South County notes

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Dangerous intersection LENOX — Responding to residents’ concerns, the Selectmen are considering widening the road shoulder at the intersection of Plunkett Street and Route 20 and removing dead trees there. There have been eight accidents at this intersection in the last eight months, according to Police Chief Timothy Face. Six of the eight have involved northbound drivers on Route 20. It is difficult to see the intersection from Route 20, Face said. It comes just after Route 20 drops from two lanes to one, and traffic races through the bottleneck. Superintendent of Public Works Jeffrey Vincent said the Massachusetts Highway Department would have to approve and make any changes to the road. It is a state highway; the DPW cannot even take down the dead trees, he said. Board members have expressed concern because they do not want Route 20 to become a four-lane highway. MassHighway is already reengineering the Route 7 and 20 intersection and widening it. “The Plunkett Street intersection may be dangerous, but it is also very beautiful, said Selectman Robert Akroyd, who lived on the street for several years. “It’s the south gateway of the town.” He suggested Vincent challenge MassHighway to make the intersection safer but preserve its rural dimensions. Housatonic meeting HOUSATONIC — A town “visioning” meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7, at the fire station at 6 p.m. The meeting will be a public forum at which all members of the community can offer views on the needs and future of Housatonic. Some key issues to be discussed will include the Housatonic Elementary School reuse, the school playground, the Ramsdell Library, riverfront preservation, zoning and parking issues, town beautification, the scenic railway and the bike path. Rich Beatty, an urban planner and independent consultant who worked on the revitalization of Lee and North Adams, will moderate. Benji Koldys will offer a historical presentation of Housatonic, followed by an open discussion. Refreshments will be served. Bylaw hearing LEE —The Planning Board will hold a public hearing and vote on an updated subdivision bylaw Monday, Feb. 2, at 6:15 at Town Hall. Chairman Martin Deely said the new regulations represent more than a year of work with a consultant and local engineers and contractors. The changes to deal with small, technical regulations, he said: The Planning Board needed to replace out-of-date requirements for equipment, supplies and techniques that were not used and, in some cases, found to be dangerous. “The classic example is using fiber pipe for water lines,” Deely said. “The general nature of the bylaw hasn’t changed. It was simper to rewrite the whole thing than to amend it throughout. This way it doesn’t look like Swiss cheese.” The new regulations follow the same application process the planning board has always used, he said, noting that he does not expect much public comment. He sent 30 or 40 copies of the new regulations to local officials and contractors for review, he said, and the board held an informal hearing on the proposed regulations Jan. 19. Grange dinner STOCKBRIDGE — The Stockbridge Grange will serve a baked ham dinner, family style, in the Grange Hall on Church Street from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children under 12. Takeouts will be available. Information: 298-3185. Square dance LEE —The Elementary School PTO will host Cliff and Senta Brodeur for the second annual free evening of square dancing on Friday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of the school, 310 Greylock St. Part entertainment, part hoedown, the dance is intended as a community event for whole family and the public is invited. “We hosted this event last year and it was an amazing success,” said physical education teacher Janet Warner. “Children came with their parents and grandparents and everybody had a great time. With more than 200 community members participating, we knew this was something we had to do again. Cliff and Senta made everyone feel welcome and kept the evening lively and fun. In addition to traditional square dances and reels, they even taught us some line dances.” Based in Pittsfield, Brodeur has traveled over a half million miles from Canada to New Orleans, sharing the bill with some of country music’s greatest stars, such as Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gale, Ricky Skaggs, and Reba McIntyre. He will joined on stage by his wife of 34 years. In the past few years, the duo has introduced almost 3,000 children and parents to square dancing. The Brodeurs began their association with the Lee Elementary School last year through the physical education program run by Jen Brittain and Warner. In the week prior to the community square dance, third through sixth grade classes will engage in workshops led by the Brodeurs, which will expose them to traditional American square dancing, and they will learn basic steps and technique. The workshops are sponsored in part by the Lee Cultural Council, with funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, but the community square dance is funded through the Lee PTO. Refreshments will be sold. and donations will be accepted to help defray the cost of the evening. Information: Lee Elementary School, 243-0336. Choir services LENOX — The music office at Trinity Parish has announced that a Sung Service of Evening Prayer will be offered on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. in the church on Walker Street. The choir will comprise members of Trinity's Parish Choir as well as other singers from throughout Berkshire County and will be led by Jeff Hunt, Trinity's newly appointed organist and choirmaster. Interested singers are invited to call Hunt at 499-7320 ahead of time to reserve scores. Choir rehearsal will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the choir room. This service will be the first in a planned monthly series of Sung Evening Prayer, following the form in the “Book of Common Prayer,” Rite I. The services will take place once a month. The public is welcome. Information: Hunt, 499-7320. Art scholarships SHEFFIELD — The Sheffield Art League has announced the 29th annual college scholarship competition for high school seniors. The competition is open to any student from the Berkshire region who is applying for full-time study at a college, university or other accredited schools and plans to major in visual arts beginning this fall. In last spring’s competition, Aaron Garmon of Mount Everett Regional High School was awarded the $1,500 first-prize scholarship, and his classmate, Jenna Marchione, won a $1,000 second-prize scholarship. Due to the contributions of members, patrons and areas businesses, the league is able to offer up to $2,500 in scholarship awards again. Guidelines regarding submissions and registration forms have been sent to Berkshire County high school art teachers. Interested students should see their teachers. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, March 20, at the Bushnell-Sage Memorial Library, and student works will be on display there from Monday, March 22, to Saturday, March 27. The submitted pieces will be judged by a panel of members from the Sheffield Art League. Winners will be announced at a reception for applicants, their families and teachers held by the Sheffield Art League on March 27. Women’s workshop LENOX — The Arcadian Shop has announced its first “Explore Winter Women’s Workshop” in collaboration with Atlas Snowshoe on Friday, Feb. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Adventure athlete Cathy Sassin will be the presenter for the free workshop, which will explore ways that women who may not have previously been active during winter can enjoy outdoor sports. The workshop will highlight the Atlas Elektra series of snoeshows, designed by women for women. The short film “Winter Escape” will be shown. Reservations are suggested. The shop is at 91 Pittsfield Road. Information: 637-3010. Garden designer GREAT BARRINGTON —Gordon Haywood, author and gardener, will give a slide-illustrated presentation, “Your House, Your Garden, A Foolproof Approach to Garden Design,” on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Monument Mountain High School auditorium. His lecture will focus on creating a coherent landscape plan that seamlessly links house to garden. Haywood is the author of four books on gardening, including “Stone in the Garden” and “Garden Paths.” He has lectured for over 18 years for botanical gardens, including the New York Botanical Garden, Garden in the Woods, the Arnold Arboretum, the Chicago Botanical Garden and Longwood Gardens. His articles appear in numerous national horticultural publications. His own garden, which he tends with his wife Mary, is in Vermont. The program, sponsored by the Berkshire Botanical Garden, will be followed by a reception and book signing of Haywood’s latest garden book. Registration is required. The cost for the lecture is $20 for garden members and $25 for non-members. A group rate is available. The snow date is Feb. 15. Registration: the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 298-3926. Information: berkshirebotanical.org.
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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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