PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The governor has tapped Michael Case to head the Western Regional office of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Case took over the job on Feb. 1 and now oversees 39 parks from Mount Holyoke west, including Pittsfield State Forest, Mount Tom, and Mount Greylock.
"I've been a Berkshires guy all my life. I'm an outdoors guy. I couldn't say no," Case said on Friday.
The position is administrative and manages all of the state parks in the region. He oversees a team of district managers. The goal under Commissioner Leo Roy is to encourage usage of the state parks and "open up opportunities", whether it be hunting or hiking or other types of recreation.
"Commissioner Roy is focused on getting people to use the parks," Case said.
Case said one of his goals would be to increase the opportunities for camping by bringing more cabins and yurts to state parks. At October Mountain, there are three yurts that sell out quickly and Case said, "I would like to put some more in some of the other parks."
He added "we're putting a lot of money on the gravel roads" through parks, allowing residents to have better access.
Case spent 38 years in the military, retiring as a command sergeant major, and served four tours of duty. He said the governor's office picked him partially because of the leadership qualities he'd shown in the military. Beyond that, he also was an officer with the Pittsfield Police Department, seats on the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee and is a selectman in the town of Washington.
He also has been active in local veterans affairs and Republican politics, and is on the ballot this March 1 for Republican State Committee member.
The governor also appointed him on Monday as chairman the board of trustees at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke. There his focus will be first on finding a new superintendent after both the superintendent and the deputy resigned last year.
"The rest is to provide oversight and leadership," Case said.
The Soldiers Home is a fully accredited facility providing health care and full-time residential accommodations for veterans. It is state funded.
That unpaid position intrigued him because he wants to help serve veterans when they are at their most vulnerable. And being an avid outdoorsmen, Case said he leaves the DCR offices on South Street everyday with a smile on his face.
"I'm just really excited to fill them both," Case said.
Robert Mellace had been the DCR regional director until July 2015, when he retired. Since then the position has been filled on interim basis until Case's appointment. Case also replaces Steven Como as the chairman of the Soldiers Home.
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.
"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.
Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."
"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
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Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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