Dalton Finance Looks to Form Contracts Subcommittee

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:48PM / Thursday, January 29, 2026Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee wants to create a subcommittee to review contracts presented to the town.

Chair William Drosehn brought up the idea to help bring focus to the many town contracts and should the committee be aware of them.

"This will be to review all of the contracts that are presented to us by the Select Board and our town manager," he said.

He noted how the committee had no input on use of the American Rescue Plan Act funds the last three years.

"The Finance Committee was supposed to be involved, and they kept us out of it completely. We had no say or no talk of what was going on with the relationship to ARPA funds," Drosehn said.

The committee determined the subcommittee be formed with four members, including Drosehn.

"I was hoping that I was going to be one of the volunteers for the committee, because the size of the job, having the chair seated on that committee is probably going to be a good thing, considering the size and scope of the work that needs to be done," he said.

Before voting to establish, the committee did think it needed a better draft of how the subcommittee would deal with contracts, what types of contracts and monetary thresholds, and what the members' roles would be.

Dresehn will write up a draft of objectives and policies and invited others on the committee to as well to prepare for a vote at the next meeting.

Tags: Finance Committee,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Seeks State Support for Berkshire Mall Redevelopment

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires.com
05:58PM / Monday, October 12, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town plans to petition the state to take ownership of the Route 7/Route 8 Connector Road, which officials believe is a "critical component" of the Berkshire Mall’s redevelopment strategy.

On Tuesday, the Select Board approved a letter to state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. John Barrett III to request their support for the vacant mall's redevelopment by helping advance transfer of the Route 7/Route 8 connector and considering funding for essential infrastructure.

"We have held discussions with the Baker Hill Road District … which will take the necessary steps to formally petition the commonwealth to take over ownership of the Route 7, Route 8 connector…Your continued support in facilitating this transfer is greatly appreciated," the letter says.

Berkshire Mall owner JMJ RE Holdings has said the potential sale and redevelopment of the mall hinges on dissolving the Baker Hill Road District, a condition of the agreement that, if unmet, would render the contract null and void.

As a result, the mall will continue to deteriorate and the litigation will proceed forward, said Tim Grogan, of JMJ.

Vera Farrell, the liaison to the Baker Hill Road District, said the district board had discussed at one of its most recent meetings that the connector road could be transferred directly to the state, rather than returned to the town; Barrett and Mark were also a part of the discussion.

"The representatives recommended that as an option, that it could transfer the connector road directly to the state, as opposed to deeding it back to the town to dispense it. If we get to that point, that would be a better option to do it that way," Farrell said.

View Full Story