Berkshire County Historical Society Celebrates Plant a Tree Day

11:45AM / Wednesday, September 27, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join the Berkshire County Historical Society on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 pm as they celebrate Plant a Tree Day with a ceremonial planting of a young American elm "Jefferson" on Park Square.

The tree will be planted to honor the Berkshires' first known environmentalist Lucretia Williams. Williams threw herself before the woodsman's axe to save a towering elm known as the Pittsfield Elm on Park Square in 1789.

"BCHS is very grateful to the Pittsfield Parks Department and George and Alice Wislocki for helping make this possible, said Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. "It is a fitting and lasting tribute to Lucretia Williams whose story resonates with us today over one hundred years after her efforts to save the Pittsfield Elm."

This free event is open to the public.

Tags: park square, trees,

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CBRSD Budget Decreases; Dalton Assessment High

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Monday, February 16, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District has decreased its initial operating projections from nearly 10 percent down to 4.9 percent, but the Dalton's budget is still strained because of its high assessment.

During a School Committee in January, a tentative budget was presented, which included a pessimistic look at the uncontrollable costs. Since then, updated figures have come back and substantial reductions were made.

Preliminary projections had the district's operating budget at $36,375,938, however, the it is now eyeing a significantly lower operating budget of $33,767,460.

The original budget included $2,881,285 in increases and just $454,040 in decreases.

Further adjustments — such as a $621,000 reduction in insurance costs, a $70,000 decrease in state charter school assessments, and several cuts to staff positions, curriculum, Chromebooks, insurance, capital projects, and other post-employment benefits — resulted in additional reductions totaling $1,824,915.

Despite these efforts, the town's assessment is at $1,148,177 — a $126,838 increase, or 12.42 percent.

However, when factoring in capital assessments, the increase drops to 10.1 percent. Dalton's capital assessment stands at $1,529,099, representing a decrease of $56,119.

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