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 Youth Center Celebrates Refresh of Space

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Spectrum donated $5,000 to the the Youth Center.
DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Youth Center celebrated its refreshed building to better serve youth from across the county.
 
On Wednesday, parents and children, public officials like state Rep. Leigh Davis, and more gathered at the center's building at 27 South Carson Ave. to view the new updates.
 
Executive Director Ariana Massery, who started her role in January, welcomed the public and thanked everyone for attending and those who helped bring the more than 100-year-old building to what it is today.
 
"This building and this organization has existed in many ways to serve youth since 1909, and we have recently, in the last six months, made an investment to bring things to life, both from a programmatic standpoint and from a facility standpoint," she said.
 
The center, part of the nonprofit Community Recreation Association, got new paint, an updated gaming room with new furniture, a new gym floor, a refreshed kitchen with new appliances, and Smartboards and other technology to support tutoring.
 
It also celebrated programming through new partnerships with Berkshire Music School, Berkshire Innovation Center, and the Becket Arts Center. Youth will be able to learn robotics, how to write music, and more.
 
The center also partners with Berkshire Bounty to provide healthier snacks.
 
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