2024 Regional Transportation Plan Under Development

04:00PM / Monday, October 31, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has begun work on developing the next Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Berkshire County.

The RTP has a 20-year planning horizon and is updated every four years. The plan serves as the County's overarching transportation planning document and is required to ensure the region remains eligible to receive federal transportation funding. The RTP employs a systematic approach to evaluate the performance of the transportation system, to identify "needs" or deficiencies in the system, and to develop solutions that best address any existing gaps to meet the region's needs.

Berkshire County residents are invited to give their input to help develop the RTP.

Three public information sessions have been scheduled to provide an opportunity to learn more about the RTP purpose, process, and products. The first will be held at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield on Wednesday Nov. 2, from 5:30-6:30pm.

The second will be held at the North Adams City Hall on Thursday Nov. 10, from 5:30-6:30pm. The third session will be held on Tuesday Nov. 16, at the Great Barrington firehouse from 5:30-6:30pm. All meetings will also be broadcast live as a

Zoom webinar. Spanish interpretation for these webinars is available by request.

Tags: BRPC,

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Lanesborough Officials Begin Budget Deliberations

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:35AM / Monday, March 09, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board and Finance Committee last week began a detailed look at the needs for the fiscal 2027 budget from the Police, Fire and Library departments.

Both the Police and Fire departments will be asking for capital funds toward replacement vehicles.

Chair Deborah Maynard laid out the format and cautioned the participants that it was going to "be a civil meeting."

"There's not going to be any yelling or talking out of turn, but we certainly would recommend and be glad to hear questions from the audience as we discuss these department budgets," she said.

There have been recent complaints about angry comments and yelling at some town board meetings.

Police Chief Rob Derksen presented a budget increase of $277,717, around 4 percent, but noted that police salaries are currently in negotiations. He separated his budget from the Baker Hill Road District, which is currently under discussion to be dissolved. The draft said the department had a 44 percent increase, but that was combined with the Baker Hill Road District.

Derksen said the department is running under budget and that compared to the national average spending on local law enforcement of $407 per capita annually, Lanesborough spends around $313. He also said the average operating budget is 10 to 15 percent of the municipal budget and that the department is operating at almost 7 percent.

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