Norman Rockwell Museum presents "Housatonic River Reflections"

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For more than two hundred years, artists have been inspired by the Housatonic River and by the scenic beauty of the mountains and valleys of Massachusetts through which it flows. A national treasure in the heart of New England, the river has endured the pressures of industrialization and begun a lively recovery thanks to the dedication of many environmentalists and concerned citizens who care deeply about its future. "Housatonic River Reflections," a new exhibition on view at the Norman Rockwell Museum from August 13 through September 19, 2004, celebrates the talent and vision of regional artists who pay homage to the splendor of this beloved natural resource, exploring and portraying the river's many faces. "Housatonic River Reflections" will showcase award-winning art from juried exhibitions sponsored by the Sheffield Art League and Simon's Rock College, as well as work by other artists with a noted affinity for the Berkshire landscape. Artists featured in the exhibition include: Patricia Blair Ryan, Emily Buchanan, Mario Caluori, Erica Child Prud'homme, Laurie Cormier, Frank D'Amato, Stephen Filmus, Ann Getsinger, James Gilbert, Martin Greene, Keith Hatcher, Pat Hogan, William Holland, Helen N. Jacobs, Joan Jardine, Ann Jon, Chet Kalm, Karen Kellogg, Wendy Klemperer, Kate Knapp, Ruth Kolbert, Elisabeth Levy, C. Lee Rogers, John Manikowski, Melody Mason, Gene Montez Flores, Dorothy Napp Schindel, Bonnie Oloff, June Parker, Ivor Parry, Daisy de Puthod, Nina Ritson, Jim Schantz, Andrea Scott, Gabrielle Senza, Mary Sipp-Green, Karin Smith, Lennart Swede Ahrstrom, Sheila Tintera, Robin Tost, Margot Trout, Nancy Virbila, Catherine Wallace Harding, Barbara Winters, Tom Zetterstrom, Paul Zura. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on August 13, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition is free with Museum admission. "Housatonic River Festival" Saturday, August 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Celebrate the history, art and ecology of the Housatonic River with a family festival day to be held at the Norman Rockwell Museum on August 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. "Housatonic River Festival" will present hands-on art classes, nature workshops, gallery tours, performances and more. The festival is presented in conjunction with the new exhibition "Housatonic River Reflections." Presenters and performers at "Housatonic River Festival" include a cappella singing group Quintessential, Thunder Bay performance group, the Too Old to Care acoustic trio, ecologists from the Housatonic Valley Authority and the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, and artists from IS183, Sculpture Now, and the Sheffield Art League. Visitors are invited to meet and speak with representatives from Berkshire Canoe Tours, the Berkshire Fishing Club, the Berkshire Natural Fish Hatchery, Expeditions, the Housatonic Environmental Action League, Housatonic River Initiative, Housatonic River Outfitters, Housatonic River Restoration , Norman Anderson Sculpture, River Run, the Sheffield Historical Society, and Trout Unlimited. The event is free with Museum admission. For more information, the public is invited to call 413-298-4100, ext. 220. Visit the Museum's Web site at www.nrm.org.
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Dalton Eyes New Software to Streamline Payroll

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Since taking on the role of town manager, Eric Anderson has been finding ways to streamline operations to save on labor hours — now he is eyeing improving workforce management. 
 
"By my rough math, we're chewing up some 1,500 hours a year doing payroll, and there's just no reason for that. The way we're doing it now is incredibly inefficient," he told the Select Board last week. 
 
The board approved Anderson's recommendation to undergo contract negotiations with TimeClock Plus, a scheduling software designed to simplify employee time tracking and workforce management.
 
The town has 62 paid employees who currently submit their timesheets on paper, which are then manually reviewed by department heads, who calculate hours, vacation time, and prepare cover sheets before forwarding them to the treasurer or town manager to be approved. 
 
The assistant treasurer then spends several days each week processing the town's payroll, Anderson said. 
 
As part of his efforts to streamline this process, Anderson looked at multiple different services narrowing it down to TimeClock Plus, or TCP, because of its ease of integration with the town's regular financial software and that it's commonly used by municipalities. 
 
"Some of the payroll programs are designed to go directly to payroll companies, but since we do our payroll in house, this cuts all the manual correlation, and it filters directly into our existing [Enterprise Resource Planning] financial software," he said. 
 
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