Lifeguard Shortages May Mean 'Swim At Your Own Risk' At Burbank Park

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There may be no lifeguards at Onota Lake's Burbank Park this year due to a lack of applicants. 

"It's been increasingly challenging with each passing year to attract lifeguards. In the past number of years, we've really tried to step up how we seek applicants. We've been reaching out to partner organizations. We've done it all. We've offered to pay for lifeguard certification courses. We just have not seen the applicants come through," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath told the Parks Commission on Tuesday. 

"This year was especially dire." 

With only a couple of potential hires, the city will soon decide if the public beach at Onota Lake will be "Swim At Your Own Risk" this season.  McGrath said the job posting can be kept open for a little while longer, but stressed that there has to be a point where the community is notified that there won't be any lifeguard hours this year. 

This would be the first time in years. 

In 2022, an 8-year-old girl was found unresponsive at the Burbank Park public beach and later passed away, and last year, a Herberg Middle School student drowned at Benedict Pond in Great Barrington. 

"This is top of mind. Waterfront safety is top of mind, and this does not feel good when we're trying to promote water safety," McGrath said. 

"We're ready to jump in the proverbial deep end to try to figure out how we can make it as safe as possible at the lake. So I just wanted to give you a heads up, it would certainly be before your next meeting that we would have to really pull the trigger on this." 

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.