BRPC Weighs In On Pittsfield's Reservoir Repair Project

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

BRPC's Executive Committee approved the comments Wednesday made by the Clearinghouse Committee about the project.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is concerned about ongoing maintenance of the Cleveland Reservoir infrastructure in Hinsdale.

The reservoir off Old Windsor Road is owned and operated by the city as a public water source.

The diversion pipes at Cady and Windsor brooks, which feed into the reservoir, are scheduled for renovations but will require up to a decade of constant monitoring.

The plan is to dredge sediment that accumulated at and upstream of two diversion conduits as well as to stabilize the eroded stream bank on the south side of the main diversion pipe and make minor repairs to the diversion dams.

The plan calls for a system in which there will be periodic dredging of the stream channels every five to 10 years and BRPC wants to make sure there is clarity regarding when and how often dredging happens. BRPC filed a report asking the city and state agencies to set benchmark conditions and continue to monitor and document the streams' change.

Additionally, BRPC hopes that the smaller streams and tributaries are be restored to proper flow levels.

"There is very little water going downstream after the spillway," BRPC Regional Issues Committee Chairman James Mullen said of a site visit.

The stream channels were built in 1948 and at the time, the engineers did not put much focus on those smaller waterways, said BRPC Executive Director Nathaniel Karns.



"They [the diversions] have been in place for decades," Karns said. "At the time they didn't care if they diverted all of the streams."

The project is expected to begin in May and be completed by September. The dredging is expected to be about 1,500 yards, including 280 feet of Windsor Brook and 640 cubic yards of Cady Brook. Approximately 28,000 square feet of land underwater will be affected by the dredging.

In the end, the project will get rid of the large deposits of sediment that is limiting storage capacity and not allowing the water to pond. With more ponding, the water quality will be improved.

Cady Brook and Windsor Brook provide 90 percent of the reservoir's water.


Tags: Berkshire Regional Planning Commission,   reservoirs,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Man Accused of Kidnapping, Shooting Pittsfield Man

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Dalton man was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly kidnapping and shooting another man.

Nicholas Lighten, 35, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Friday on multiple charges including kidnapping with a firearm and armed assault with intent to murder. He was booked in Dalton around 11:45 p.m. the previous night.

There was heavy police presence Thursday night in the area of Lighten's East Housatonic Street home before his arrest.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Dalton dispatch received a call from the Pittsfield Police Department requesting that an officer respond to Berkshire Medical Center. Adrian Mclaughlin of Pittsfield claimed that he was shot in the leg by Lighten after an altercation at the defendants home. Mclaughlin drove himself to the hospital and was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries. 

"We were told that Lighten told Adrian to go down to his basement, where he told Adrian to get down on his knees and pulled out a chain," the police report reads.

"We were told that throughout the struggle with Lighten, Adrian recalls three gunshots."

Dalton PD was advised that Pittsfield had swabbed Mclaughlin for DNA because he reported biting Lighten. A bite mark was later found on Lighten's shoulder. 

Later that night, the victim reportedly was "certain, very certain" that Lighten was his assailant when shown a photo array at the hospital.

According to Dalton Police, an officer was stationed near Lighten's house in an unmarked vehicle and instructed to call over the radio if he left the residence. The Berkshire County Special Response Team was also contacted.

Lighten was under surveillance at his home from about 7:50 p.m. to about 8:40 p.m. when he left the property in a vehicle with Massachusetts plates. Another officer initiated a high-risk motor vehicle stop with the sergeant and response team just past Mill Street on West Housatonic Street, police said, and traffic was stopped on both sides of the road.

Lighten and a passenger were removed from the vehicle and detained. Police reported finding items including a brass knuckle knife, three shell casings wrapped in a rubber glove, and a pair of rubber gloves on him.

The response team entered Lighten's home at 43 East Housatonic before 9:30 p.m. for a protective sweep and cleared the residence before 9:50 p.m., police said. The residence was secured for crime scene investigators.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories