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Photos of recreational area mats that the city of Newton submitted to the Architectural Access Board.

Dalton ADA Committee Considers Playground Mats for Parks

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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The mats are attached to the ground through pins and nubs. 
DALTON, Mass. — The Americans with Disabilities Act Committee is exploring adding playground mats to town parks. 
 
These mats would be laid out to provide accessible routes to playground equipment and swings.
 
ADA coordinator Alyssa Maschino heard about these mats while attending an Advanced Community Access Monitor Training. 
 
"[The state Division of Professional Licensure Office of Public Safety and Inspections Architectural Access Board] brought this up which I thought was very clever," Maschino said. 
 
"It's like a rubber matting system, which is very inexpensive compared to paving a pathway in the parks." 
 
The mats are fixed to the ground using pins and nubs. They are also secured to play equipment and swing sets using plastic stakes and stainless steel pins. The mats are connected to each other using zip ties. The mats are "relatively" quick to install and easy to maintain and repair. 
 
Newton paid approximately $3,000 to cover the costs of the mats at one of its parks but it looks like they did quite a bit, Maschino said. 
 
"Anything we can do to accentuate the beautiful parks we have and to make Dalton a more enjoyable, livable, accessible place," committee member Lyn Clements said. 
 
"It not only makes it easier for those children and adults who already live here. It makes us more attractive to diversify our community more and I think that's a great thing." 
 
These mats could also help in case the town considers investing in an ADA swing so disabled children can also enjoy the town parks, similar to Springside Park, Maschino said. 
 
The Green Committee is going to need something like this because it is putting electric vehicle chargers at Pine Grove Park, committee member David Wasielewski said. Wasielewski also serves as the town's Green Committee chair. 
 
"We're gonna need something to stabilize that area as well and make it accessible," he said. 
 
Maschino is currently in communication with Highway Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall to gauge his interest. 

Tags: ADA,   playgrounds,   

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Berkshire Concrete Lawsuit Seeks Damages, Continued Operation

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Whether Berkshire Concrete can continue excavating after its permit was denied —and if the town is liable for damages — will be decided in a lawsuit the company has filed against the town, planning board and its members.
 
The suit was filed on behalf of Berkshire Concrete Corp., a subsidiary of Petricca Industries, by Jaan G. Rannik of Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook in Superior Court on April 13
 
Berkshire Concrete is suing for damages and wants the Planning Board's permit denial overturned.
 
The company seeks permission to operate on its entire property, and to have any future permit applications granted — unless they violate previous permit conditions and fail to fix them after formal written notice, or if the Mine Safety and Health Administration finds a public health danger requiring new restrictions.
 
It also requests that if a future renewal is denied for a violation and Berkshire Concrete disputes it or claims it didn't have time to fix, operations can continue until a  final decision is made.
 
The company claims the town breached its 1992 contract with Berkshire Concrete and the board exceeded its authority in denying the special permit. 
 
Berkshire Concrete claims that as a direct result of the town's breach of contract it suffered damages of no less than 1.9 million and will continue to incur additional damages. 
 
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