Letter: Thrill for Taconic to Play State Championship at Wahconah

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To the Editor:

As a high school coach, I cannot begin to describe the emotion and excitement that my players and coaches experienced on Monday during the MIAA D-III state championship at Wahconah Park. The thrill of being able to play the final game in our hometown, on the city-owned historic park, was amazing. To look up at the stands as they began to fill, and to see the faces of people of all ages painted along the fence and deep into the field, resonated with me throughout the day.

It is no small task to get to the state game, but it was an even greater task to perform the way that we did in front of our family, friends, teachers, neighbors, and residents. Truth be told, it was your cheers and clapping, chanting, and demonstration of love and support that rallied our players in the dugout and on the field. Given the many obstacles and challenges that everyone has faced for the past year and a half, it was a great day of baseball and a great day for Pittsfield.


There are many thoughts racing through my mind the day after a state championship, but for now, I will say "thank you." Thank you to the school department for protecting our season, the city for allowing us to play on “their” field, the parents for supporting your sons each and every day, the players for their endless dedication to the sport, the coaches for their tireless work, and finally, the fans, for your love of baseball.

"In baseball as in life, all the important things happen at HOME." In closing, and on behalf of the Taconic High School baseball team, my players, and my full coaching staff, thank you! Go Braves!

Sincerely,

Kevin Stannard
Taconic High School
varsity baseball coach 

Pittsfield, Mass.

 

 

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BCC Sees $1M in Federal Funds for Trades Academy

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal secured $995,000 to begin design and construction of the academy. The congressman had earlier attended the Norman Rockwell Museum business breakfast, which celebrated Laurie Norton Moffatt's 49 years leading the institution.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College was awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to support a Trades Academy. 

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal visited the college to highlight the $995,000 he secured through congressionally directed spending. Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont said BCC can be a destination for adults who want to learn a skilled trade. 

"I want to join up with the amazing work that Taconic and McCann (vocational high schools) are doing to prepare people for these really specific skills, helping people become confident professionals with a direct path to high-wage, high-demand jobs," she explained. 

"And we're also addressing the labor shortage that exists in this county, around the state, and around the country, in the skilled trades." 

The federal funding will support a feasibility study of an existing vacant building on campus, as well as the evaluation and abatement of any hazardous materials at the location, because it was once a power plant. 

BCC will dip its toe into the skilled trades with its first HVAC training program, for which it received $1.2 million from the state in support. The $995,000 in federal funds will go toward creating the academy in a building located on the main campus, and the HVAC heat pump training program will be funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. 

The $1 million in federal monies will get the college to construction documents, maybe fund some construction, and help identify the necessary equipment and other learning space needs for a skilled trade, Clairmont reported. 

The funding is part of more than $14 million in congressionally directed spending secured by the congressman to support economic development, workforce training, and community infrastructure across the Berkshires.

Neal said there are about 6.5 million jobs in the United States that go unanswered every day.

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