BRPC to Present Draft Safety Action Plan

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding program is bringing resources to Berkshire County to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, with the goal of reaching zero.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has been developing the STEPS Initiative: the Safe Travel and Equity Plan for our Streets and will be releasing the draft Action Plan for public review and comment on Nov. 4, 2024.

Earlier this year, BRPC, along with their consultation partners at BETA Group Inc., began the development process of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan with public meetings, an online survey, municipal stakeholder interviews, and a comprehensive review of regional crash data. The draft report of safety recommendations based on these findings will be available for public review and comment beginning Nov. 4. An executive summary is available now at https://www.berkshiresteps.org/.

An input session presenting the draft plan and inviting comments will be held at the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), 45 Woodlawn Avenue in Pittsfield, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:00pm. The comment period runs for 28 days from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.

The meeting will be in a hybrid format. Zoom pre-registration is required to attend online and may be done at berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/. No sign-up is required to attend the meeting in person at the BIC. Language and accessibility services can be provided at the meeting with 7 days advance notice by emailing nrusso@berkshireplanning.org or calling (413) 442-1521 extension 19.

At the meeting, the planning team will present background information, describe the need for this study, and present data gathered over the course of plan development. The team will then review recommendations for future transportation safety projects and programs to address the concerns identified. Berkshire County residents are invited to review the draft report and provide feedback during the comment window from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.


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Growth of Girls Basketball Reflected in County Hall of Fame Inductees

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Each year, the Berkshire County High School Girls Basketball Hall of Fame adds more chapters to the history of the game.
 
Sometimes, that history can be traced through a single family.
 
“I can go back to the days that show how far we've progressed in women's basketball,” Deborah Donovan told the crowd at Saturday’s induction ceremony at Proprietor’s Lodge. “Because when I started at St. Joe, we had pinnies -- do you know what pinnies are? They were things you threw over your head, and it was either red or yellow, and you had to tape on a number.
 
“We didn't have a league, per se. We didn't have anyone go out and follow us.”
 
Donovan and her sisters, Patricia Donovan and Laura Donovan-Najimy, all graduates of St. Joseph Central High School, joined the county Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, along with Donovan-Najimy’s daughter, Alice Najimy, a graduate of Lenox Memorial, Hoosac Valley’s Alie Mendel, Wahconah’s Maria Gamberoni, Lee’s Karli Retzel, Drury’s Bonnie Eichorn and Mount Everett’s Gwendolyn Carpenter.
 
Coach Ron Wojcik, who led Hoosac Valley to six state finals and two state titles, and Peter Arment, the long-time president of the Lenox Youth Basketball Association, rounded out the 11-member Class of 2026.
 
Patricia Donovan, in her remarks, noted that her sister Deborah played high school basketball in the days when teams played six on a side and players were not allowed to cross half court.
 
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