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Dalton Holds Community Sessions on Public Safety Building

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Since last August, public officials said the basement of the Town Hall is inadequate to house its police station, and now the town will demonstrate why through several community outreach initiatives. 
 

QR Code to Public Safety Facility Survey. More information at the bottom of the article. 
From tours of the deteriorating precinct, information sessions with the Public Safety Facility Committee, the development of a Facebook page, to a survey, the town is engaging the community to keep them informed of the situation and develop a solution. 
 
During numerous meetings, Police Chief Deanna Strout demonstrated the decaying condition of the current location of the department including mold, mice, water damage, plumbing issues, damage to cells, and more. 
 
For the last year, the committee has been coordinating the department, communication center, and town to determine the future of the department and communication center.  
 
Listed on the town website is a timeline and links to several documents including the indoor air quality report, air quality assessment, sewage backup, and the draft space needs assessment by the town’s consultant Jacunski Humes Architects LLC. 
 
Throughout August, the Public Safety Facility Committee will hold information sessions to provide community members with an update on its progress thus far. The first was held last Wednesday and the next on Monday at 1 p.m.
 
These sessions will include presentations on the current state of the department, a question-and-answer session, and a review of prior assessments of the station and possibilities for the future. 
 
Dates for the information sessions are as follows: 
  • Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. at the Dalton Senior Center
  • Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Dalton Library
  • Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Dalton Senior Center

Community members can see first hand the state of the police station during tours of the precinct which will take place on: Tuesday, Aug. 19, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 23, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m

Additionally, citizens are asked to complete a survey, which will help the town understand residents’ priorities surrounding the proposed facility. 

The brief survey includes questions that rate the department and communication center’s level of service and explores residents' understanding of the station's needs. 
 
It also requests what information they require to make an informed decision about the proposed facility, their level of support for the facility, and the reasons behind their opinions.


Tags: community forum,   Dalton Police,   police station,   

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Wixsom Leads Force 12U Softball Team in Tourney Opener

iBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Emma Wixsom struck out eight of the nine batters she faced in Friday’s opener of the Berkshire Fall Frenzy as the host Force 12-and-under travel softball team beat the Greylock Thunder, 14-0, in three innings.
 
Wixsom was credited with a perfect game in the contest, which was ended by the tournament’s run rule.
 
McKinley Bushika led the Force’s offense, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Charlotte Kotski tripled, and Lilly Tuohy doubled in a nine-hit attack.
 
In its second game in the six-team tournament on Friday evening, the Force beat the East Greenbush, N.Y., Xpress Crushers, 5-3.
 
Peyton Demary went 3 and two-thirds innings in the circle before giving the ball to Wixsom. Demary struck out eight while allowing two earned runs.
 
Kotski was a difference maker at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI in a six-hit attack for the Force.
 
Berkshire Saturday starts its day against the 413 Panthers out of Hampden at the Doyle Complex.
 
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