Woodlands Partnership Hosts Survey, Listening Sessions on Emergency Response

03:14PM / Tuesday, January 28, 2025Print Story | Email Story

WINDSOR, Mass. — The Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts is embarking on a public safety services study of the 21-town region with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Collins Center will focus on municipal services in the Woodlands Partnership region as they relate to increasing tourism, use and accessibility of public forests, diminished tax base, and the ability of first responders to provide emergency services.

Funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the study is intended to provide towns with direction and support in receiving additional funds and identifying strategies for municipal financial sustainability, as well as inform state policy and procedure related to Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) on state-owned land and other programs.

Three listening sessions will be held for community members and emergency responders to provide feedback about experiences and suggestions for improvement. The sessions will be held:

Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom (online)
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Windsor Town Hall (hybrid)
Thursday, February 27, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Shelburne Fire Dept (hybrid)

For more information and to learn how to attend, please visit woodlandspartnership.org/events. Can’t make it? Take the surveys here. First Responders: https://tinyurl.com/3vp3eat7; Community Members: https://tinyurl.com/bddvv52x. Email kconlin@newenglandforestry.org for a paper copy.

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Berkshire Democrats Host Candidate Forum Friday

06:29PM / Monday, April 06, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire County Democratic town committees and political action groups will sponsor a countywide Democratic candidates forum this Friday, April 10.

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. in the Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church located at 74 First St.

The event will feature elected state and federal officials, especially those running for seats in the 2026 election. Challengers for those seats will also address attendees.

Working in coalition with the Berkshire Democratic Brigades, Berkshire Indivisible, Greylock Together, Indivisible Berkshires, and the Rural Freedom Network, the Democratic town committees of Adams, Dalton, Great Barrington, Sheffield, and Stockbridge anticipate that this event will educate voters about candidates' positions on political issues.

In addition, the forum will give voters the opportunity to network and to meet candidates and discuss legislation that will improve Berkshire County's economy, promote environmental justice, and reduce economic disparity in the region.

Candidates committed to attend include District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, 1st Mass congressional candidate Jeromie Whalen, U.S. Senate candidate Alex Rikleen, and 1st Berkshire representative candidate Andrew Fitch.

Also speaking will be representatives from the campaigns for Edward Markey for U.S. Senate and for Maural Healey and Kim Driscoll for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

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