image description — A sign on Swamp Road warns there's a $200 fine for littering but the town has no bylaw that would allow its implementation.

Lanesborough Considers Bylaw Against Litter

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
11:30AM / Wednesday, December 17, 2025Print Story | Email Story

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town is considering a bylaw against littering after reports of people dumping trash on the roadside.

Last week, Police Chief Robert Derksen and Department of Public Works Director Nate Fenwick reported the need for a formal regulation to the Select Board. Fenwick said his department has picked up whole truckloads of trash next to roadways, and while sometimes the litterer can be located from their contents, the town's hands are tied when it comes to enforcement.

"With not having any bylaw for this, it just makes it really difficult for us to get a handle on this," he said.

Derksen said Lanesborough would be better off solidifying a broader local bylaw with a fine to deter this behavior.

Massachusetts law prohibits littering on public highways, public lands, private property of another, or in or near coastal or inland waters. Derksen said these laws are "very specific," and have to be in accordance with a bylaw, which the town doesn't have.

"I'm not sure what I would fine them," the chief explained.

He said Dalton's bylaw is a great example. It stipulates that "No person shall throw, sweep, rake, blow, or deposit litter or rubbish in or upon any street, sidewalk, treebelt or other public place within the Town, except in public receptacles for that purpose, authorized private receptacles for collection or in an official Town disposal area."

Dalton fines people up to $300 for littering.

Town Administrator Gina Dario said as they begin to put the warrant together for the 2026 annual town meeting, the Select Board could review draft language for a bylaw inspired by that of another community.

"Obviously, this doesn't sit with any particular committee. This would be something that could be directed by the Select Board to include for a town meeting vote," she said.

There is a sign on Swamp Road that warns of a $200 fine for littering, but it doesn't have any teeth.

Fenwick said he and Derksen have discussed a few different bylaws they would like to add more depth to.

In other news, Jeff Murach was appointed as the DPW foreman during the meeting.

Tags: litter,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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