Dalton Select Board to Hold Q&A Session on DCTV

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Time and again residents have asked for more transparency from town government and now, thanks to a new series on Dalton Community Television, they will have just that. 
 
At a recent Select Board meeting, Chair Robert Bishop pitched that the town hold question-and-answer sessions to be filmed by the public broadcasting channel. 
 
The item, at the time not on the agenda so could not be discussed, was approved last Monday. 
 
"A lot of times on social media or wherever, even by word of mouth, things don't always come out the way they should do, and people get confused," Bishop said. 
 
"I would welcome any kind of questions pertaining to Select Board matters that we can answer." 
 
To comply with open meeting law, each episode will include no more than two members, and discussions will be limited to answering questions — no deliberation will occur. 
 
The show will begin airing once the town has received enough questions to fill a 30-minute segment. After that, it will continue bi-weekly on a schedule to be announced.
 
Email questions to Executive Assistant Lori Venezia or Bishop with the subject line "Select Board Q&A. 
 
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
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. 
 
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