DALTON, Mass. — Wahconah Regional High School senior Logan Kunde will be renovating the school's gazebo.
The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved the initiative during its meeting in June.
Kunde decided to renovate the high school's gazebo for his Eagle Scout Service Project. Planning and developing a service project is the fifth requirement of the Eagle Scouts, highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts.
The project is a significant milestone in a Scout's journey as it represents their dedication to leadership and service, which are two of the most important values a scout embodies, Kunde said.
For many Scouts, it is their first business project and is one that they have complete control and responsibility over, he said. "And its success will lead to multiple opportunities and successes later in their lives."
As part of the project, Kunde will remove the gazebo's frames and screens, power wash and stain it with different colors.
Kunde plans on starting the project this week and hopes to have it complete by July 20.
"During this experience, I have reinforced my time management skills, overcome multiple setbacks, and taken charge of my own work — all skills that are necessary for success in a fast-paced working environment," he said.
Kunde first planned on doing his project in late June but "unfortunately" learned at the "last minute" that he needed to obtain permission from the School Committee first.
The day of the committee's meeting, June 27, was also the day Kunde was leaving for vacation.
"Obviously, I was frustrated by this turn of events, but I had no other option. I postponed my project, went to the board meeting, got approval, and promptly went on vacation the next day," Kunde said.
In addition, the project was originally going to be "a simple cleaning and painting job," but the school's representative Kunde had been working with requested a number of other things, "including moving the gazebo and setting it into the ground," Kunde said.
A job like that would have been far too big to handle, so Kunde negotiated with the representative and reached a settlement that resulted in the removal of some screens and the addition of the renovation.
"These setbacks, while annoying, are indicative of what a work life will be like in the future. Sometimes, things don't go the way you want, and you have to adapt to your situation accordingly," Kunde said.
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CBRSD Budget Decreases; Dalton Assessment High
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District has decreased its initial operating projections from nearly 10 percent down to 4.9 percent, but the Dalton's budget is still strained because of its high assessment.
During a School Committee in January, a tentative budget was presented, which included a pessimistic look at the uncontrollable costs. Since then, updated figures have come back and substantial reductions were made.
Preliminary projections had the district's operating budget at $36,375,938, however, the it is now eyeing a significantly lower operating budget of $33,767,460.
The original budget included $2,881,285 in increases and just $454,040 in decreases.
Further adjustments — such as a $621,000 reduction in insurance costs, a $70,000 decrease in state charter school assessments, and several cuts to staff positions, curriculum, Chromebooks, insurance, capital projects, and other post-employment benefits — resulted in additional reductions totaling $1,824,915.
Despite these efforts, the town's assessment is at $1,148,177 — a $126,838 increase, or 12.42 percent.
However, when factoring in capital assessments, the increase drops to 10.1 percent. Dalton's capital assessment stands at $1,529,099, representing a decrease of $56,119.
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