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Cheshire Community Cleanup This Weekend

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — Cheshire is holding its third annual town cleanup day this weekend.
 
"People are really into these events and they really go great," Appalachian Trail Community Committee member Eileen Quinn said. "People like to come and clean up the community and hang out with neighbors ... and there is always trash to clean up, unfortunately."
 
The event kicks off Saturday morning at the Highway Garage. Signups will take place between 9 and 9:15 and there will be coffee and doughnuts.
 
At 9:30, cleaning crews will be dispersed throughout town and then return at noon for lunch.
 
Quinn said the event is a great opportunity to get to know the community. 
 
"It is just another feel-good community event and I feel like this community building is happening in Cheshire," she said.  "We actually met some new folks last year who moved into the town ... it is just a good thing happening."
 
On June 8, there will be a second event and the town will hold its second Appalachian Trail Community Celebration.
 
"It will be a little smaller than our official designation ceremony last year but we want to continue to foster and bring awareness and education about the trail to the public," she said.
 
That event starts at 9. People can meet at Diane's Twist to sign up and either hike the Cheshire Cobbles and Reynolds Rock or help with some maintenance projects near Reynolds Rock.
 
Lunch will be served at noon and the celebration will commence.
 
Quinn said it is a great opportunity for those who may not normally hike. 
 
"It's an opportunity for people to come hike with a group," she said. "A lot of people want to hike but don't want to do it on their own...It's a great chance to explore the trail and meet your neighbors and trail folk ... 
 
"It builds the community a little more."

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Pittsfield Council Takes Up $243M Fiscal 2027 Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti detailed the city's $243 million spending plan during the first budget hearing of the season on Tuesday. 

The proposed operating budget for Pittsfield in fiscal year 2027 is $232,782,090, a 2.9 percent increase from this year. Marchetti compared that to hikes in fixed costs: a 9 percent increase in health insurance, a 7 percent increase in debt service, and more than a 5 percent increase in retirement contributions. 

"We needed to make reductions in other places," he explained. 

The total proposed budget is $243,234,868. It breaks down into $145,927,029 for the municipal operating budget, $86,855,061 for the schools, and $10,452,778 for proposed state assessments and overlay. 

To balance the budget, the administration will not fill several vacant positions, is funding police social workers and co-responders through opioid settlement funds, and reduces the library's Thursday hours. 

"Probably one of our most painful cuts that we have produced: The overall [Department of Public Services] budget has been reduced by $738,000 from fiscal year 26 to 27, with a reduction of five positions that are currently vacant, have been vacant for some time, and we believe the reason that those positions are vacant is based on our salaries," Marchetti explained. 

"So once we are able to successfully negotiate a contract with the teamsters, we will be back looking to be able to fund these positions from a later appropriation. It is not our intent to let them go vacant all year, but it's impossible to budget when we know we can't fill them, and we don't know what salary at this current stage to use." 

The budget includes $2 million in free cash to offset the tax rate, $19,791,219 from water & sewer enterprise funds, $81,959,322 from state aid ($68,855,061 in Chapter 70 School Aid), and $15,388,750 in local receipts. 

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