Lanesborough Committee Invites Officers to Speak on Station Plans

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Police Station Committee invited several officers to its meeting on Thursday to share thoughts on the committee's direction and the plans for the new station.

The committee asked the officers several questions about the current station, what they think of putting the new station there and other potential locations for the building. Officer Sakan Sadowsky said having to use the current station is, at times, embarrassing.

"I have been fingerprinting people lately, and it's embarrassing to have them come in, and then when you have to wash your hands and go into our bathroom .. . The security between the front desk and where our officer's room is, it's like I could flick the wood and it would break. It's not secure whatsoever."

Officer Jason Costa said he thinks the site near Skyline Country Club would be better for the new station than the 8 Prospect St. location.

"We've been there, in this location, for obviously longer than I've been on the job. It's worked, but I've heard that the Skyline is another option and that's a much better location for a lot of reasons," he said. "There's better egress and access to it, it's more central to get to both sides of the town, the northern side and the southern side. And you don't have that hill."

Board Chair Kristen Tool said, in her mind, the site is not off the table.

"For the purposes of the committee, we were directed to assess the Prospect Street site and the building design that was planned to go there," she said. "The committee has to dig into that before we can look at anything else, but we have all discussed multiple times the very ant concerns with that location, and we are going to be compiling all that to recommend to the select board," 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.