Dalton Cable Advisory Commission Recommends Attorney

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:13AM / Tuesday, January 09, 2024Print Story | Email Story

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Commissioners and station manager Michael Sinopoli urged the need for new equipment as the current equipment is outdated.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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Pittsfield Boards OK Permanent Mural Honoring 54th Regiment

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:35PM / Sunday, January 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City boards and commissions have approved a permanent mural in Durant Park honoring the Black residents who fought in the Civil War.

During its Jan. 20 meeting, the Community Development Board approved a floodplain site review for "Pride of the Westside," an approximately 25 x 12-foot mural of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. The project was brought forward by the Westside Legends and unveiled during the 2025 Juneteenth celebrations.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath has been working closely with the neighborhood revitalization nonprofit to permanently mount the mural in Durant Park, located at 30 Columbus Ave.

"It's a very handsome mural, and I think it really tells an important story about Pittsfield's role in the Civil War and particularly around the African American experience," he said, adding that the regiment’s story needs to be told.

The 54th Mass was the second Black regiment raised during the Civil War (the 1st Kansas was formed two months earlier) and a priority of Gov. John Andrew and abolitionist supporters. These soldiers would prove their bravery not only in battle but against the discrimination and bigotry they faced, and harsh treatment or execution if captured.

By the end of the Civil War, nearly 180,000 Black soldiers had seen service in the Union army.

The regiment's establishment in 1863 and its heroic actions at Fort Wagner in South Carolina were dramatized in the film "Glory" starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick as Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw and his troops are memorialized across from the State House in a bronze relief by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Frederick Douglass' two sons were among its recruits, and Pittsfield's the Rev. Samuel Harrison of Second Congregational Church was its chaplain.