BOSTON — People in Western Massachusetts, and the Berkshires in particular, frequently complain the region is being ignored by a state government headquartered at the other end of the commonwealth.
On Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a new program that will impact eight municipalities — none west of I-495.
But this is not the kind of list any town or city wants to make.
Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito used their daily press briefing to announce that the commonwealth will offer targeted free COVID-19 testing sites in Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough, and New Bedford.
All residents of those communities will be able to be tested for the novel coronavirus whether or not they have symptoms of COVID-19.
"We're launching this program in eight specific communities, where the prevalence of COVID-19 is above the statewide average and we've seen a decrease in testing since mid-April," Baker said. "The goal of this initiative is to provide widespread asymptomatic testing in an easy-to-access location within these communities."
The targeted testing program will begin on Friday and run through the middle of August, Baker said.
In his back-and-forth with the press at Wednesday's event, Baker was asked whether he planned to expand the targeted testing to Western Mass.
"If folks in Western Massachusetts start to have issues, absolutely," he said. "Western Mass was one of the first parts of Massachusetts that actually showed significant outbreaks, and then Western Mass got very low — low enough that I can remember at one point in time you asking me why we weren't opening up their economy before we opened other people's economies."
At one point, a testing site for frontline workers in all of Western Mass was set up at the Big E Fairgrounds in Springfield; the Berkshire has had two testing sites, both in Pittsfield.
The western third of the commonwealth overcame its early spikes and currently has numbers more in line with the state averages, which as of Wednesday included a weighted seven-day positive test rate of 2 percent, down from 4.2 percent as recently as June 8 and down 93 percent from mid-April.
As of Wednesday, Massachusetts has seen 8,028 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 104,961 confirmed cases. On Tuesday, the commonwealth reported 7,200 molecular tests, bringing its total to 1,157,023, Baker said.
But testing rates are down by 40 percent since the end of April in Chelsea and the other towns in line for the targeted testing program.
"Collectively, these communities make up approximately 9 percent of the Massachusetts population but have seen 27 percent of the commonwealth's positive tests in the past two weeks," he said. "The statewide positive test rate over the past two weeks, as I said before, is a little under 2 percent, but in these eight communities, 8 percent of the tests have been positive. That includes some individuals who have had multiple positive tests."
The Berkshires and Western Mass?
"They have continued to stay very low," Baker said. "I think the point I would make on this is we picked these [eight] places because they had a higher positive test rate than other places in Massachusetts and lower tests than they were actually getting — by a significant amount — back in April.
"If we start to see movement in any of these places, we'll make adjustments. That's part of what this program is all about."
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Williamstown Fire Committee Talks Station Project Cuts, Truck Replacement
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
Some of the "value engineering" changes are cosmetic, while at least one pushes off a planned expense into the future.
The committee, which oversees the Fire District, also made plans to hold meetings over the next two Wednesdays to finalize its fiscal year 2025 budget request and other warrant articles for the May 28 annual district meeting. One of those warrant articles could include a request for a new mini rescue truck.
The value engineering changes to the building project originated with the district's Building Committee, which asked the Prudential Committee to review and sign off.
In all, the cuts approved on Wednesday are estimated to trim $1.135 million off the project's price tag.
The biggest ticket items included $250,000 to simplify the exterior masonry, $200,000 to eliminate a side yard shed, $150,000 to switch from a metal roof to asphalt shingles and $75,000 to "white box" certain areas on the second floor of the planned building.
The white boxing means the interior spaces will be built but not finished. So instead of dividing a large space into six bunk rooms and installing two restrooms on the second floor, that space will be left empty and unframed for now.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
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The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more