Ruberto transition team sponsors team building talk

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Karl Kehde
Mayor-elect James Ruberto’s transition team is sponsoring a talk by nationally renowned land use researcher and author Karl Kehde on collaboration and team building among diverse interest groups to enhance proposed land development projects. The talk and subsequent discussion are open to the public and will be held on Friday, December 19 at 10 am at Mazzeo's Ristorante at 7 Winter Street in Pittsfield. Refreshments will be served and a small donation is requested. An award-winning land developer, environmentalist, and planning board member, Karl Kehde is the author of Smarter Land Use, a do-it- yourself guidebook for improving relationships and enhancing proposed projects. He has participated in more than 500 meetings among neighborhood groups, developers, and environmentalists in 48 land developments in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and the state of Washington to research the procedures he will present in his talk. “It turns out that when the primary purpose of a land development is to enhance community spirit, we get the best economic growth,” Kehde said. Reba Evenchik, a member of Mayor-elect Ruberto’s transition team, and her husband, Bruce Evenchik, invited Kehde to bring his innovative approach to working collaboratively to the Berkshires after hearing him speak in North Carolina this year. “I was very impressed with the way his approach brings together all the diverse elements of a community to work cooperatively,” said Evenchik. “Although his work focuses on land use issues – of which there are many here in the Berkshires, where we cherish the beauty of our environment – his innovative approach can be used in many different areas of life.” “Mr. Kehde’s talk is very timely considering the number of land use issues we face in Pittsfield and in the Berkshires,” Jim Ruberto said, citing the proposed Pittsfield airport expansion and river walk, the proposed waste transfer site off South Street and the Dalton gravel plant as examples. “Building up our community means building teams of people working together cooperatively, and I am willing to consider any constructive approach to accomplishing that goal.” Karl Kehde has personally designed, developed, and marketed three major residential real estate projects. He has built active and passive solar homes, implemented energy and wildlife conservation deed restrictions, and donated land to conservation organizations. He served 5 years on an Advisory Committee working on New Jersey's State Development Plan, and 8 years as a member of his town planning board. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Clean Water Association and, as a developer, received a Special Award of Merit from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and was awarded the Distinguished Planning Citation by the American Planning Association. In 1997 he was awarded a contract from National Park Service to help resolve environmental land use disputes. Kehde developed the "Project Integration Procedure," outlined in his book, Smarter Land Use, as way to involve all stakeholders - neighbors, developers, planning officials, and environmentalists - in a collaborative decision-making process. Funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and others, the book is the result of 12 years of hands-on learning and teaching. Smarter Land Use provides all land development stakeholders with a procedure for designing and gaining approvals for land development that improves local property values, reduces traffic congestion, enhances natural and historic resources, and builds community spirit. Kehde wrote the guidebook and invented the companion Collaborative Planning Kit so that communities can succeed with this procedure on their own with no outside assistance. The book, which includes a CD of sample forms and letters, and kit will be available for purchase at Kehde’s talk, and is also available for free in the form of downloadable PDF files at www.landuse.org . Kehde will be in the Berkshires from Thursday through Sunday and is available for free personal consultations on community land use issues by appointment. Kehde can be reached at karl@landuse.org or 908- 625-0638.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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