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Betty Sacco got all dressed up to take glamour shots with her fellow residents on Wednesday.
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Mount Greylock Care Residents Get Dolled Up For Glamour Shots

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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The residents were treated to makeup and their hair styled. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Betty Sacco doesn't get all dolled up much anymore.
 
The senior citizen lives at Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility and doesn't get her hair and makeup done very often.
 
But on Wednesday, she was styling.
 
Sacco is one of two dozen residents who got all dressed up to take "glamour shots." 
 
"I love it because it is dressing up, you don't do this every day," Sacco said. "They do a good job. They really know what they are doing. There are no complaints here."
 
Sacco had just sat down with Pam Ellis, who carefully applied makeup. And then she moved to Hope Fontaine, who did her hair. And finally, with a prop rose in her hand and a jaunty hat, she posed as Shavonn Melendez took a number of photos.
 
Melendez will edit the pictures, provide copies to Sacco's family, and create a display in the nursing home hallway.
 
"You're in a nursing home and you don't like getting your photo taken. You don't always feel glamorous. This just gives them a chance to feel beautiful and get individual attention," Melendez, director of admissions and marketing, said.
 
The glamour shots are just one of the activities Mount Greylock provides for its residents. Fontaine, the activities director, said it stemmed from an activities council meeting in which one of the residents brought in glamour shots she had taken in the 1980s. And the council thought it would be a fun idea.
 
"We try to provide activities for the residents that are fun, dignified, person-centered care," Fontaine said.
 
And it has been well received. For hours on Wednesday, the residents came to a common area for the event. And Fontaine expects families to be asking for the photos by the end of the day.
 
"The families love it. They'll start emailing me by the end of the day saying 'can I have my copy?'" Fontaine said.
 
Fontaine said the program, which has been done three times, has quickly become one of the most popular among the women at Mount Greylock. The residents keep coming back — Sacco hasn't missed one yet — and there are always new faces. 

Tags: good news,   nursing home,   

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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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