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Pupils held up letters spelling out Happy Veterans Day and gave a meaning for each one.
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A map of where the Richmond veterans served.
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Sixth-grade pupils ran the introductory table.
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Veterans eating their meals during the luncheon.
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An entire wall was decorated with a message thanking the veterans.
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Pupils prepare to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Richmond Pupils Honor Veterans at Luncheon

By John DurkaniBerkshires Staff
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Richmond Consolidated School pupils prepare for the Pledge of Allegiance during the luncheon on Friday afternoon.  
RICHMOND, Mass. — The staff and pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade pupils of Richmond Consolidated School hosted a luncheon honoring the town's veterans on Friday afternoon.
 
About 30 veterans walked into the festive cafeteria and were introduced by the sixth-graders, who seated and asked each veteran what branch they were in and where they served — data that was written on a sticker with the veteran's name and stuck to a map based on the service location. 
 
Pupils from every grade participated in the event. Eighth- and fourth-graders circled the cafeteria interviewing the veterans, asking them what branch they served in, when they served and how military service influenced their life.

Other grades paid respect through poetry and song — the pre-K led the Pledge of Allegiance; the first grade breaking down each letter of the words "Happy Veterans Day" into praise and thanks; the second grade recited the poem "In Flanders Field" and the third grade sang "Thank You, Soldiers."

The seventh grade will work behind the scenes with the collected data and figure out distribution statistics, among other things.
 
The veterans were treated to salad, bread, ham and some sides, with the assistance of some pupils who were serving. They sat at tables each with a vase and poppy flower centerpiece created by first- and fifth-graders. 

"It's an important function, we've been doing this for four years now," said Sharon Renfrew, the curriculum specialist and sixth-grade world geography teacher. "They learn so much by having conversations with the veterans, and learn more about Veterans Day."
 
This event was also Principal Monica Zanin's first Veterans Day with the school, as she was appointed on Oct. 1 after a 14-year stint with Reid Middle School.
 
"It's so exciting, I'm so thrilled to be in this community," Zanin said, also crediting the teaching staff for making this event possible. "This is just a snapshot of what you see every day."
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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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