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Dalton Holds Community Sessions on Public Safety Building

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Since last August, public officials said the basement of the Town Hall is inadequate to house its police station, and now the town will demonstrate why through several community outreach initiatives. 
 

QR Code to Public Safety Facility Survey. More information at the bottom of the article. 
From tours of the deteriorating precinct, information sessions with the Public Safety Facility Committee, the development of a Facebook page, to a survey, the town is engaging the community to keep them informed of the situation and develop a solution. 
 
During numerous meetings, Police Chief Deanna Strout demonstrated the decaying condition of the current location of the department including mold, mice, water damage, plumbing issues, damage to cells, and more. 
 
For the last year, the committee has been coordinating the department, communication center, and town to determine the future of the department and communication center.  
 
Listed on the town website is a timeline and links to several documents including the indoor air quality report, air quality assessment, sewage backup, and the draft space needs assessment by the town’s consultant Jacunski Humes Architects LLC. 
 
Throughout August, the Public Safety Facility Committee will hold information sessions to provide community members with an update on its progress thus far. The first was held last Wednesday and the next on Monday at 1 p.m.
 
These sessions will include presentations on the current state of the department, a question-and-answer session, and a review of prior assessments of the station and possibilities for the future. 
 
Dates for the information sessions are as follows: 
  • Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. at the Dalton Senior Center
  • Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Dalton Library
  • Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Dalton Senior Center

Community members can see first hand the state of the police station during tours of the precinct which will take place on: Tuesday, Aug. 19, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 23, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m

Additionally, citizens are asked to complete a survey, which will help the town understand residents’ priorities surrounding the proposed facility. 

The brief survey includes questions that rate the department and communication center’s level of service and explores residents' understanding of the station's needs. 
 
It also requests what information they require to make an informed decision about the proposed facility, their level of support for the facility, and the reasons behind their opinions.


Tags: community forum,   Dalton Police,   police station,   

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North Street Restaurant Serving Authentic Afro-Caribbean Cuisine

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Andre Lynch has transformed the former Lulu's on North Street into a bright and sunny space to serve his Caribbean cuisine.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dre's Global Kitchen is bringing the flavors of the Caribbean to North Street starting this weekend.
 
The new restaurant at 137 North St. is holding its grand opening on Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. 
 
Owner and chef André Lynch said the cuisine is straight from his mom's cooking.
 
Deborah Burchell, a well-known chef and instructor in New York, grew up in Trinidad and learned to cook when she was little. Lynch has taken her recipes and also made his own modifications to her cookbook.
 
"Thirteen of us grew up in a household eating home-cooked Trinidadian meals every single day in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, mostly, which is a very thick West Indian or Caribbean community," he said.
 
Once he left New York, he realized not many other places share the influence of his mom's cooking.
 
"Leaving New York, Brooklyn, really opened our eyes to how much Caribbean influence was not in other places."
 
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