Dalton BOH Looking at Fines for Permit Scofflaws

DALTON, Mass. — The town is looking to be more proactive in ensuring businesses renew their permits on time.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Board of Health was presented with a draft notice from  Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Health Agent Jazu Stine to send to business owners about deadlines and fines for late permit renewals.

Stine said there has not been any motivating factors such as fines or deadlines for the renewals in the past and this should help businesses get those permits in on time. He has noticed a lot of businesses do not get their permits in on time and many do not get submitted until they are "chased down."

There are still businesses that have not applied for their annual renewal, which are needed by Dec. 1.

Dalton is not the only town asked to accept the draft; once it is accepted with any amendments, it will be uploaded into permiteyes online application. If someone does not submit their permit on time, a fine will be added to the permit fee and the permit will not be granted until fine is paid.

At the Board of Health's discretion, cease-and-desist letters will be issued to establishments that continue to operate without a current permit and have not made reasonable efforts to meet the permit renewal requirements.

The letter is planned to go out on Nov. 1, a month ahead of the deadline.

The board noted that Dwyer Funeral Home had not renewed its permit; multiple emails have been sent and calls made with no response. 

New board member Patrick Carsell works there and will speak with the owners and the board will give the funeral home a week before sending a letter. If not heard from, the board will decide what further action will need to be taken at the next meeting.

In other business, the board also spoke about amending the current noise ordinance bylaw as it currently states operating a chainsaw is a violation and its enforcements are unclear. The board plans to work with the Clean Air Committee to make it more realistic and enforceable.

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.