Dalton Cable Advisory Commission Recommends Attorney

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Cable Advisory Commission continued its efforts in negotiating a new contract with Charter Communications during its meeting on Monday evening. 
 
During the meeting, the commissioners spoke to attorney William Solomon over the phone, during which they reiterated some of their priorities during the negotiation process. 
 
These priorities include adding to the contract a 5 percent gross revenue, capital funds, funding for fiber optic cables to enhance connections, and updated equipment needed to handle this upgrade. 
 
The commission voted to recommend hiring Solomon for the negotiations. Although Solomon does not usually charge less than $225 an hour he agreed to charge the town $200 an hour for his service because he enjoys the work. 
 
Solomon has worked for other cities and towns in Massachusetts on contracts and negotiations for cable contracts.  
 
The last time the town had a contract was in 1997 with Time Warner Cable, which was purchased by Spectrum in 2016. 
 
The 1997 contract requires that Time Warner Cable give the Dalton Community Cable Association 5 percent of the gross revenue, which is used as the operating budget 
 
In the new contract with Charter Communications, commissioners urged the need to retain this percentage.
 
Commissioners and station manager Michael Sinopoli urged the need for new equipment as the current equipment is outdated. They also requested that upgrading to high definition be included in the contract. 
 
The fact that the association is on its current coaxial cabling could be problematic because of the possible quality of the signal and high cost of upgrading, Solomon said. 
 
They would also like to have added to the contract a requirement of Charter Communications providing Dalton Community Cable Association a contact person to expedite troubleshooting. 
 
Solomon will be sending the legal services agreement draft to the town manager and commission Chair Rachel Branch. 
 
He is going to create an outline of the issues based on the commission's discussion and will also set up an additional two meetings to discuss their needs and interests. 

Tags: cable television,   spectrum,   

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Companion Corner: Loki at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and playful dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for his new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Loki is a little less than a year old and is a terrier/pit mix who has been at the shelter for about a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Loki. 

"He is very friendly, very social. He loves every single human. He's good with other dogs. He's just a lovely, lovely puppy who has a few things that he could still work on. He is young and learning."

Loki was brought in because his former home didn't have enough time for him and wanted him to be able to have a family who could give him the attention he deserves.

"He was brought in just because they didn't have time to continue working with a puppy," she said. "So nothing, nothing too serious, really, just he needs someone who can give him a lot of time, because he really does need that time, that attention as he grows and matures and works on this training."

He is still young so he has a bit to learn and has been hard at work learning new things including potty training and playing with other dogs.

"He can get a little bit mouthy, so sometimes, when he gets excited with his toys, he mouths on your hands a little bit. So that's something that we're working on showing him just more appropriate uses of his mouth when he's tugging," Olivieri  said. "Also, he can be a little bit reactive when he is out on walks and he can see other dogs, he tends to want to bark, and it's all just out of excitement and wanting to go see the other dog. So these are a couple things that we are working on with him here at the shelter, and he's been doing really, really well." 

Loki loves to play and go outside and will need a family who will want to take him on lots of walks. He can do well with a dog his size with introduction but should not go to a home with cats. They also say children 10 and older because Loki can be a little jumpy.

"He is very active, and he loves to go on hikes and walks and a lot of playtime. So someone who can devote a lot of that time to him, because he just wants to adventure," she said. "He wants to do everything. And also he could work on some training. Someone who would also devote some time to doing some training classes and really working with him on some reactivity and some mouthiness."

Loki is a great friend to play with other dogs and also loves to tug on stuffed animals and play fetch. While you may have to train him, he loves to learn and will be a great student and snuggle buddy.

"He loves to play with other dogs. He's a very social boy. He adapts his play style really well to other dogs. He loves to go for walks. He loves to play tug. He loves his stuffies here. He likes to play fetch. He loves to learn. He really likes to train. He really likes to be with you. He gives really good eye contact, good engagement. He loves learning new things. And more than just learning, he loves doing it with people. He just likes spending time with people. He also really likes to cuddle. Once his daily exercise needs are met. He's like a really good snuggle buddy."

Loki loves to meet anyone and everyone and is excited for his new family.

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