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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Dalton Weighs Sites for Combined Public Safety Facility

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Over the course of several meetings, officials have said both the police and fire departments have outgrown their current spaces, prompting discussions about whether a combined public safety complex could offer a feasible long-term solution.
 
The Fire District recently presented a community and space needs analysis that demonstrated how the Fire Department has "outgrown" the station — facing both space limitations and state regulation requirements, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
 
The police station has also faced longstanding issues, leading to discussions about the need for a new facility after Police Chief Deanna Strout emphasized the department's "dire condition" in 2024, which led to the establishment of a Public Safety Facility ad-hoc committee. 
 
The committee spent more than a year developing a report for the Select Board, while working with architect Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC. 
 
 
The full report can be found here
 
However, the project stalled after the only suitable town-owned property identified was adjacent to the Senior Center, a location that drew criticism from some neighbors.
 
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