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SK Design Group's Matthew Puntin explains where two 30,000-gallon liquid propane tanks will be located at Lipton Energy.

Community Development Board Approves Lipton Energy Permit For Propane Storage Tanks

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board approved a special permit for Lipton Energy to place two new above-ground fuel storage tanks within the 100-year flood plain at 36 Industrial Drive with four conditions.

These conditions include all lighting on the site to be downward cast and not trespass onto abutting properties and for Lipton Energy to provide screening in the form of a fence or vegetation so that abutters can't see the tanks.

The fuel tanks will hold 30,000 gallons of propane each, equal to 60,000 gallons total. This acts as a location where a large truck can deliver fuel to these storage tanks and, in turn, transfer them into smaller trucks that deliver fuel to people's houses.

Several abutters called into the meeting to voice their concerns over the fuel tanks. Common areas of concern were improper notification, fumes, spills, surrounding wildlife, and disruptive lights from delivery trucks.

"Harding street is a nice quiet area," said abutter Kathyann Voltoline. "It's a lovely part of the city, and I would hate to see it become just this tough place to live."

Senior engineer of SK Design Group Matthew Puntin represented Lipton Energy. He explained to concerned abutters that the fuel stored in these tanks is propane and does not run the risks of spilling that oil does.



"This is not oil, this is liquid propane," he said. "To the best of my knowledge, it's a liquid in a tank, if a tank were to leak — and that's a big if, it just turns into a gas and goes into the air."

Puntin added that he can't give the board a 100 percent guarantee that abutters won't see the tanks from their properties, as the tanks will rise 14 feet from the ground. Nonetheless, Lipton Energy was willing to accommodate concerns that are addressed in the board's conditions for approval.

Lipton Energy's plan went to Conservation Commission in November, Puntin said, and received an order of conditions before being approved.

Also in this meeting, the Community Development Board approved a special permit for Hospitality Syracuse, Inc., which is building a new Taco Bell restaurant to be located at the intersection of Dalton and Hubbard avenues. This permit is to construct a second drive-through order board on Taco Bell's premises to accommodate a larger volume of drive-through customers during the novel COVID-19 pandemic.


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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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