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Fire Lt. Randy Stein, who heads the inspections, said Lenco has significantly more vehicles on site than allowed.

Pittsfield Fire Department Says Lenco Has Too Many Vehicles On Site

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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The Licensing Board will be looking for progress on both Lenco's plot plan and from the Polish Community Club's reopening process.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Fire Department is saying the number of vehicles on Lenco property is a hazard.
 
Lt. Randy Stein filed a complaint with the Licensing Board saying the company has upward of 100 vehicles on both the Betnr Industrial Drive and Downing Industrial Park locations while the company's auto dealer license only allow for 10 at Downing and 25 at Betnr.
 
"We don't know when a fire is going to happen," Stein said. "They've been lucky up until now that nothing has happened."
 
Stein says there is lack of access for firefighters to get to the rear of the building and vehicles are heavily stacked up against each other with a shortage of access points. Stein said one of the vehicles caught on fire, the entire building and many other vehicles could light up and there'd be nothing the Fire Department could do to stop it because of the lack of access.
 
Stein is calling on the company to create a new plot map which will allocate sufficient spacing between vehicles — including employee vehicles — and enough access. 
 
"I believe there is enough area on both sites, if not they may need a small auxiliary lot," Stein said.
 
Leonard Light, the manager, recognized that the company is out of compliance with the license and vowed to work with Stein to address the concern. Light said the current situation is mostly driven by a large 300 vehicle contract the company is currently working on, which required an influx of vehicles at once. 
 
"It just wasn't really looked at. We do have a lot of vehicles on the lot. We've been the victim of our own success," Light said.
 
Light said renewing the license had become a routine and the company hadn't reviewed the restriction on the number of vehicles in years. Another round of 25 vehicles will be shipped out this week and over the next month even more will be delivered, naturally reducing the number of vehicles stored. But, the company has grown and there are more employees, so there will still be a need to amend the plot plan to account for greater numbers than on the license now.
 
"We were not really aware of the existing license," attorney Vicki Donahue told the Licensing Board. "Clearly we are above and beyond what the license currently states." 
 
Licensing Board Chairman Carmen Massimiano took exception that the claim that the company was ignorant of the rules and said more and more often he is finding companies violating restrictions placed on licenses and then saying the same thing.
 
"As time goes on people decided they are going to do it their way and not do it according to the plot plan they agreed to," he said. "People are just ignoring the rules, regulations, laws and ordinances of this city."
 
Light respectfully disagreed saying this truly was a case in which the company wasn't aware of the restrictions placed on the license years ago. Nonetheless, Light agreed to revise a plot plan and come before the board with updates at the next meeting. Stein said he hadn't written any fines or assessments because the inspections aren't meant to be punitive but rather just ensuring safety. 
 
In other business, the saga over the Polish Community Club has shown no progress. John Kerwood has been trying to reopen the club since it closed in December 2014. In July 2014, the past president of the club and licensee holder Stella Spence died and no manager was chosen to replace her. A month later, police responded to a fight there and couldn't find a manager, which brought the issue to the Licensing Board. In December, the club shut its doors.
 
Kerwood's plight started with working with the banks to get access to the club's accounts and to get a loan to reopen. But that requires a new board of directors to be formed to give that authority. From there, the club is still required to hire a new manager.
 

John Kerwood said he was unable to hold the membership meeting he told the board last month he was going to organize.
Last month, Kerwood said he was holding a club meeting for the election of a new board in August. But, that didn't happen and he is now looking to host that meeting in September.
 
"Because of some health issues, I didn't do what I said I would do," Kerwood said, asking for a continuation until October to hold that meeting and get a manager on duty. 
 
Kerwood said he has chosen a new manager and has the paperwork ready and everything should fall into place after the election of officers.
 
But he doesn't have the support of all of the club. Richard Walsh held up a copy of the club's bylaws and said it can't be done in one meeting. He said there needs to be a membership meeting, then nomination period, then an election. 
 
"The way it is being presented is not the manner it should be done, in my opinion, as a legitimate club," Walsh said, adding that there are as many people against Kerwood's efforts as there is supporting it.
 
Massimiano said the key is to just get everyone into a room together to plan out the future of the club. 
 
"The meeting is the important thing. You've got to get them into a room and make some decisions," he said. "You've got to get them into a room."
 
The board may have to move to revoke the license, something board member Richard Stockwell said he'd motion to do if there isn't progress by October. The board doesn't like to do that because once the license is revoked, it can't be given to another. The city is above its cap on licenses so any revocation means the license is permanently retired. 
 
"If that meeting has not taken place at the end of September and you appear before us saying nothing else happens, we don't want to take action but we might be forced to," said board member Dana Doyle.

Tags: alcohol license,   clubs,   dealership,   license board,   private club,   

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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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