Cheshire Selectman: Town Will Have to Take Stand on Pipeline

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Selectman Robert Ciskowski believes the town will have to make a stand on the natural gas pipeline being proposed to run through its southern section.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Selectman Robert Ciskowski on Tuesday warned his colleagues the town will eventually have to take a position on the controversial Kinder Morgan gas pipeline.

"I came into the pipeline meeting neutral ... but I think we are going to be in this up to our neck," Ciskowski said. "It's going through Cheshire, and I think at some point we are going to have to make a stand on it."

Ciskowski attended last Thursday's meeting  in Lanesborough about the pipeline and shared his concerns with the rest of the board. The meeting was one of several being sponsored by groups opposed to the Northeast Energy Project line.

Although hesitant to make an official statement about the 36-inch diameter pressurized natural gas pipeline that has been rerouted to possibly cross through Hancock, Lanesborough, Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale and Windsor, Ciskowski stated some of his concerns.

He mostly focused on the pipe's safety, how it will affect property owners' insurance, and whether or not the proposed economic plan works for Cheshire.

"I am trying to do a little more research on it myself ... but basically it could be really good for the area or real bad," he said. "I don't mean to be vague but there are a lot of variables for this thing."

Ciskowski also was troubled about the impact of compressor stations that are needed to push the gas through the pipeline. As of now, one of these stations may be built in Windsor. Ciskowski said this station will have to run an 80,000 horsepower compressor to maintain a maximum level of pressure.

"I thought that must be a typo, but it's not a typo," he said. "Eighty thousand horsepower is going to be some kind of three-turbine unit, and I wonder if we will hear 80,000 horsepower running in Windsor."

Ciskowski recommended holding a meeting with Cheshire residents who live within 1,000 feet of the proposed pipeline route and listening to their concerns. He also recommended meeting with selectmen from the towns affected.

"It will be interesting to see if we have common ground," Ciskowski said. "Maybe they have a totally different take on it."

He also advocated for holding an informational meeting, much like the Lanesborough meeting, for Cheshire residents and contacting Kinder Morgan representatives for a public meeting. Kinder Morgan is planning an informational session on Feb. 10 at Berkshire Community College from 6 to 8 p.m.

In addition to information on the pipeline, Town Administrator Mark Webber shared a letter he received from Lanesborough that asked for an open discussion about the possibility of sharing police services.

Lanesborough Police Chief Mark Bashara will retire in May and the Lanesborough Selectmen have contacted six municipalities, including Pittsfield, Dalton, Lee, and Lenox, to see if they were interested in sharing services to save money.

"They want to open up a discussion to see if there was an opportunity for a shared chief, a shared something, a shared patrol," Webber said. "I don't know if there is any opportunity there, but I said I would bring it up."

Webber said Lanesborough has seven full-time officers and seven part-time officers, two of which are paid for by the Berkshire Mall.

The Selectmen decided to refer the proposal to Police Chief Timothy Garner. Garner did not make any official statement, but said he will look into it.

"It has its advantages and disadvantages, and we have to weigh it out," Garner said.

Public Works Director Peter LeFebvre said because of recent sleety and icy weather, Cheshire's salt and sand supply has been depleted.

"There is nothing we can do, not with the way it's been coming down," LeFebvre said. "Yesterday, we salted and sanded then salted again, and this morning went through all the dirt roads and you couldn't even tell we were there."

He said more sand and salt has been ordered.

LeFebvre said one of the town's plow trucks may have to be decommissioned because of electrical issues. He said power to the truck's back end is gone and the transmission is malfunctioning. He said he will replace the transmission oil but suspects it is rooted in the electrical issue.

"Something is telling me it is more electrical, and if it is to that extent of an electrical problem, you don't want to fix it and we should replace it," he said. "I don't think we want to get into replacing all of the wiring. I don't think it would be worth it."

LeFebvre said the truck is a 2008 model and has 93,000 miles on it.

"It really isn't too bad," he said. "The stuff is getting old, and we had figured on the one-tons they will have five years of useful service. This is a 2008, so we got a few more years than we anticipated."

He said the town's new plow truck should be in Wednesday.

The town clerk has sent the attorney general's office the missing information from Cheshire's 2006 expanding of Zone II areas that protected Adams-owned wells. If not filed, the water protection bylaws would have lapsed.

Cheshire will receive an additional $101,000 in its Chapter 90 funds. The additional money comes from remaining Chapter 90 highway money released by Gov. Charlie Baker.


Tags: environment,   gas pipeline,   police chief,   

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Hoosac Valley High School to Stage 'Suessical'

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School will showcase their rendition of "Suessical," a musical based on the tales of Dr. Seuss by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
 
The performances are scheduled for Friday, March 15 at 7 pm, and Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online via the provided link. Prices are $8 for students and $10 for adults.
 
Directed by Rebecca Koczela and Amanda Watroba, the production features around 50 students participating as actors, pit band musicians, and backstage and tech crews. Notably, this year's cast includes several middle school students who have joined the high school production, marking their first experience performing on stage.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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