Letter: Carsell Running in Dalton Special Election

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To the Editor:

My name is Patrick Carsell, and I'm a candidate for the Dalton Select Board in Monday's Feb. 3 special election. For over 30 years, I've lived in Dalton with my wife, Laurel, and our two children, running a dental practice in town. In my retirement, I recently determined that now is the right time for me to give back to the community that's supported me for so long.

In preparing for this campaign, I've spent a lot of time listening to residents' concerns, using the information gathered to form solutions that I hope to implement when elected. Throughout these conversations, the integrity of town infrastructure has been a primary issue, particularly with respect to roads and sidewalks as well as the fire station and police station.

In researching the issue of a new police station, I'm the only candidate to publicly ask the Select Board to look closely at the experience of Melrose, a city awarded $3 million in federal funding to support the construction of a new net-zero police station, an energy-efficient and cost-saving LEED-certified building.


Though I respect the recommendation of the citizens committee that recently called for building a wing onto an old church to create a new police station, I urged the Board to take a closer look at building an energy-efficient station on a lot that the town already owns. In my experience, rehabbing older buildings often results in excessive costs and time-consuming snags as builders attempt to meet modern building standards.

If elected, I intend to continue the conversations that I've begun with residents, promising to remain accessible to all. I also commit to working with state and federal officials to secure funding for projects and to respect the recommendations of Dalton's Climate Plan as we work toward maintaining the beauty and affordability of our town.

I'll end by humbly requesting the vote of Dalton voters this Monday when I plan on meeting them when the polls open at 11 a.m.

Patrick Carsell
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

 

 


Tags: election 2025,   

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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said. 

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