Taconic High Closed Wednesday for Cleanup

07:16PM / Tuesday, February 10, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A sewer backup forced the closure of Taconic High School on Tuesday afternoon and canceled all afternoon activities and classes on Wednesday.

According to a message sent to the school community by Principal Matthew Bishop, plumbers working at the school removed a drain cap at about 1:50 p.m., which allowed sewage to spill into the Career Technical Education hallway.

Students were taken to the gym and auditorium, and then released from the building at about 2:25 p.m., a few minutes earlier than normal. The girls basketball team did meet at the school to take the bus to the game at Putnam Vocational in Springfield.

Bishop had messaged that crews were being coordinated to clean the building and reopen it on Wednesday but by early evening that was found to not be possible.

Classes were canceled Wednesday, he wrote, "to allow for the sewer drain issue in the building to be fully resolved.

"Professional sanitation and cleaning teams are on site in cooperation with city maintenance officials, to ensure our building is thoroughly cleaned before students and staff return."

The school community will be updated if there are any changes.

This article was updated and reposted at 7:16 p.m., Feb. 10.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

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 Settles With Mall Owners to Dissolve Baker Hill Road District

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:10PM / Tuesday, February 10, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board has decided it is time to say goodbye to the Baker Hill Road Road District.

On Monday, the Select Board unanimously approved a settlement with the Berkshire Mall's owners that pays the town $1.1 million for the dissolution of the district through a home-rule petition. This will require approval at town meeting and a special act of the Legislature.

Owners JMJ Holdings will have to provide a signed development and purchase agreement 30 days before the town meeting.

"I think it's time. There's been a lot of controversy around this, and I think that we're at a point in time where the town needs this to be resolved, and we need the mall property to be developed, and this is the first step to do this, to develop this property," Select Board member Jason Breault said.

"If we keep going on and on with this whole thing, we're never going to see this being developed. We're never going to see this progress. So I think if we do this, we dissolve this, we get this moving, I think it will be positive for the community, it will be positive for taxpayers, it will be positive overall."

The Berkshire Mall closed more than five years ago and has sat vacant since. The road district filed a suit against JMJ for unpaid taxes for the Route 7/8 Connector Road; dissolving the district will forgive that debt.

The intent is to get the state to take over the Connector Road.

Chair Deborah Maynard feels this is a "giant" win for the town and stands wholeheartedly behind the agreement developed by herself, Town Administrator Gina Dario, town counsel, and representatives from JMJ. She said the decision is not taken lightly by Select Board members.

"I'm really hoping that people at the town meeting will see that this is good," she said.

View Full Story