Pittsfield Airport Navigation Easement Acquisitions Almost Closed

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gale Associates updated the Airport Commission on the status of various projects during its meeting last week.  
 
The Runway 14 navigation easement acquisitions are almost closed. Gale Associates submitted the forms along with all the necessary backup documentation to the state Department of Transportation on March 10.
 
Once the city is reimbursed for the outstanding MassDOT balance, the project will be removed from Gale's update, civil engineer Mark Ottariano said. 
 
The permit design for tree clearing went out to bid starting March 29 and will remain open for three weeks, he said. 
 
The bids will be opened at City Hall on April 19 at 2 p.m. instead of 11 a.m. That was a recent change.
 
At the time of the meeting, there was one bidder who had pulled plans. Ottariano said Gail Associates will reach out to some of the contractors that it has worked with in the past to inform them of the project in case they missed the advertisement. 
 
The construction for the project was originally budgeted for $165,000. There were a couple of permitting things that drove the budget up to 200,000, including the added cost for herbicide. 
 
The $200,000 is a conservative estimate, Ottariano said. A more accurate construction cost will be available in a couple of weeks.
 
The Federal Aviation Administration split the removal project into a design only and construction phase. 
 
Gale Associates recently submitted its scope of services and fees for the construction phase of the projects and were sent out on for a Independent Fee Estimate on March 29. 
 
Once the IFE is returned and negotiations complete, the scope and fee will be finalized and will be submitted along with the construction costs based on the April 19 bids to the grant application that is due on May 5. 

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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

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.
 
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