1Berkshire Providing Resource Links, Updates for Business

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The team at 1Berkshire is continuing to monitor developments and official guidance, and curate informational resources to share with the business community.  

Workshop Information

AIM (Associated Industries of Massachusetts) and the Berkshire Innovation Center have partnered to offer a 30-minute Video Chat covering important issues regarding the COVID-19 pandemic providing all businesses in Berkshire County access to this critical information from presenter Tom Jones, vice president of AIM HR Solutions:

Today, March 25, 2-2:30 p.m.
Join the meeting via Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4879552540
Meeting ID: 487 955 2540 

Share some information

Complete the COVID-19 Berkshire Business Flash Survey to help 1Berkshire assess short- and long-term impacts on regional businesses.

If you are in the non-profit sector complete the Flash Survey on Pressing Needs created by the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires.

Stay Informed

Sign up for our e-news. We will be using our e-news lists for information and resource distribution as we work to support the larger Berkshire business community. 

Resources

Check our COVID-19 Resource Page which we are updating daily as new information and resources become available. 

Use and share this list of local eateries to find options in your area. We will continue to update it as we receive information and encourage you to use this form to let us know of changes in offerings.  Thank you for supporting the local economy during this difficult time.

We are working with Mungy Studios to get the word out about Eat Berkshires  This will be a great resource for restaurants looking to update their information on a continual basis, and we encourage local eateries to see this as an additional resource.

The 1Berkshire Team

1Berkshire is currently operating remotely to service the needs of the community during the State’s Stay at Home order. Please feel free to reach out to us via email to let us know how you are doing; we’re here to help. 


More Coronavirus Updates

Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 news:


If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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