Dalton Town Employees Gets ADA Training

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:49AM / Saturday, March 16, 2024Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — Municipal employees will have the option to participate in Americans with Disabilities Act training.

ADA coordinator Alyssa Maschino informed the ADA Committee on Monday that Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson approved the idea and is currently in the planning process.

The virtual training will cover state ADA requirements, ensuring program accessibility for people with disabilities, and the reasonable modification process.

The training is led by Julia O'Leary, general counsel for Massachusetts Office on Disability. The Office on Disability "provides information, guidance, and training on disability-related civil rights and obligations," the state website says.

A lot of people are used to being able to walk upstairs and being mobile, so they are not thinking about how their surroundings affect people with mobile disabilities, committee member Edward "Bud" Hall said.

This will give town employees a better understanding of what is compliant and what is not,

"A lot of people are just used to the everyday walking upstairs, running into the building, not thinking about, what about the other person that can't do it. So this just will probably give them insight and hopefully helping

Maschino and Hutcheson are considering holding the training during the monthly staff meeting on the third Wednesday of each month.

Although the training is an hour and "I feel like everyone should really take the time to do it" it is unclear if the town can make it mandatory, Maschino said.

In other news, the committee signed a letter recommending the town install sidewalks on Orchard Road.

Tags: ADA,

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CBRSD Member Towns Will See Higher Assessments

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
02:43PM / Sunday, March 08, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — Despite budget cuts made by Central Berkshire Regional School District, its seven member towns can still anticipate higher assessments.

The district has decreased its initial operating projections from nearly 10 percent down to 4.9 percent. However, the town assessments range from increases of 7.3 percent to 15 percent.

Preliminary projections had the full budget at $40,284,107, however, it is now eyeing a significantly lower budget of $38,459,202.

Of the total $38.5 million budget, town assessments would cover 54.07 percent at $20,794,393; state aid would contribute $10,238,937, 26.62 percent; grant funds $2,353,097; revolving funds $2,338,645; state aid for transportation $1,246,797; an excess and deficiency appropriation $1,227,333, and local funds $260,000.

The project net town assessments are:

Becket for $2,948,432, an increase of 8.78 percent
Cummington for 684,628, an increase of 7.36 percent
Dalton for $10,702,857, an increase of 12.11 percent
Hinsdale for $3,412,948, an increase of 15.10 percent
Peru for $1,148,177, an increase of 12.42 percent
Washington for $861,996, an increase of 11.19 percent
Windsor for $1,035,355, an increase of 13.76 percent

The district is seeing the same decline in enrollment happening across the state, which is resulting in a decrease in Chapter 70 state aid.

That is somewhat stabilized as the district is now in the "held harmless" category, so for the first time the state is saying the district's need in aid for its students is less than what it got last year.

With the number of costs outside the district's control, even a zero percent increase would still result in higher town assessments.

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