Dalton Library Trustees Navigate How to Spend State Aid

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
04:34PM / Saturday, June 08, 2024Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The library trustees navigated the best way to spend the state aid during their meeting on Monday evening.

This year, the library received $19,928.23 from state aid, which has to be used to improve the library and the patron experience.

The library receives two state aid disbursements every year. The amounts vary annually based on population and other factors.

Library Director Janet Forest said she is interested in having the library invest in a screen and a projector.

This would be a meaningful addition to the library that numerous library programs can utilize. At the moment, the library has a portable projector and screen. This purchase would allow the library to do more screenings and presentations.

Trustee Leo Quiles said this is a great idea and opens up the possibility of more programming, such as screenings of Academy shorts, which the Berkshire Museum does in its theater.

Forest agreed and said she had communicated with a librarian at the Becket Library, which has an adult movie night. The librarian informed her that libraries must have the right to screen films by paying a licensing fee.

Popular films, like "Barbie," are not cheap, but it aren't prohibitively expensive.

The library is still in the early stages of this and is in the process of researching and gathering quotes for the equipment; an early quote was $21,000.

Trustee Fred Sears also recommended Wood Bros. Music in Pittsfield.

Forest also contacted the Office for Information Technology at Williams College because all their rooms have projectors. They sent her a name, but the company has not gotten back to her yet.

She was unsure whether a project like this would have to go out to bid so will confirm with the town.

The trustees are also considering renovating the break room to make more space, which would make programming easier. This would include knocking down the wall while maintaining the wooden trim and installing a stainless steel commercial sink.

The sink would be a great addition as it will make cleaning easier, especially for craft programming, Forest said.

The biggest cost of the project would probably be asbestos abatement, as the wall likely has asbestos due to the age of the building, she said.

The next step is to take measurements to determine the scope of the project and go out to bid.

The trustees are still in the initial stages and do not have an idea of the cost or any impact on library operations, which Forest thought would be minimal.

Part of this project would include updating the sink and vanity of the break room's bathroom using improvement money. This project would have to go out to bid and would not disturb library operations because the library has an alternative bathroom.

Tags: library, library trustees,

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Crane Park's Mini-Pitch is Open for Fun

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:18AM / Wednesday, October 21, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City officials celebrated the opening of the new Crane Parks mini-pitch on Tuesday.

Players from several local soccer programs, community leaders, and project partners gathered to kick the ceremonial first pitch into the goal on the new facility.

Back in May, the Parks Commission endorsed a project to place a mini-pitch over the aging, cracked concrete surface of Crane Park's former rink. A mini-pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates.

"The mini-pitch system will create a space that encourages physical activity and welcomes play through teamwork. The space will serve as a location for the community to gather for outdoor fun and recreation for many years ahead. They'll be able to put their cell phones down for a few minutes and actually engage in some great outdoor entertainment," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

The project was funded entirely by grants. In June, the City Council accepted the gift of the mini-pitch facility, valued at over $100,000, and $10,000 from the Mill Town Foundation to ready the site.

The facility has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together. Cleats are not allowed on the surface, but sneakers and other sports shoes are.

The mini-pitch system came with a light tower and two LED lamps, but Crane Park does not have power, so it won't be illuminated. That could change in the future, officials said.

The pitch is open for the community every day, but Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reminded users to be mindful as they play as well as to respect the pitch and the neighborhood it resides in.

McGrath said the idea grew out of conversations with Andy Wrba, program director for the Mill Town Foundation.

"There's been a deep, deep soccer community in Pittsfield and throughout the Berkshires for a long time. I've seen it as a multi-generational way for communities to connect and pass down lessons and connect families and everyone. And a big part of that has been the West State Soccer League," Wrba said.

He said the goal is to keep the space active and encourage outdoor recreation and youth engagement.

McGrath said that with the partnership from Mill Town and the city's park commission they were able to bring the pitch to the finish line.

"It's a testament to our ability to bring new and unique facilities into our city that accommodate youth sports. And it really, at the end of the day, is about promotion of soccer. And we are just so pleased that our partners all came together and that we were able to get this mini-pitch completed," McGrath said.

Other contributors as well were the U.S. Soccer Foundation, who provided the mini-pitch system, surface materials, and installation assistance at no cost to the city, as well as Massachusetts Youth Soccer who partnered with Pittsfield to bring the system to the city.

"All these contributions made this project possible, and highlights how our community continues through public and private partnerships to provide new facilities and amenities for all to enjoy," Marchetti said.

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