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Suzin Bartley of the Children's Trust said helping families can prevent child abuse.
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Sen. Benjamin Downing.
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Tina Myers.
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Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
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City Council President Peter Marchetti.
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Child Care of the Berkshires President Anne Nemetz-Carlson.

Child Care Organizations Raise Awareness of Child Abuse Issues

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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One hundred and twenty-two pairs of shoes were laid out on the steps of City Hall, each one representing a case of child abuse per month in the Berkshires.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — One hundred and twenty-two children are abused in Berkshire County each month.
 
And that's only the confirmed cases. Many others are never reported or confirmed. That number continues to grow.
 
On Friday, child-care organizations and elected officials laid out 122 pairs of shoes on the steps of City Hall to raise awareness of the issue.
 
"While these are symbols, there are faces and names associated with every one," state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing said. 
 
The Children's Trust, a statewide organization, and the local Child Care of the Berkshires and Berkshire Children and Families hold the event annual in conjunction with child abuse prevention month. The display isn't only intended to raise awareness but also tell people that there is help out there.
 
"We're here to shine a spotlight on effective programs that get in early," said Suzin Bartley, executive director of the Children's Trust. 
 
Locally, the Children's Trust and Child Care of the Berkshires run several parenting programs — from an in-home parenting support and coaching for first-time parents to a family resource center in North Berkshire and a class for positive discipline. Bartley says the goal is to help create the best family structures for children to grow up in.
 
"We make it really hard for parents to know where things are in the area. Let's make it easier," she said.
 
Tina Myers is graduating from the program this year and said it changed her life. She was scared when she got pregnant and didn't have family who could help guide her. The program, she said, has made her a better parent.
 
"It was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said. "They guided me. They were my cheerleader the whole way. They helped."
 
The group also awarded state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, the "Western Massachusetts Champion for Children" award.
 
Pignatelli, however, said it is partnerships that make positive changes in the Berkshires. On the state level, funding for programs to help families can't be provided without help from the Senate, he said, and he is sharing the award with Downing.
 
"Partnerships are the only way we can be successful in the state Legislature," Pignatelli said.
 
But looking over those shoes, a sight he called "disgusting," Pignatelli vowed to continue to do everything he can to eliminate child abuse altogether.

State Rep. William 'Smitty' Pignatelli was presented the Western Massachusetts Champion for Children award. 
Anne Nemetz-Carlson, president of Child Care of the Berkshires, believes that can happen. While the numbers of cases are rising, and there was a death caused by child abuse in the last year, abuse can be stopped, she said.
 
"We have the commitment. We have the hope. And we have the passion to prevent child abuse," she said.
 
Berkshire Children and Families Executive Director Carolyn Mower Burns said the solution to the problem is right in the community. She said by being good neighbors, good friends, and voting for programs that support children, there is a solution.
 
"We can't expect state agencies to solve local problems," Burns said.
 
State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, sits on the Joint Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Subcommittee and was recently part of a panel investigating the Department of Children and Families. She said funding has been increased for the department but not at a pace keeping up with the needs and that the majority of the funds ends up going toward children who had been removed from homes. Instead, she is advocating for more funds to prevent families from reaching that point.
 
"We know that the opioid epidemic we are going through is putting a tremendous about of stress on the department," Farley-Bouvier said. 
 
City Council President Peter Marchetti also spoke, echoing many of the same themes.

Tags: child abuse,   children & families,   state officials,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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