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A group of Berkshire County officials work a state semi-final football game last month. A different crew is headed to Gillette Stadium on Friday to officiate the Division 7 State Final.

Berkshire County Officials to Work Friday Game at Gillette Stadium

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A crew of eight Berkshire County high school football officials will take the field on Friday afternoon at Gillette Stadium to officiate the Division 7 State Championship Game.
 
Referee John Wellspeak will lead a crew that includes umpire Michael Lyon, line judge Marc Field, head linesman Mark Pompi, field judge Matt Conant, side judge John Ciliberti and back judge Gary Pemble. Peter Ochs will serve as the game's clock operator.
 
The Berkshire County officials will be in charge when West Boylston, which eliminated Wahconah in the state quarter-finals, takes on St. Bernard's for the D7 crown, one of eight state title games to be contested over the next two days.
 
In the Division 8 final on Saturday morning, KIPP Academy, which upended Lee in the quarter-finals, will face Hull at 10.
 
The only game involving a Western Massachusetts school comes at 12:30 on Saturday, when Springfield Central goes for a fourth straight state title in the Division 1 final against St. John's Prep.
 
All eight games will be streamed live at patriots.com and CBSBoston.com.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments. 

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work. 

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks. 

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed. 

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.  

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.

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