BCC Offers Swim Clinic for Area High School Students

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will hold a swim clinic for high school students on Saturday, June 28 at 9:30 am at Paterson Field House, located on BCC's main campus at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield.  
 
The clinic is open to all high school–aged swimmers entering ninth through 12th grades in the 2025-26 school year. The fee is $45 ($30 for Paterson Field House gym members). The clinic is limited to 30 swimmers, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 
 
Coach Chris Colburn will lead the session, designed for high school swimmers preparing for the upcoming season who want to learn tips, practice drills and improve techniques for swimming faster and more efficiently. It includes 30-45 minutes of on-deck instruction, followed by about two hours in the water working on stroke mechanics and drills. Students will receive feedback on their strokes, as well as tips for applying that feedback during the high school season. 
 
Students should already be able to swim at least 100 yards of freestyle unassisted and non-stop. The clinic includes many drills, most of which will be one or two lengths of the pool. 
 
Proceeds from the clinic will benefit the BCC Athletics program. 

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday. 

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection. 

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data.  Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost." 

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor. 

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