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State Sen. Paul Mark and state Sen. Robyn Kennedy of Worcester, holding gifts, visit Berkshire County Arc's programs earlier this month.

State Senators Tour Berkshire County Arc Programs

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — State Sen. Paul Mark and state Sen. Robyn Kennedy of Worcester, chair for the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, recently spent time visiting Berkshire County Arc's programs. Mark is also a member of the joint committee. 
 
During their visit, they spent time discussing short- and long-term plans for human services in Massachusetts.
 
BCArc offers a broad range of community-based services to individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injuries and autism.
 
In the photo above, from left: Pam Kight, director of employment and community-based day services; Cybele Kilby, vice president of day & employment services; state Sen. Paul Mark; state Sen. Robyn Kennedy; President & CEO Maryann Hyatt; Erin Manson, Department of Developmental Services residential services director; CFO Blanca Durant; Jessica Russo, director of family support & advocacy; and Scott Barschdorf, director of brain injury services.
 
 

Tags: bcarc,   paul mark,   state officials,   

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MassDOT Schedules Hearing on Passenger Rail to Albany

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As part of the East-West Rail proposal, the state wants to see how service could expand to Albany. 

Next week, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will hold a virtual meeting for a Service Development Plan to explore a passenger rail between Boston and Albany, N.Y. 

The Zoom event will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

MassDOT says this is a critical step toward advancing East-West Rail, which would connect Pittsfield and western communities to Springfield, Worcester, and Boston, and beyond. The project has been in progress for several years and was recommended in the 2018 Massachusetts State Rail Plan. 

The SDP will study how passenger rail service on the Boston and Albany Corridor would operate and how to get there. It takes about two years, and the next step is preliminary engineering and environmental review. 

In the SDP process, MassDOT will conduct stakeholder outreach, propose appropriate service levels, identify necessary infrastructure improvements, and establish a governance structure for service. 

Planned station stops include South Station and Back Bay in Boston, Framingham, Worcester, Palmer (proposed station), Springfield, and Albany-Rensselaer, according to the MassDOT website. 

Massachusetts completed the East-West Passenger Rail Study Final Report in early 2021, and in December 2023, the Boston & Albany Corridor was accepted into the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor ID Program; MassDOT was awarded $500,000 for an SDP. 

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