Patrick Administration Sets Public Forums in Berkshires

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Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian will host a public forum in Pittsfield.
BOSTON – Two in a series of statewide community forums on the state's current fiscal condition will be held in Berkshire County this week.

Gov. Deval Patrick and senior officials in the administration will host the public meetings as a way to give residents a chance to voice their opinions about the proposals being debated on Beacon Hill, allowing them to offer suggestions and ask questions.

"As a steep decline in revenue continues to force painful budget choices, now is the time for public officials to engage with the public we serve – to ask them what kind of government they want and how to best pay for it," said Patrick in a statement. "These forums will help us accomplish that critical goal, and bring the reform people want back to Beacon Hill."


Labor Secretary Suzanne Bump will be in Williamstown on Friday.
Patrick will kick off the series in Braintree on Monday. Registrar Rachel Kaprielian will moderate a community forum in Pittsfield on Tuesday, May 12, from 5:30 to 6:30 at City Hall; Labor Secretary Suzanne M. Bump will host a meeting in Williamstown on Friday, May 15, from 4:30 to 5:30 at Town Hall.
 
The governor pledged to veto the 25 percent increase in the sales tax that was approved by the House of Representatives unless the Legislature approves comprehensive reform proposals to streamline the state's transportation bureaucracy, close pension loopholes and strengthen ethics rules. 


The state has seen an unprecedented drop-off in tax revenues, including a nearly $1 billion decrease in April. The governor has already cut $1.3 billion from this year's budget and last week announced that the fiscal 2009 deficit may grow by $1 billion more to a total $4 billion before it ends in June.

He has proposed targeted tax increases dedicated to specific needs: a gas tax to pay for better roads and bridges, local option taxes to take the pressure off the property tax and removing the sales tax exemption from candy, soda and alcohol to help pay for public health programs.

House leaders have rejected the proposed gas and candy taxes; they've been cool to a local tax options on meals and hotels, although the Massachusetts Municipal Association supports the proposal.

For a full list of meetings, click here.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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