PITTSFIELD - The Berkshire Memory Walk is being honored as one of the top five "walks" in the country this year by the Alzheimer's Association for overall participation based on population.
More than 350 participants turned out this September for the walk. Amy McNally, a team recruitment chairman for the Berkshire Memory Walk, will travel to San Diego in January to share ideas with other Walk leaders.
McNally, who works with Epoch Assisted Living at Melbourne, will attend the Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk SuperStar Symposium. She will be accompanied by Marcia McKenzie, coordinator for the Western Massachusetts Alzheimer's Association.
Other Berkshire Memory Walk Steering Committee members include Chairmen Bill Kittler and Michael Kachadoorian, from Berkshire Health Systems; Christine Pringle of Craneville Nursing Center; Denise Vigna of Sugarhill Assisted Living; Steve Smith from Home Instead Senior Care; Mary Whitman from CIAO of the Berkshires; and Karen Gold, board member of the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts.
The SuperStar Symposium is the Alzheimer's Association's annual conference to recognize top volunteers and staff members in many categories, including fundraising, participation efforts, recruitment and team coordination. The symposium will be held Jan. 3-4.
"Amy is involved in the Alzheimer's Association efforts on so many levels," said Diane Weinstein, Epoch's executive director. "She and her family donate much time and energy for the Memory Walk, she helps coordinate our team here for the event, and she is regularly organizing educational talks and events around memory care."
McNally has been a volunteer with the association for five years. She helped to raise $350 individually this year through the Memory Walk.
Her son, Jacob, walked with her in the last five Berkshire Memory Walks and has been a strong fundraiser, too, raising $410 through pledges.
Statewide more than 8,000 participants walked and raised more than $1.6 million for the cause.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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