 Regional Planning Commission Calls for Fixes to Site Plan Review BillThe regional planning commission's community planning program manager told the executive committee that HB 3551 was worth passing even if all the changes proposed by the municipal lawyers association do not make it into the final version of the bill. BRPC Hopes to Implement Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programs in CBRSDThis year the commission is eligible to apply for the MassCall3B grant through the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and would like to bring its programming to the Central Berkshire Regional School District.  Berkshire Census Shows Small, Aging But More Diverse PopulationMore than 63 percent of Berkshire County residents self-responded and the remaining were visited by Census takers and eventually subject to an administrative records review. Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County UpdateThe purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges. Berkshire Planning Commission Budget Up 16% for FY24Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's proposed budget has increased by more than $886,000, or about 16.4 percent, largely due to several new grants. Berkshire Planning Commission Responds to Open Meeting ComplaintLee resident Joshua Bloom found issues with agenda items and the Executive Committee meeting's lack of public comment. Berkshire Planning Commission, Senator Talk Rural AffairsThe position, which is housed in the Executive Office of Economic Development, will cultivate rural economic development and coordinate with secretariats and state agencies to ensure that state government is attuned to the unique needs of rural communities. Berkshire Planning Commission Examines Municipal Staffing IssuesThe committee has been discussing community sustainability for some time and its last meeting developed a strategy to determine how hard it was for towns to fill positions.  Regional Economic Plan Made More Accessible to PublicThe CEDS committee has created a video, story map, and short summary plan to improve accessibility to the plan. County Planners Seek Options to Limited Municipal Labor PoolIf the communities invest in recruiting and training candidates from their area starting in high school and college the region could provide a steady supply of employees over time, Matuszko said. BRPC to Receive $50K National Endowment for the Arts GrantThis grant will support the Creative Compact for Collaborative and Collective Impact (C4) Initiative. BCC and BRPC Offer Free 'Choke Saver' Training CertificationThe 75-minute class provides participants with a two-year certification. Berkshire Planning Commission Talks Housing, Workforce AdvocacyHe pointed out that Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll have announced the formation of transition policy committees and said it is important to advocate for county priorities when Healey and Driscoll take office. Berkshire Organizations Partner to Launch New Website to Help Grant SeekersBerkshire Regional Planning Commission and several partner agencies joined to form BFF in response to a need for a clearinghouse focused on the investment of COVID-19 recovery dollars into the region, to improve the well-being of community members  2024 Regional Transportation Plan Under DevelopmentBerkshire County residents are invited to give their input to help develop the RTP. BRPC Seeks Input On Comprehensive Economic Development StrategyThe CEDS is a coordinated regional planning process that documents current economic conditions, identifies priority economic development projects, and sets goals and strategies for the upcoming 5-year period. 2022 State of County Report Reveals Higher Income, More Mental IllnessOver 100 individuals and community organizations in Berkshire County have worked over the last two years to identify indicators that track the region’s performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  BERP Works to Boost Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise CertificationsThis training module, available in both English and Spanish, provides a high-level overview of what it means to be a certified woman and/or minority-owned business enterprise, and how such a certification can help support the small businesses here in the Berkshires. 2022 State of the County Report ReleasedThis report summarizes data and trends which help identify the region's successes and challenges. Berkshire Planning Commission Plans In-Person Annual MeetingThe meeting was held virtually last year and took a hiatus the year before, both because of the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly impacted towns and businesses. Berkshire Planning Commission FY23 Budget Sees Growth From New GrantsBRPC's finance committee on Thursday gave the $5,379,584 budget a positive recommendation. |
