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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
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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. 


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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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