Pittsfield Disc Golf Course Jumps Second Hoop

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Parks and Recreation Director James McGrath presented the idea to the Conservation Commission on Thursday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The proposed disc golf course at Kirvin Park jumped another hoop Thursday after the Conservation Commission gave their approval.

The proposal faced questions of how it would "co-exist" with other usages at the park and future uses. Parks and Recreation Director James McGrath told the commission that the course is mostly laid out in a portion of the park that is currently not mowed or maintained so it shouldn't disrupt anything.

"It's a minimally invasive layout," McGrath said. "We really feel disc golf can exist without conflict with other activities."

Commissioners questioned the extent it would be used and need for maintenance and while McGrath said there have been no surveys performed, the sport is rising in popularity and parks across the country are making courses.


"I have a feeling this will be well used," he said.

McGrath said the area is not likely to need mowing because of the foot traffic. The course is set up on an area that is currently only mowed once a year.

In other business, the commission agreed to extend the conditions on the Pontoosuc Lake draw down. The lake is drawn down every winter. Every three years, it has a "deep draw down" of 5 feet and every other year it is drawn down 3 1/2 feet.

The deep drawdowns have been adopted by the city and the town of Lanesborough to help fight milfoil, a weed that had been increasing in density. The deep drawdown exposes the land under the swimming areas to the winter elements and kills the roots.


Tags: conservation commission,   parks & rec,   

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WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 
 
"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 
 
"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."
 
Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 
 
Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.
 
"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."
 
D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. 
 
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