Earl Persip Jumps Into Pittsfield City Council Race

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Earl Persip III has joined the race for City Council.
 
The director of operations at the Berkshire Family YMCA announced his candidacy for an at-large seat Friday morning. 
 
"The city of Pittsfield is evolving, and to be effective and truly representative, our government must reflect the diversity of our community," Persip wrote in the announcement. "I want to be part of the decisions that help shape our city, and I will work to earn that opportunity."
 
Persip has been with the YMCA for more than 20 years and has a board member of Downtown Pittsfield Inc. He serves on the Animal Control Commission and recently worked on the city's committee looking into the creation of a dog park.
 
Persip lives in Ward 3 with his wife Ashley Sulock Persip. He wrote that his campaign is going to "reflect the views and wishes of all city residents."
 
"Our city is faced with sobering economic challenges and we will need to make difficult decisions, but we also have tremendous potential for growth," he wrote.
 
"I believe I can bring a unique perspective to these discussions and ask the people of Pittsfield for their consideration."

Tags: election 2017,   Pittsfield city council ,   


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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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