Mill Town Foundation and Pittsfield Public Schools Announce Core Impact Awards

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PITTSFIELD, Mass — Mill Town Foundation, in partnership with Pittsfield Public Schools and with support from the Feigenbaum Foundation, has announced the inaugural Core Impact Awards.
 
The Core Impact Awards will recognize educators and school staff members in the Pittsfield Public School District who have demonstrated a significant impact on student learning, innovation in education, and community engagement.
 
The awards will honor one full-time teacher or staff member from each of the 14 schools in the Pittsfield Public School District.
 
The nomination period will close March 21, 2025. Nominations can be submitted by community members, students, parents, and colleagues using a nomination form.
 
An independent Selection Committee of community members will review the nominations. Nominees will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
  • Student Impact: Evidence of inspiring or improving student outcomes.
  • Innovation in Teaching: Creative teaching approaches and technology integration.
  • Community Contributions: Engagement with the school and broader community.
  • Nomination Quality: Thoughtfulness and depth of the nomination.
The Core Impact Award recipients will be announced in April 2025 and honored at an award ceremony in late May. Honorees will receive a recognition package.
 
More information on the Core Impact Awards, including how to submit a nomination, can be found at www.milltownfoundation.org.
 
 
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Lanesborough OKs Open Space Plan, Short-Term Rental Forms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday set fees for short-term rentals and adopted an Open Space and Recreation Plan.
 
Town Administrator Gina Dario discussed the draft for STR registration and certificate of inspection since the new bylaws were passed at the annual town meeting.
 
The draft shows the process to file for inspection through Permit Eyes, the town's online permitting system that includes the state building code and safety requirements. Dario said members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and the building commissioner looked at other town models to come up with the best process for registration.
 
Inspections will be annually for non-owner occupied units and five years for owner-occupied. The inspection fee is a flat $50. The last suggestion discussed was the posting requirements for key information.
 
Dario said they looked at about four other communities on how they used non-sensitive information on owner contacts. Chair Deborah Maynard motioned to have the information posted both inside and out to help with law enforcement if needed.
 
"I'm going to make a motion that we put that relevant information not only on the inside of the short-term rental but on the outside, so if the police need to respond, ambulance needs to respond, fire especially needs to respond, all that information is there, nobody has to go searching for it," she said. "If push comes to shove, and it's a matter of minutes, that's going to make a big, a big difference in the outcome of the incident."
 
The board then heard a presentation from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's community planner Andrew McKeever and Open Space and Recreation Committee Vice Chair Mark Hawthorne.
 
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