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 Counter Sues Berkshire Concrete

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The dispute between Berkshire Concrete and the town has taken another turn as the town pursues a countersuit against the excavation company.
 
On April 13, Berkshire Concrete Corp., a subsidiary of Petricca Industries, launched legal action against the town, seeking damages, the overturning of the Planning Board's denial of its special permit, and additional proposed orders of a court. 
 
The town has responded with a countersuit of its own, seeking a preliminary injunction requiring Berkshire Concrete to fully restore Lot 105-16 and a permanent injunction mandating an effective dust mitigation plan. 
 
The suit also requests that Berkshire Concrete pay all fines assessed against them, along with the town’s legal costs and attorney's fees, and other relief deemed by the court. 
 
The claim explains the timeline of events dating back to 2024 when Berkshire Concrete started mining without town approval on parcel 105-16, clearing trees and vegetation that abuttors claimed acted as a natural barrier. 
 
The removal of this vegetation resulted in the creation of a corridor for wind to carry dust from the lot and onto residential properties in the abutting neighborhood, the suit claims. 
 
Almost a year ago, both the Select Board and Planning Board expressed that they wanted parcel No. 105-16 fully mitigated to abide by the town's bylaws.
 
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