed enough that the town knows what it needs to do and when to complete each subproject on time. 
 
A key aspect of this is gathering as much information as possible to accurately determine what the majority of the community believes to be its needs and priorities.
 
The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and is available electronically and in hard copy.
 
Hard copies of the survey are also available at the Town Clerk and Tax Collector offices and the Dalton Senior Center. 
 
Completed surveys can be dropped off at the Town Clerk’s office or the Senior Center. The committee hopes to have enough completed surveys by early December. 
 
Although the survey asks participants to include address information, the committee requests these details solely to guarantee that all town areas are fairly represented. This information will be removed from the final results shared at public meetings. It is solely used to guarantee all town areas are fairly represented.
 
Committee members have undertaken several ways to distribute the survey to make it accessible.
 
Committee member Antonio Pagliarulo has been working with the Central Berkshire Regional School district superintendent to give the survey to staff at Wahconah Regional High School, Nessacus Regional Middle School, and Craneville Elementary School, Committee member Laurie Martinelli said. 
 
In addition, Martinelli said she is working with Wahconah Regional High School student Jackson Crow to circulate the survey to Daltonian youth. 
 
Committee members Todd Logan and Thomas Irwin have also been handing out hard copies of the surveys. Irwin will be working on transcribing the data into the spreadsheet under the name “paper copies” so that they can differentiate where the responses came from. 
 
To ensure accuracy, paper copies will be kept in case Cisco Tomasino, the climate and events manager needs to refer to the original version. 

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Hinsdale OKs Police Department Audit After Fatal Shooting

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

HINSDALE, Mass. — The town has approved $25,000 for an administrative review of the police department, more than two months after police fatally shot 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil during a mental health crisis. 

Town Administrator Robert Graves said the shooting on Jan. 7 is not the only focus of the audit, and it will be several months before the Select Board receives a final report. 

During a special town meeting on March 11, an article appropriating $25,000 from free cash for an independent consultant to conduct a professional evaluation and audit of the Town's Police Department was approved. The audit includes a review of the department's policies, protocols, operations, and procedures, and concludes with a written report. 

"The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police are investigating the shooting, and we await their conclusions.  As we look to move forward, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, our insurance company (MIIA/Cabot Risk), and our legal counsel have recommended that the town hire an independent law enforcement consultant or firm to conduct a comprehensive administrative review of our police operation," Graves wrote in an email to iBerkshires on Friday. 

"This event is not their focus; they will assess the overall operation. We want a written assessment of our police operation's strengths and weaknesses to help Hinsdale make future changes and improvements." 

He said after completing the procurement process and signing a contract with a reputable consultant or business, it will most likely be several months before the Select Board receives the final report. 

"Still, it will help the town and police department move forward," Graves wrote. 

Last weekend, family and friends of Kauvil stood in Park Square asking for justice. A flier for the standout reads "Biagio was killed by police while experiencing a mental health crisis. Now, over seven weeks later, authorities have not yet provided any updates.

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