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News & Notes: Election Deadline Looms; Mall Road in Limbo09:23AM / Monday, August 03, 2009
Nomination Papers Due Tuesday for City Posts
By Larry Kratka
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The deadline for Pittsfield and North Adams candidates to return the required number of voter signatures to the registrars of voters is Tuesday at 5 p.m.
There will most likely be a preliminary election for the office of mayor in Pittsfield and for Ward 2, 6 and 7. Last week, a few new candidates took out nomination papers and, as late as Sunday, were making their way through the Pittsfield Ethnic Fair asking people to sign their paperwork. A preliminary election will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for any seat with more then two candidates in Pittsfield and the municipal election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The true political picture for the fall elections will emerge once political candidates turn in their nomination papers.
In North Adams, the top nine vote-getters will win seats on the council. Some 17 candidates, including seven incumbents, have announced their intention to run.
Pittsfield Ethnic Fair A Big Hit
By Larry Kratka
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The size of the crowd that attended Sunday's Ethnic Fair in the downtown may have been held down a little by light rain and the threat of heavy rain but it didn't dampen the spirit of the event at all.
Thousands of people walked the North Street route to sample food from all over the world, see the Birds of Prey exhibit and be entertained at both ends of the blocks-long fair. The Ethnic Fair also saw more visitors from out of town and out of state who had heard about the annual event and made it a point to be in Pittsfield to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.
The next big event for downtown Pittsfield will be Sunday on Wheels, the free Berkshire Bank auto show on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 10 to 3 on North Street, followed by Third Thursday on Aug. 20, which will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
Mall Road Holdup Continues
By Al Hartheimer
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Stakeholders in the Mall Road have to resolve their issues before the federal funding can smooth out the bumpy connector road.
In a conference call Friday morning, Gov. Deval Patrick said he is fully aware of the Mall Road problems and the importance of resolving them. He said he and Secretary of Transportation James A. Aloisi Jr. are working diligently to resolve them, that they are very close to resolving them, but that if they are not resolved, there will be no stimulus financing for repairs.
The road is considered in such poor condition that some ambulance services won't use it. It is one of the few byways connecting the Berkshires two main north/south routes, 7 and 8. The project is estimated to cost $10 million and include major reconstruction along the two-mile connector.
Selectman John Goerlach said, in a telephone call Friday morning, that the governor's view is correct and that Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto and Perri Petricca's "demands" are the source of the holdup.
Aloisi met with leaders of the Baker Hill Road District, which oversees the public road, Ruberto, Petricca and others on April 10 in Pittsfield. He indicated at the announcement of state funding for the Pittsfield streetscape project that the mall road could be paid for with stimulus funding if an agreement could be reached between the parties.
Contact Hartheimer at ahartheimer@yahoo.com to sign up for the Lanesborough newsletter.
Pownal Seeking Old Photos for Town Book
POWNAL, Vt. — The Pownal Historical Society is gathering old photos from the World War II era and earlier include in a photographic publication about the town's past.
Society members will come to your home to scan the photos so that photographs do not have to be loaned out. Any contribution will be cited in the book when it is published.
If readers know of anyone who has such old photos or have questions about appropriate photos, contact the society by calling 802-823-0198 or e-mailing pownal250@gmail.com.
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