Bianchi-Barbarotta Award winners, from left: Paul and Dick Rivers, Peter White, Ben Knute, West Dews, Jack Reed, Ashlyn Lesure, Ella Bassi, Randy Koldys. Not present, Brian Gill.
Paula and Dick Rivers, recipients of the Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation Living Legends Award, are presented with the honor by Pepi Barbarotta, left, and John Barbarotta.
Peter White, center, receives the Connie Bianchi Memorial Award of Merit from Chris Barbarotta and John Barbarotta.
Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation Volunteer of the Year Ben Knute receives his award from Chris Bianchi, left, and John Barbarotta.
Gary Bianchi, left, and Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation President John Barbarotta present the Male Sport Coach of the Year award to Monument Mountain boys basketball coach Randy Koldys, center.
Pittsfield High’s Jack Reed, center, receives the Vera Barbarotta Sportsmanship Scholarship from Jay Barbarotta and John Barbarotta.
Reese Barbarotta, left, and John Barbarotta present the Vera Barbarotta Sportsman Scholarship to Pittsfield High’s Ella Bassi.
Al Bianchi Senior Female Athlete of the Year Ashlyn Lesure receives her award from Sam Barbarotta, left, and John Barbarotta.
Al Bianchi Senior Male Athlete of Year West Dews with presenter Gary Bianchi, Wahconah football coach Gary Campbell and Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation President John Barbarotta.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation Friday recognized nine winners of the organization’s annual awards for contributions to sports in Berkshire County.
The honorees were recognized at a dinner at the Polish Falcon Club.
Paula and Dick Rivers received the foundation’s Living Legends Award. Peter White took home the Connie Bianchi Memorial Award of Merit. Ben Knute was honored as the Volunteer of the year. And recent Pittsfield High School grads Jack Reed and Ella Bassi are recipients of the 2025 Vera Barbarotta Sportsman Scholarships.
For the first time this year, the foundation added male and female Athletes of the Year and Coach of the Year recognition in girls and boys sports.
Wahconah’s West Dews is the male Athlete of the Year, and Hoosac Valley’s Ashlyn Lesure is the Female Athlete of the Year. The coaches are Mount Greylock girls track and field coach Brian Gill and Monument Mountain boys basketball coach Randy Koldys.
“It was a wonderful evening with some awesome speeches,” Bianch-Barbarotta Foundation President John Barbarotta said. “The kids were outstanding.”
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Dalton Finance Looks to Form Contracts Subcommittee
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee wants to create a subcommittee to review contracts presented to the town.
Chair William Drosehn brought up the idea to help bring focus to the many town contracts and should the committee be aware of them.
"This will be to review all of the contracts that are presented to us by the Select Board and our town manager," he said.
He noted how the committee had no input on use of the American Rescue Plan Act funds the last three years.
"The Finance Committee was supposed to be involved, and they kept us out of it completely. We had no say or no talk of what was going on with the relationship to ARPA funds," Drosehn said.
The committee determined the subcommittee be formed with four members, including Drosehn.
"I was hoping that I was going to be one of the volunteers for the committee, because the size of the job, having the chair seated on that committee is probably going to be a good thing, considering the size and scope of the work that needs to be done," he said.
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