Extra Dalton Water Seats Stuck on Beacon Hill

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
06:21PM / Tuesday, March 03, 2026Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass.— The proposed amendment to the Fire District's Charter, which would expand the Board of Water Commissioners from three to five members, is still under state review.

With election season approaching, District Treasurer/Clerk Melanie Roucoulet said she has received several questions and concerns about when the Board of Water Commissioners will expand from three to five members.

During elections last May, voters approved a citizen's petition to change the board to five members in an effort to reduce the risk of Open Meeting Law violations. The change increases the number of members to have a quorum.

According to state Rep. Leigh Davis' office, the bill was passed to be engrossed in the House and is currently within the Senate Rules Committee, Roucoulet said.

State Sen. Paul Marks' office has written a letter to the committee asking for the bill to be released so it can continue through the legislative process. However, as of yet, there isn't an estimated timeline, Roucoulet said.

She said she was informed it could take up to two years.

Prudential Committee Chair Daniel Filiault explained that one challenge with the amendment is that it alters the charter, requiring a legal review to ensure it has the proper language .

"That did create somewhat of a bottleneck for a period of time, because they have to make sure that that's all done properly," he said.

The deadline to pull nomination papers for the upcoming election is March 22, which are available in Roucoulet's office.

Offices to be filled:

Prudential Committee: two seats, a one-year and a three-year term.

Water Commissioner: One seat for three years)

Auditor: One for one year.

Moderator: One for one year

This year's annual meeting will be held Tuesday, May 12, at the Stationery Factory.

Tags: legislation, water district,

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Recent E. Coli Detection in Pontoosuc Lake Confined to Lanesborough

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:05AM / Tuesday, August 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Only Lanesborough's portion of Pontoosuc Lake had a bacterial exceedance last week.

During the Lake Management Commission's second meeting on Thursday, members received an update on the situation.

On July 22, the Lanesborough Board of Health closed the Sunrise Street and Narragansett Avenue beaches due to high E. Coli levels. They have since cleared.

"We didn't have any bacterial exceedance in Pittsfield, so there's no concern at all last week for any E. coli concerns in Pittsfield,” Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported.

Regular monitoring for bacterial exceedances at swimming beaches across the Commonwealth is required. Pittsfield's Board of Health tests Pontoosuc and Onota Lake weekly on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

Lanesborough also conducts weekly testing through its Board of Health, and an exceedance was reported to the state at Sunrise Beach, at the very north end of Pontoosuc Lake.

McGrath noted that he did not see Narragansett Beach on the state's dashboard.

"The City of Pittsfield was made aware of the bacterial exceedance and we, of course, were concerned,” he said.

"Our weekly testing happened the next day on Wednesday. Our results were returned Thursday morning. We did not have a bacterial exceedance at Pontoosuc Lake Park, where we test off of the wall on the north side of the channel, and also proximate to the boat ramp, at this point in time.”

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