Lanesborough Police Station Committee Considering Temporary Site

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Police Station Committee is strongly considering a property at 545 South Main St. a site for a temporary police station, as plans for the new station are being discussed.

Members of the committee have already conducted a visit to the site and will be doing another this week. The committee said, if chosen and approved, the site would not need significant work to become a temporary station.

Board Chair Kristen Tool said getting the Police Department out of the current building is a priority. She argued the committee must find a temporary station, regardless of what the town decides with the new and current ones.

"The first priority is getting everybody out of that garbage building and into the temporary place as soon as possible," she said. "And then we'll be able to really look at the [8 Prospect St.] site and see what we can figure out for it."

Police Chief Robert Derksen said he is in the process of getting an alarm and camera system figured out for a temporary location. He said moving the internet to a new building will be handled by the state, which provides police departments a secure router with access to the criminal database.

"There's no fee associated with that. The state provides a tech that will move the equipment, but there shouldn't be any cost to the town," he said.

Tool said it is ultimately the community's decision at town meeting whether the new station is at 8 Prospect or not. She said she hopes Humes can clear up any questions the board may have on Thursday.

"I think it is important, on top of our own personal opinions, to consider what community members are saying and what Brian Humes is saying; he is a professional, and John Goerlach," she said. "They've already said that there's going to be challenges on the site. Because of the size of it, because of the hill. There are already challenges now in the smaller building."

Tool said she has asked Humes previously how difficult it would be to put one of the previously proposed designs at a different location, and he told her it would be simple.

"He said that it's just so easy, it's so easy to do that. So that works is already done. So we wouldn't have to be designing a whole new building. We can use one of the two that are already proposed," she said.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.