Central Berkshire Officials Consider School Resource Officer Grant

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Regional School Committee has voted to send a letter of support for a school resource officer grant.
 
A number of committee members had been hesitant to approve adding a school resource officer, saying that there are too many unknown variables and that they need to take more time to null it over. 
 
This vote does not approve adding an officer at Wahconah Regional High School; rather, due to the time restriction for the application, it only approves sending a letter to go along with the town's grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Police Services program.
 
Police Chief Deanna Strout agreed that there are still a lot of aspects regarding this change that would need to be discussed and clarified that the committee's decision to send a letter could improve the chances of getting the grant. 
 
She has already received a letter of support from the Dalton Select Board and St. Agnes' School. 
 
The town's chances for the federal grant is slim, but if it comes through, the district and Police Department together would determine whether adding a school resource officer is the best thing to do, Strout said.  
 
The district has 90 days to come up with a memorandum of understanding after being selected for the grant. 
 
Some committee members asked where the money would go if they rejected the idea.
 
If that were to happen, the town could turn down the grant or put a school resource officer in St. Agnes' School, since it did express an interest in having one. 
 
"We don't want to give anyone here the impression that we're trying to force our way into the schools at all. If this isn't something that we all think is a great idea, I respect that," Strout said. 
 
Even if the district doesn't come up with an MOU, Select Board Chair Joe Diver said he is prepared to bring it back to the board to see how the town can leverage the grant with other private schools or juvenile programs in Dalton.
 
"The board completely supports the chief strategy on this, especially when you look at some of the statistics from [Sept. 1] last year to current. That's what got our attention is that there are some juvenile issues in the town of Dalton that could filter into the schools or vice versa," Diver said.

Tags: CBRSD,   Dalton Police,   

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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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