Massachusetts Nonprofit Network to Visit Berkshires Region

10:54AM / Sunday, July 16, 2023Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires will host the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network at Ventfort Hall on Tuesday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The annual regional meeting brings together nonprofits from all subsectors to network and learn more about current advocacy efforts.

"MNN is our voice in the State House," said Liana Toscanini, executive director of the Nonprofit Center. "We welcome their policy updates and the opportunity to ask questions about issues of importance to our nonprofit sector."

The event is free to Berkshire nonprofits and includes lunch and a short tour of Ventfort Hall, a historic mansion and Gilded Age museum on the National Register of Historic Places. Attendees will also hear from the event's two partners — Massachusetts CORE 401K savings plan for small nonprofits and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

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Dalton Fire District Seeks State OK for Permanent Chief

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
03:26PM / Wednesday, March 11, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is considering interim Fire Chief Christopher Francis Cachat for the permanent chief position, pending required state approval.

Cachat has been serving as chief since January 2025, with the duties being split between himself, Administrative Deputy Chief Charlotte Crane, and Capt. Dennis Tinker.

However, one challenge to making his appointment permanent is that Cachat is older than 65, the mandatory retirement age for firefighters in Massachusetts.

In 1987, the state eliminated the maximum age and mandatory retirement requirements for most public employees, but firefighters were exempt from this ruling.

The law requires the personnel administrator to study whether a firefighter can serve past the mandatory retirement age, considering job risks, physical demands, and the costs of injuries for older personnel.

Towns and cities can seek a home-rule petition from the state Legislature and governor to allow an individual to continue serving in a position past the age of 65, and the Fire District is in the process of doing just that.

State Rep. Leigh Davis filed a home-rule bill last March on the district's behalf to allow Cachat, who has been with the department for four decades, to continue serving until age 70, provided he remains physically and mentally capable of fulfilling the role’s duties.

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