Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility Administrator Honored For Leadership

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The American College of Health Care Administrators honored Maria Craft, administrator of Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility in Pittsfield, as a 2018 recipient of the ACHCA Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award, the third consecutive year she has been so honored.

The award, named in memory of visionary ACHCA member Eli Pick, recognizes administrators whose teams have achieved dimensions of organizational quality that few others have been able to reach.

"I'm honored to receive this recognition a third time, but the results we have achieved at Mt. Greylock Extended Care Facility are due to the hard work and dedication of every single team member here," Craft said. "We are a five-star Medicare rated facility and hold the Silver-Achievement in Quality award from the American Health Care Association, all with the support of the caregivers at Mt. Greylock Extended Care. I'm grateful to all of them."

Only 7 percent of facilities nationwide qualified, and Craft was one of 44 recipients in Massachusetts who received the Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award. This award recognizes the administrator of record who provided leadership throughout the award year. Eligibility for this award is based on three years of skilled nursing facility survey data, including the health, fire (life safety), and complaint surveys, as well as top quartile performance on designated quality measures. The criteria also included an 80 percent or greater facility occupancy and a three-year avoidance of a Special Focus Facility status.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.