iBerkshire Briefs: Clarksburg Road Repair, Pittsfield Nightclub Faces Board
Slope Washed Out on River RoadiBerkshires Staff
 MassHighway crews on Monday work on a River Road banking that washed out during the recent rainstorms. |
District 1 Highway Director Peter Niles said rains did not damage the road but the riverbank washout did come close to the guardrail. The affected slope is on the west side of River Road along the Hoosic River, just north of the bridge.
The department had to get environmental permits first and monitored the area before work began last Friday, he said.
A short section of the highway around the work has been reduced to one-lane. Niles said the road will not be worked on Tuesday but that crews will be back on Wednesday and should, hopefully, complete the repairs then.
Pittsfield Nightclub Called Before Licensing Board
By Larry Kratka
Berkshire News Network
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Licensing Board has scheduled a show-cause hearing for Monday, March 29, at City Hall to discuss Wendell Avenue-nightclub The Groove. The hearing comes after 26-year-old Jahda Martin of Pittsfield was stabbed to death in the parking lot of Burger King across the street from the club.
The owners of Burger King have also been invited to the hearing. According to Pittsfield Police, there have been several incidents connected with The Groove, including on Feb. 6 when a woman suffered a gash on her head after being struck with a beer bottle inside the club. A makeshift memorial to Martin has been created on the Wendell Avenue fence across the street from The Groove.
Public Input Sought on Routes 7 & 20 Section
By Larry Kratka
Berkshire News Network
LENOX, Mass. — A public meeting concerning a commercial strip along a portion of Routes 7 and 20 near the Pittsfield line will be held Wednesday morning at 8 at the Hampton Inn and Suites. The public is invited to put their 2 cents into a discussion about the stretch of commercial property that runs from Dan Fox Drive in Pittsfield to the intersection of New Lenox Road.
Along that way, there are multiple curb cuts, a center turning lane and many businesses. Wednesday's meeting is the first of several that are planned in the coming months that will hear about a transportation study that was begun last month and should be completed in June. The meeting was scheduled at an early time to make it easier for business owners and operators to attend.
Pignatelli: State Should Pay for Senate Election
BOSTON — Cities and towns shouldn't be burdened with the costs of the special Senate election, said state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, who's signed onto an amendment calling for municipal reimbursements.
"While necessary, the special election in January was essentially an unfunded mandate put on our cities and towns at a time when they are all counting their pennies," said the Lenox Democrat. "It is unfair to put this on their shoulders and I am glad to support this amendment that will reinstate the necessary funding our cities and towns need."
The election won by Wrentham Republican Scott Brown was held Jan. 19 to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward M. Kennedy.
The amendment, which calls for the allocation of $7.2 million to cities and towns, is part of a supplemental budget the House will be debating in its next formal session on Wednesday, March 24. The money was in the original bill that Gov. Deval Patrick filed in late January, but was omitted in the recent version released by the House Committee on Ways and Means.
