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Kiwanis Park of Honor Concludes for 2023

Kiwanis President Curtis Janey says the scholarship recipients will get $500 certificates to use as they need.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Volunteers loaded American flags into a U-Haul at Park Square over the weekend as the Kiwanis Club of Pittsfield's annual fundraiser concluded.

"We truly appreciate all those that have participated this year with the Park of Honor," President Curtis Janey said during a closing ceremony on Saturday.

The Park of Honor has funded scholarships for children and grandchildren of veterans over the past decade by selling flags that are placed in the city's most central park. The flags sway in the wind in uniform rows, each representing an honoree who served the county.

This year, about 300 were sold totaling $2,500 in scholarships. Janey said the students receive a Good Citizenship Award of $500 that can be used at their discretion.

"Once they complete the first semester and they send us a copy of the grades and they show us that they signed up for the second semester, we send the kid the check and they do whatever they want with it," he said.

"We don't tell him what to use it on, which is good because you never know what they need it for. It could be for the books, it could be for something else."

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.