Eviction Sealing Information Session at the Pittsfield Athenaeum

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Community Legal Aid will be holding an information session on Eviction Sealing to help eligible residents of Berkshire County learn how to seal their eviction records. 
 
Community Legal Aid is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services annually to over 700 low- income and elderly residents of Berkshire County. 
 
The information session will be led by Community Legal Aid Housing Law Attorney Angelina Morisi and is open to the public. It will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Ave., in the Athenaeum Room.
 
As rental prices soar in Massachusetts, tenants with eviction cases on their records are finding it more difficult to secure affordable housing. A new Massachusetts law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 239 s. 16, that took effect on May 5, 2025, allows certain eligible tenants to petition the Court to seal their eviction record. 
 
Tenants may submit a petition to seal their evictions online, in person at the courthouse, or by mail. Not all cases are sealable. Examples of some of the types of cases that may be eligible to be sealed are: when a tenant has won their eviction case (judgment in favor of the tenant); when a tenant was not at fault for the eviction (no-fault eviction); non- payment of rent cases where the tenant has paid the amount owed; and non-payment of rent cases that are at least four years old where the tenant did not pay the amount owed because of a financial hardship. The information session will cover these topics and answer questions about the new law. Tenants can also find out more about eviction sealing at SealMyEviction.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lee: 3 Miles of Route 20 Being Repaved Next Year

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LEE, Mass. — Beginning next year, the state will repave three miles of Route 20 and reinforce two bridges, one over the Massachusetts Turnpike. 

Last week, the state Department of Transportation held a virtual design public hearing for the project. In addition to milling and resurfacing of the route, bridge structures L-05-024 (over Greenwater Brook) and L-05-052 (over I-90) will see maintenance repairs. 

"We just wanted to thank MassDOT for doing this project. We're very supportive of having the road redone and appreciate the work on it," Town Administrator Christopher Brittain said. 

"The town of Lee is looking forward to having the road repaved." 

Construction will begin in the spring of 2027.  

Traffic will be maintained with short-term flagging operations, and steel plates will conceal deck patching over Greenwater Brook. There will be staged construction on the bridge over the highway, with a single alternating travel lane controlled by a temporary signal. 

The project is estimated to cost $6.8 million, 90 percent from the federal government and 10 percent from the state; it is in the FY26 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. 

The hearing included public information on activities and rights-of-way needs for tree trimming, new utility poles, grading, drainage swales, and a driveway apron along the project corridor, items identified during the late design phases. 

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