Mildred Elley Launch Hero Scholarship

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mildred Elley Pittsfield launched a new scholarship award opportunity, the HERO Scholarship. 
 
The HERO scholarship stands for Hope to Engage in Education to Revitalize the Opportunity in Our Community and will be awarded to two Berkshire County residents who are looking to pursue an education that will lead to a career that will make a positive difference in this community. 
 
Mildred Elley offers career training certificate programs in the areas of Cosmetology, Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Practical Nurse, Medical Office Assistant, and Business Technologies Specialist. 
 
"Mildred Elley has been providing quality career education to Pittsfield residents and Berkshire County for over 30 years," said Mildred Elley Chairwoman of the Board, Faith A. Takes.  
 
To learn more about the HERO Scholarship, a list of requirements, and instructions on how to apply, visit: https://mildred-elley.edu/campus/pittsfield/scholarship or stop in to see an admissions representative and they will help you get started. 
 
Applications are due by Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, no later than 5 P.M and can be dropped off at the Mildred Elley Pittsfield campus, at 100 West Street, Pittsfield MA. 
 
Winners will be announced on Nov. 8 2021 and begin classes on Nov. 15, 2021. For questions, please contact Matthew Martin, Director of Admissions at Mildred Elley, mmartin@mildred-elley.edu or call (413) 442-0333. 
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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