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Bailey Road is no longer 40 mph. The Select Board voted to drop it 35 to provide some consistency for drivers.

Lanesborough Select Board Decreases Bailey Road Speed Limit

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Traveling 40 mph down a section of Bailey Road is no longer permitted.

The Select Board on Monday voted to change the "questionable" 40 mph zone to a 35 mph speed limit.

Police Chief Robert Derksen came to the panel with the request, as there are currently three speed limits on the road.

It was hard to tell where the 35 mph and 40 mph speed zones were, he said, and there's a section that's 25 mph.

"From Route 7, there's a 25 mph zone and it also depends on what direction you're traveling so if you're traveling, I guess westbound towards Brody Mountain Road, it's 25, 35, and 40. At about Noppet Road is when it changes to 40," he explained.

"Now, the thing I did notice is traveling it from Brodie Mountain towards Route 7, it's not marked until that first sign, and if you're eastbound, right around where it changes from 40. If you're westbound, it's 35 so it's two different speed limits depending on the direction you're traveling."

The Police Department placed radar in the area hoping to gather data but the file was corrupted and unable to be used, Derksen said.

Select Board member Timothy Sorrell was ready to make a recommendation without the data, motioning to change the 40 zones to 35.


"I think keeping it 25 is going to be unrealistic for that road," he said.

Derksen agreed, recommending a few more signs.

"We should have one at the very beginning when you come up. Then you should have one when you turn, come off of any of the side streets either way, so you know what's going on," Sorrell said.

In other news, the Hometown Heroes banner program is coming to Lanesborough in 2025.

Town Clerk Ruth Knysh the hope is to have the banners out by Memorial Day and that they will stay up through Veterans Day. North and South Main streets will be adorned with signs honoring past and present armed forces members and first responders.

"I believe they said we have around 100 poles. The cost of the banners will be $200 and that includes the brackets and everything to hang them," she said.

"The Fire Department has actually volunteered to erect them out so that's nice. It will include picture, rank of service, any credentials, active duty or deceased military."


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Dalton Becomes Purple Heart Community

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The town has been home to many veterans and soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in military service — a new proclamation honors their service and sacrifice.
 
The Select Board signed a proclamation declaring the town a Purple Heart Community, joining communities across the commonwealth to adopt this as a way to honor their local Purple Heart recipients. 
 
"This designation is more than a symbolic gesture; it is a public affirmation of Dalton's respect, gratitude, and enduring commitment to the men and women who have been wounded or killed in combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces," Historical Commission co-Chair Deborah Kovacs said at the Select Board meeting Monday night. 
 
The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration that is still awarded to service members, recognizing their sacrifice, courage, and an unwavering devotion to the nation.
 
The Purple Heart originated on Aug. 7, 1782, when Gen. George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit to recognize enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers for exceptional service during the Revolutionary War. 
 
It fell out of use after the war but was revived in 1932 on Washington's 200th birthday under the leadership of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.  
 
Under the revival, it was still awarded for meritorious service or for combat wounds but during World War II this narrowed to service members wounded or killed as a direct or indirect result of enemy action. That wounds-only standard has remained in place ever since.
 
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