Dalton Invites Community Input on Hazard Mitigation Plan

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DALTON, Mass. — The Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee is seeking community input on the Hazard Mitigation Plan it has been working on updating over the last few months
 
The plan identifies and prioritizes strategies to mitigate the impacts of natural hazards and climate change on our community.
 
There will be an open comment period until Tuesday, May 7, during which residents can share their perspectives to inform the plan. 
 
The committee said public engagement lies at the core of the Hazard Mitigation Plan and that it is imperative it reflects the diverse perspectives and priorities of community members as the town moves to mitigate risks posed by natural hazards and climate change. 
 
The public can review and comment on the plan online and copies are available in person at the Town Hall. 
 
Town officials and local stakeholders developed this plan with funding support from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
 
A number of town officials from various committees and departments have been working with the consultant to discuss the area's hazards and update the hazard mitigation plan to minimize the risk to people, property, and the environment. 
 
In addition, the goal of the plan is to increase the town's capacity and promote a hazard mitigation culture in the community through education, regulations, planning, and collaboration with neighboring regions.
 
Departments and committees, or commissions, involved in this process included the Water, Building and Ground departments; Police, Fire, and Health departments; Conservation Commission members, and other town officials.
 
Once implemented, the Hazard Mitigation Plan is designed to make the town more resilient to natural hazards such as flooding, snowstorms, high winds, and extreme temperatures. 
 
Once approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and adopted by the town, the plan will allow Dalton to apply for pre- and post-disaster hazard mitigation grant funds.

Tags: hazard mitigation,   

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PHS Community Challenges FY27 Budget Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee received an early look Wednesday at the proposed fiscal year 2027 facility budgets, and the Pittsfield High community argued that $653,000 would be too much of a burden for the school to bear. 

On Wednesday, during a meeting that adjourned past 10 p.m., school officials saw a more detailed overview of the spending proposal for Pittsfield's 14 schools and administration building.  

They accepted the presentation, recognizing that this is just the beginning of the budget process, as the decision on whether to close Morningside Community School still looms. The FY27 budget calendar plans the School Committee's vote in mid-April.

Under this plan, Pittsfield High School, with a proposed FY27 budget of around $8.1 million, would see a reduction of seven teachers (plus one teacher of deportment) and an assistant principal of teaching and learning, and a guidance counselor repurposed across the district.  

The administration said that after "right-sizing" the classrooms, there were initially 14 teacher reductions proposed for PHS. 

"While I truly appreciate the intentionality that has gone into developing the equity-based budget model, I am incredibly concerned that the things that make our PHS community strong are the very things now at risk," PHS teacher Kristen Negrini said. "Because when our school is facing a reduction of $653,000, 16 percent of total reductions, that impact is not just a number on a spreadsheet. It is the experience of our students." 

She said cuts to the high school budget is more than half of the districtwide $1.1 million in proposed instructional cuts. 

Student representative Elizabeth Klepetar said the "Home Under the Dome" is a family and community.  There is reportedly anxiety in the student body about losing their favorite teacher or activities, and Klepetar believes the cuts would be "catastrophic," from what she has seen. 

"Keep us in mind. Use student and faculty voice. Come to PHS and see what our everyday life looks like. If you spend time at PHS, you would see our teamwork and adaptability to our already vulnerable school," she said. 

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