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West Stockbridge held a grand opening for the town's new dog park on Sunday, Oct. 5.
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Berkshire Briefs: Oct. 8

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The dog park is located on 21 State Line Road.

A roundup of municipal and development news across the Berkshires

West Stockbridge Opens Dog Park

West Stockbridge held a grand opening for its new dog park on Oct. 5. Michael Bolognino, chair of the Friends of West Stockbridge Dog Park, estimated that 100 people attended the opening, along with 50 or so dogs.
 
The Berkshire Humane Society attended and offered loose leash training, Irie's Pet Pantry also attended and received donations, and a couple of local businesses sold their dog-related wares.
 
Some funds were also raised to contribute to the ongoing maintenance of the park.
 
The park is located on 21 State Line Road.
 

Fairview Hospital Purchases Neighboring Property

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Fairview Hospital has purchased a neighboring property on 82 West Ave. to be used as a contractor meeting space to facilitate its $70 million renovation plan.
 
The 4,000 square foot property was purchased on Sept. 25, for $1.1 million.
 

Dalton Extends Interim Town Manager's Contract

The Berkshire Eagle also reports that the Dalton Select Board voted to extend interim Town Manager Henry H. "Terry" Williams III's contract until Nov. 21.
 
The town hired Eric Anderson of Connecticut as the new permanent town manager, but with an uncertain start date, the town wants to make sure there is a smooth transition.
 
The town has been looking for a full-time town administrator since earlier summer to replace Thomas Hutcheson, who retired. 
 

Great Barrington Hires New Town Manager

The Berkshire Edge reports that the Great Barrington Selectboard unanimously approved the hiring of Bourne Assistant Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove as the new permanent town manager.
 
The vote came during a brief meeting on Oct. 6.
 
Former Town Manager Mark Pruhenski left his post to take on a position for the town of Middlebury, Vt. Town Planner Chris Rembold has served as the interim town manager.
 

Developers Propose Battery Storage Facility in Lanesborough

The Berkshire Eagle reports that the California developer Mission Clean Energy has proposed installing a 170-megawatt battery storage field for Lanesborough near the Pittsfield line.
 
The $100 million project could provide the town with $10 million in payments to Lanesborough over 20 years.
 
The facility, proposed for a parcel, between the Connector Road and Crane Avenue in Pittsfield, would hold 200 units containing racks of lithium iron phosphate batteries that would connect to Eversource's Partridge Substation in Pittsfield. The facility would store extra energy from the grid during periods of low demand and release it back to the grid when needed.

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Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.  

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her." 

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said. 

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her." 

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

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