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The Berkshire Family YMCA's board of directors has appointed Jessica Rumlow as CEO and executive director for the organization.

Berkshire Family YMCA Appoints New CEO

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Family YMCA's board of directors has appointed Jessica Rumlow as CEO and executive director for the organization.

Rumlow was appointed interim CEO and executive director in May after Randy Kinnas, the nonprofit's CEO for the last 19 years, moved on as director of Member Advancement for the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs.

"We're thrilled to work with Jess as the Y's new leader. Transition in leadership can pose several challenges; however, this has been seamless given her vast Y experience and understanding of the needs of the Berkshire County community," said Peter Moore, board president of the Berkshire Family YMCA. "We need her passion for the Y, vision and constancy as we embark on our capital campaign project."

Over the past several years, the Pittsfield Y has merged with the Northern Berkshire YMCA in North Adams, formed new partnerships with the Bennington (Vt.) Recreation Center and the Catholic Youth Center in Pittsfield, and intensively developed a plan to renovate and upgrade the Y's downtown Pittsfield location. All of this work has resulted in the expansion of critical childcare services, membership and programming throughout Berkshire County and beyond, positioning the Y to better serve the community far into the future.

The Berkshire Family YMCA currently operates facilities and program sites from Lenox, Mass., to Bennington, Vt., including three year-round facilities in Pittsfield, North Adams and Bennington, Vt., eight before- and after-school program sites, four child-care sites and three summer day camps.


"When my family and I moved to the area, we searched out the local Y. The Y made the transition easy," Rumlow said. "Pittsfield felt like home. I'm no stranger to Western Massachusetts, either. Until seventh grade, my family lived in Springfield, Mass., where my father worked in the paper industry.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to work with the community in this capacity. I'm particularly excited to be part of the Pittsfield Y's renovation project, from which the community will truly benefit."

Rumlow arrived in Pittsfield in 2013 with her husband and two children, the result of her husband’s job transfer with General Dynamics. She holds a master's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in communications. Passionate about the work of the Y, she began her Y career 11 years ago at the Southwood County YMCA in Central Wisconsin. Over those 11 years, she has held several positions offering her an in-depth look at how each role supports the organization's mission. She has the YMCA Team Leader Certification and she is in progress to receive her YMCA Organizational Leader Certification. She joined the Berkshire Family YMCA in 2013.

Rumlow is active on several nonprofit board of directors and committees, including the North Adams Rotary as chairman, Polar Bears Swim Team Parent Committee, Berkshire Compact, Berkshire United Way Advisory Group, and Belder Affordable Housing.

Jessica and her husband, Josh, reside in Pittsfield, where they are raising their two children, Evan, 8, and Hailey, 13.


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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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