Great Barrington Police Department Enlists Recovery Coaches

04:19PM / Tuesday, February 16, 2021Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Chief Paul Storti announced that the Great Barrington Police Department has taken a step toward providing resources for those suffering from substance use disorders.

The department has partnered with Rural Recovery Resources, under program manager Gary Pratt, to provide substance abuse services through the utilization of recovery coaches.

Recovery coaching is a form of strengths-based support for people with addictions or in recovery from alcohol, other drugs, codependency, or other addictive behaviors. They work with people who have active addictions, as well as those already in recovery.

"This is a great addition to our current co-responder program and another way that we are trying to help our community when in need," Storti said.

The Co-Responder Program that was launched in June of 2019 was designed to increase earlier identification and intervention for citizens with mental illness who have contact with law enforcement. The goal is to decrease the likelihood that those individuals will be arrested and enter the criminal justice system because of behaviors related to their mental illness.

The clinician assists people in crisis, outlines services available to those in need, completes follow-up visits with residents to ensure they are receiving all of the help available to them.

Recovery coaches will be able to do the same for those struggling with substance misuse.

Rural Recovery Resources is funded by a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grant that funds a peer-support recovery center that will act as a referral hub to connect people to existing services. Program Manager, Gary Pratt says,

"Rural Recovery Resources is excited to enter into a partnership with the Great Barrington Police Department in an effort to truly get people the help they need," Pratt said. "We are grateful to Chief Storti and his recognition that addiction is a treatable condition and that progressive police policy is good for the individual and community as a whole."

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MassDOT, CSX Agree on Improvements to Support Berkshire Flyer, Passenger Rail

Staff Reports iBerkshires
06:01AM / Thursday, October 08, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state Department of Transportation and CSX have reached an agreement for local infrastructure improvements that will be a "major step" to making the Berkshire Flyer a permanent seasonal service.

Gov. Maura Healey's administration said the improvements will also help toward the years-long project of expanding passenger rail in Western Massachusetts.

"People in Western Massachusetts have been clear that they want better rail connections, and we're delivering," Healey said in a statement released on Thursday. "This agreement puts the Berkshire Flyer on a path toward permanent seasonal service and invests in the infrastructure we need to keep expanding West-East passenger rail service between Boston and Albany. Combined with new federal funding for modern trains, we're giving people more choices, supporting local businesses and better connecting Western Massachusetts to opportunities across the Northeast."

Mayor Peter Marchetti said the Berkshire Flyer is an important asset to the city and that he was grateful for the investment to make it permanent.

The Berkshire Flyer was established in 2022, connecting the Berkshires directly to New York City for the first time in a half-century. The Amtrak service was based on the seasonal Cape Cod Flyer with the goal to increase tourism opportunities. The 2026 season expanded service with an additional round-trip, including new opportunities for Berkshire County residents to travel to New York City.

The administration also announced that new federal funding awarded to Amtrak for additional modern trainsets will support Compass Rail services, including the Berkshire Flyer and the future Inland Route between Boston, Springfield and New Haven.

Under the new agreement with CSX, MassDOT will fund construction of a siding and other track improvements in the Pittsfield area to increase rail capacity and reduce conflicts between passenger and freight operations. MassDOT will also explore the feasibility of a new platform at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center.

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