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Bird watching from the kitten room.
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Sonsini Animal Shelter Celebrating Renovations

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The Sonsini Animal Shelter recently upgraded its facility, including revamping the flooring, upgrading the kennels and repainting. Adalia is two years old and needs a home.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a lot of barking for joy at the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter.

The shelter at 63 Downing Parkway recently completed a round of renovations that have given the former city garage a fresh face-lift that's making it easier to keep its occupants — animal and human — safe and happy.

Some 30 local business and individuals, including the city of Pittsfield, pitched into redo the stained concrete floor, recoat the metal kennels and install new latches, repaint the walls, and install new storage and a new dishwasher, among other changes.

"It really does take a village," laughed Krista A. Wroldson Miller, chairman of the shelter's board of directors as she ticked off the list contributions. "It's like getting a brand-new shelter."

Shelter manager Tobie Petkus agreed. "We're really thrilled," she enthused after a quick paint touchup before other guests arrived.

Sonsini held a invitation open house on Wednesday so contributors, volunteers and veterinarians could check out the changes. A public open house will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 5.

The biggest change was to the stained concrete floor. The porous surface was difficult to clean, took hours to dry and unsightly. The new light blue-gray epoxy surface throughout the shelter makes cleanup easier and looks better.

The "Real Life Room," donated by Allen Harris and Stacey Carver of Berkshire Money Management, has been freshened and lightened up, creating a more welcoming environment for prospective pet parents to interact with their chosen cat or dog.

 The shelter does its best to match the right pet to the appropriate family. "We try to find the best home," said animal care manager Danielle LaPointe.

The walls are decorated with photographer Martha Pope's images of past Sonsini residents and the former purple trim has been toned down to a more neutral color. Supplies are now stashed away in two large metal cabinets.

Big Wish List
Vehicle
Snow blower
Shade structure
Heavy duty agility equipment
Air conditioners.


Everyday Needs
Laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, office supplies
Purina One or Pro cat and dog food
Toys and slow feeders
Coconut oil, melatonin, lysine, mushers paw protectors, paw safe ice melt, lightweight snow shovels.

Outside, fencing has been repaired or replaced. And a shed is ready for chickens next spring to help keep ticks at bay.

"We're going to try it," Wroldson Miller said. "There are other shelters that have used them."

The no-kill municipal shelter sees some 300 dogs and 450 cats come through its doors on average each year. This week, there's a handful of dogs and a larger number of cats, including nearly 20 frisky kittens, seeking forever homes.

Sonsini also has a large base of volunteers, but about two dozen make up a dedicated corps that are regularly at the shelter.

One of those volunteers, Nancy Racine of Adams, will be honored at Saturday's open house for her efforts.

"She walks the big dogs and scrubs the toilets — she does everything, " said Petkus. "She's done an awful lot for us."

The shelter's dependent on getting donations to keep its doors open. Disaster struck in when the dryer, dishwasher and vehicle all quit at the same time.

"It is a mixture of patience, love, determination and community support that fuels Sonsini," Perkins wrote in its August newsletter.

It's that community support that resulted in the recent renovations that will make things a little easier at the shelter.

"It's going to streamline the processes," said Wroldson Miller. "It's going to save us more time for the animals.

"That's how it should be."

Supporting the renovations: Berkshire Custom Coating, Berkshire Fabric and Wallpaper, Berkshire County House of Correction, Berkshire House Hunters, Berkshire County Realtors Association, Berkshire Rooter, BJ's Warehouse, Canine Connection, International Automotive Parts, Josh Capitanio, Antonio Castagna, Central Radio, City of Pittsfield, Classical Tents, Dresser Hull, East Coast Refinishing, Elite Crete New England, New England Fence, McDonalds, Ray Roberts Reclamation, Repro Systems, Samara Logic, Shaggy Dog Photography and Martha Pope, Stockbridge Stone, Target, Turner Automotive and Weider Mechanical.


Tags: animal shelter,   pets,   

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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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