Woodlands Partnership Hosts Survey, Listening Sessions on Emergency Response

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WINDSOR, Mass. — The Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts is embarking on a public safety services study of the 21-town region with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Collins Center will focus on municipal services in the Woodlands Partnership region as they relate to increasing tourism, use and accessibility of public forests, diminished tax base, and the ability of first responders to provide emergency services.

Funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the study is intended to provide towns with direction and support in receiving additional funds and identifying strategies for municipal financial sustainability, as well as inform state policy and procedure related to Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) on state-owned land and other programs.
 
Three listening sessions will be held for community members and emergency responders to provide feedback about experiences and suggestions for improvement. The sessions will be held:
  • Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom (online)
  • Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Windsor Town Hall (hybrid)
  • Thursday, February 27, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Shelburne Fire Dept (hybrid)
For more information and to learn how to attend, please visit woodlandspartnership.org/events. Can’t make it? Take the surveys here. First Responders: https://tinyurl.com/3vp3eat7; Community Members: https://tinyurl.com/bddvv52x. Email kconlin@newenglandforestry.org for a paper copy.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Parks Commission OKs Wahconah Park Event, Clapp Park Dugouts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Baseball dugouts are planned for Clapp Park, and in April, the community will have one last look inside the historic Wahconah Park grandstand before it is demolished. 

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved a "Farewell to the Grandstand at Wahconah Park" event to be held on April 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Jennifer VanBramer explained that the event will allow the community to see the more than 100-year-old structure before it comes down later in the spring. 

"Attendees will be able to go up to the top of the ramp to get a look into the grandstand for one last chance and quick photo op, but they can't get any further due to safety concerns," she explained. 

The property at 105 Wahconah St. has drawn attention for several years after the grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022. Planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option; a $15 million rebuild is on the table. 

There will be speeches from city officials and Baseball in the Berkshire Director Larry Moore, a slideshow with old photographs and memories shared from the community, a table with renderings of the new grandstand, a memory table, and a story booth where short interviews can be recorded. 

"Ernie the Hot Dog Guy" is also confirmed as a food vendor. 

"We're looking forward to great weather, and unfortunately, we won't be able to get everyone fully into the grandstand, but certainly we'll be able to have folks view the grandstand from the safe areas of the grandstand," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained. 

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