image description — Wahconah Regional High School senior Alexandra Bills has installed a 'toy library' at Onota Lake with permission of the Parks Commission.

Toy Library Installed at Onota Lake

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 19, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Feel free to use or leave a toy at Onota Lake's newest infrastructure meant to foster community and benefit kids.

Burbank Park now has a toy library thanks to Wahconah Regional High School senior Alexandra Bills. Located along the wall at the beach area, the green and blue structure features two shelves with sand toys that can be used to enhance children's visits.

The Parks Commission supported Bills' proposal in February as part of her National Honors Society individual service project and it was installed this month. Measuring about 4 feet wide and 5.8 feet tall, it was built by the student and her father with donated materials from a local lumber company.

Friends and family members provided toys to fill the library such as pails, shovels, Frisbees, and trucks.

"I wanted to create a toy library like the other examples in Berkshire County from the sled library to the book libraries," she told the commission in February.

"But I wanted to make it toys for Onota Lake because a lot of kids forget their toys or some kids can't afford toys."

Bills lives nearby and will check on the library weekly — if not daily — to ensure the operation is running smoothly. A sign reading "Borrow-Play-Return" asks community members to clean up after themselves after using the toys.

It was built to accommodate children's heights and will be stored during the winter season.

The city unofficially unveiled the library during its Celebrate Spring Beach Party that also included a scavenger hunt, free snacks, relay races, and lawn games.

In other kids' recreation news:

The Parks Commission on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Tennis Association and the Department of Community Development for a beginner youth tennis program.

The program called Tennis in the Parks aims to provide health and wellness opportunities to the community, create and sustain a fun and affordable play pathway, initiate and grow community interest in tennis, develop long-term partnerships between local parks and clubs, create seasonal jobs, and provide additional USTA resources where needed and available.

"Typically the way it works is that parks and (recreation) departments do a lot of the listing and promoting of the program and sometimes they have registration capabilities. They will do the registration and then we handle the tennis side," regional program manager Woody Freeman said.

"It's sort of like an outsourced tennis situation."

The program will run in the spring, summer, and fall depending on the department's preference.

"We work together and see if we can grow tennis in the city," Freeman said.

Commissioner Cliff Nilan voiced concern about the registration fees, which were listed at $60 and $75 per child.

The nonprofit charges $60 as its cost for the program and the $75 includes a $15 revenue split with the city, which has the choice of offering the lower number. A scholarships are also available.

"USTA is a nonprofit and so our goal is the promotion and development of tennis, the growth of tennis. What that covers is the cost of the coach, the cost of the equipment, and also it will make it so that each player, each participant will get a racket no charge to keep," Freeman said.

"So they get six hours of tennis and they get a racket that they bring home and they keep and also a tennis ball."

Commissioners said they don't need the revenue split but the fee can be increased later on if the city feels that it needs the share.

"This is really to be a partner in sort of promoting a sport, promoting an activity, and getting kids out there and those who chose the $60, the city doesn't need to make anything on that," Anthony DeMartino said.

"At least as I can see, there are no expenses that the city is going to incur for a facility like this. It's not like it's lining a field or things like that."

He appreciated the organization reaching out to the city and hopes that the program will spark some more interest in the sport and provide a way for kids and families to get involved.

Tags: onota, toys,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

Thrive with Greylock

Have your business needs changed? Change to us! Greylock Federal Credit Union. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Officials Take Road District Dissolution Off Warrant

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:23PM / Wednesday, May 27, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board has removed a town meeting warrant article regarding the dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District.

JMJ Holdings development consultant Tim Grogan spoke in public comment saying the Berkshire Mall owner is currently has purchase-and-sale agreement for the mall.

Back in February, the Select Board settled a tax dispute with JMJ Holdings by agreeing to move forward in dissolving the district if the company paid $1.1 million to the town. JMJ Holdings had to provide a signed development-and-purchase agreement 30 days before the town meeting.

JMJ holdings did not submit a payment to be made by May 9. Because of that, the Select Board voted to take the article of the warrant to be voted at the annual town meeting.

Meanwhile, the Baker Hill Road District presented a slideshow defending the district and explaining what it does.

The district currently provides a non-resident-funded revenue stream of around $500,000 per year. These funds help pay for police cars and officer salaries, dump trucks, fire trucks, and more for the town.

"Dissolution would mean the district's three commercial property owners would no longer have to pay for upkeep of the Route Seven/Eight connector road. As a result, the BHRD annual contribution of more than $500,000 to Lanesborough would disappear permanently, since the services and maintenance costs associated with the Route Seven and Eight connector road would still remain," said Tom Caraccioli, PR consultant with AH&M Inc. "Lanesborough would have to absorb these costs and continue to provide emergency services to the mall and Target. The financial burden for these remaining expenses would then fall on Lanesborough taxpayers through higher taxes or the reduction of other important town services."

The proposal with JMJ would affect the town in a negative way Caraccioli claimed.

"JMJ is proposing a one-time payment of $1.1 million to Lanesborough in exchange, JMJ would never pay BHRD taxes again. The decision to dissolve the BHRD by accepting this proposed $1.1 million would be a permanent choice that would have irreversible consequences," he said. "There will be no official system in place to cover recurring costs once the money from this single payment is spent. Therefore, the proposed one-time payment is not a long-term solution for the town of Lanesborough."

JMJ's dispute was that the Berkshire Mall no longer exists as a functioning entity and it should not be on the hook for protection and maintenance that had been based on the mall's operation in its heyday. The company is seeking to redevelop the site as senior housing and town officials were asking the state to take over the Connector Road.

District officials said it's not guaranteed that the state would take over the road linking Routes 7 and 8, built to service the mall back in the '80s, and that the state Department of Transportation had historically discouraged the town from asking. Even if it happened, it could take three to five years, during which no BHRD funds would be collected if the district is dissolved. The state would not replace the revenue they support, and they argued the state is facing its own budget issues making it unlikely they would want to take over.

The road district was created by an act of the Legislature and would require another act to dissolve it. The town meeting article asked for voter support for a home-rule petition to start that process.

After the presentation, it was asked what the current financial status of the BHRD, given that JMJ hasn’t paid in a long time and if the district actually has the money or if it is dependent on the mall sale.

Mark Siegars, attorney for BHRD, reminded the room that the mall is under a purchase and sale agreement and if the sale closes, the district expects to receive more than a million dollars because of the lawsuit and lien, but does not have that cash yet. If the sale does not go through, BHRD will take the mall and sell it. The district still gets payments from Target, which is separate from the mall.

There were also some questions on the district's history, with Select Board member Jason Breault asking if the mall did not have a high tax rate from the district, would it still be solvent. The exchange became heated between Siegars and BHRD Chair Bill Prendergast.

View Full Story