REGIONAL – Ninety-four local Citizen Corps Programs from across the state, including three in Berkshire County, will be able to serve their communities better, thanks to federal equipment grants. Coordinated through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), these federal grant awards, up to $3,000, were designed to provide critical assets and enhance the capabilities of local CCPs through the coordinated procurement of critical equipment.
Recipients in the county include the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Community Emergency Response Team in North Adams, the Central Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee CERT in Pittsfield and the Berkshire Medical Reserve Corps based in Lee.
The amount for each community was not immediately available.
The total amount for the state of $268,000 has allowed the recipients to purchase an array of items ranging from Rapid Response medical triage kits to CPR Mannequins to radio batteries.
"The equipment was made available through a competitive grant proposal process coordinated by our agency, which will also purchase and ultimately disseminate the goods to the local programs," said MEMA Director Don Boyce.
The Commonwealth is committed to ensuring that its community-based volunteer groups continue to work in concert with state and local Public Safety agencies and effectively respond to any threats that may impact our citizens. Eligible Citizen Corps Programs include Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), USA on Watch (UOW) and Fire Corps.
Through the proposal, Citizen Corps Programs had to demonstrate how the equipment would directly support the mission of their CCP, as well as how previous allotments were utilized. Programs are expected to maintain the equipment to ensure its readiness for use or deployment. CCPs may be asked to provide a follow-up report in June 2008 to demonstrate how the equipment was used and its impact.
A list of the 94 Citizen Corps Program Equipment Grant recipients can be found on the MEMA website at www.mass.gov/mema.
The mission of the Commonwealth's Citizen Corps Program is to harness the power of every citizen through education, training, and volunteerism, making communities safer and stronger. Local Citizen Corps Programs have made great contributions to the preparedness and response capabilities of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, and have been invaluable partners to Public Safety and Health officials when assisting in activities such as search & rescue operations, shelter operations and First Responder support.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MEMA provides leadership to: develop plans for effective response to all hazards, disasters or threats; train emergency personnel to protect the public; provide information to the citizenry; and assist individuals, families, businesses and communities to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and man made. For additional information about MEMA go to www.mass.gov/mema.
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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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