Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Hinsdale Considers Switching Dispatch Centers Amid Response Time Concerns

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
HINSDALE, Mass. — The town has experienced longer emergency response times since the Dalton Police Department suspended its mutual aid agreement with Hinsdale. Now, Hinsdale is considering suspending its use of Dalton's Communication Center.
 
During the Hinsdale Select Board meeting on Aug. 12, board member Margaret Gregory raised concerns about the department's response times, recounting an incident the previous Sunday when she called police at about 9:51 p.m. but did not see a state trooper arrive until approximately 10:45 p.m.
 
"We're here to protect the town and make sure we're getting the aid that we need. That did not happen," she said in a follow-up with the media. 
 
Now word has gotten to Dalton that Hinsdale's department has requested to withdraw from the Dalton Communication Center and use the Berkshire Regional Emergency Communications Center instead. 
 
Dalton Town Manager Eric Anderson informed Dalton's Select Board that he heard indirectly from the state's communications center of Hinsdale's request and that there will be a meeting with the E911 system and all parties sometime later in September. 
 
In order for Hinsdale to switch to the state call center, the town would have to obtain funding to ensure the town's equipment works with the state's. 
 
During Hinsdale's August meeting, Gregory told Peru Police Chief Bruce Cullett that she is concerned with how Dalton's dispatch is relaying information to the state, citing that calls from multiple people about shots fired shouldn't be an hour wait. 
 
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