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hoodline.com

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Westfield Water Plant Gets $19M Loan Break as PCB Delays Loom Over 2028 Deadline

Ratepayers across the Springfield area are getting a break on the cost of a massive new water treatment plant, after the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust forgave $19 million of a $50 million loan tied to the project. The announcement, made Monday, covers the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant under construction at the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission's Westfield facility, a project with an estimated cost of $363.8 million that is scheduled to be complete in 2028.

Westfield, MA · 2d
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thereminder.com

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Select Board approves paid leave for Southwick CAO through June

SOUTHWICK — Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Parker will be on a paid leave of absence from Nov. 27 until her three-year contract expires in June, under a settlement approved Monday night by Select Board members Douglas Moglin and Joseph Deedy. The reasons for this decision, however, remain known to...

Southwick, MA · 11h
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hoodline.com

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New Holyoke Veterans Home Opens, Six Years After 76 Died in COVID Outbreak

An eight-story veterans home with 234 beds has opened on Cherry Hill in Holyoke, Massachusetts, replacing the Soldiers' Home where at least 76 elderly veterans died during a 2020 COVID-19 outbreak that was one of the deadliest at a long-term care facility. The new building, standing beside the old one, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 29, and the first residents were scheduled to begin moving in on Nov. 10, with additional move-ins to follow VA inspections.

Holyoke, MA · 2d
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iBerkshires.com

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Gateway Fiber Expansion Nears Completion

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gateway Fiber is nearing completion of its Pittsfield expansion, bringing high-speed internet access to 2,000 additional homes and businesses. The expansion marks another step toward increasing competition among internet providers and strengthening the city's telecommunications infrastructure, bringing service availability to nearly 6,000 homes and businesses. Construction...

Pittsfield, MA · 2d

iBerkshires.com

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Pittsfield Council Approves 2.64% Tax Increase

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council has passed a 2.64 percent tax rate increase that will add about $145 to the average yearly home bill. On Tuesday, the council unanimously approved a residential tax rate of $17.88 and a commercial, industrial, and personal property tax rate of $37.95. This uses a residential factor of 0.8245 at a shift of 1.75.

Pittsfield, MA · 2d

Yahoo!

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New proposed SNAP cuts would spread hunger among more WMass residents

SPRINGFIELD — For every meal a food pantry provides a hungry family, government grocery assistance provides far more, according to a leader at a Western Massachusetts charity. Local food pantries will face a fresh onslaught if additional cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, proposed by the...

Massachusetts · 1d

iBerkshires.com

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Lanesborough Property Tax Rate Up 5%

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday approved a single tax rate that will increase the average homeowner's property bill by at least $670. With a rate of $18.20 per $1,000 valuation, the average single-family home valued at $373,784 will see a $668 increase, and the average commercial property, estimated at a value of $577,990, will increase by $1,125 per year. This rate is 91 cents higher than last year's $17.29 per $1,000 valuation.

Lanesborough, MA · 2d

thereminder.com

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MassDOT shares early designs for regional safety improvements

Holly Russell discusses the proposed areas MassDOT is considering for accessibility and pedestrian safety improvements during an Oct. 29 public hearing. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation hosted a virtual 25% design public hearing on Oct. 29 to present proposed accessibility improvements in Chicopee, Holyoke and Westfield. As part of the...

Westfield, MA · 2d

thereminder.com

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Holyoke continues to fill reorganized Finance Department

HOLYOKE — Holyoke continues reorganizing its Finance Department after the City Council confirmed the appointment of Laura Shaw as the city’s treasurer/collector and Sharon Bittner-Willis as the city’s comptroller at its Nov. 5 meeting. Both roles will be three-year terms, effective Nov. 21, and will expire on...

Holyoke, MA · 2d

iBerkshires.com

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Pittsfield School Committee to Discuss Operational Procedures

PITTSFIELD, Mass.—School officials will meet as the Committee of the Whole to discuss operating procedures for meetings. School Committee member Heather McNeice asked that a discussion of meeting protocols be added to last week's agenda. "The point of tonight is that to run a meeting, we're not going to...

Pittsfield, MA · 16h

thereminder.com

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Easthampton honors generations of vets on Veterans Day

EASTHAMPTON — The city celebrated and honored its veterans with ceremonies around town on Veterans Day, shining a light on generations of Easthampton residents who have served. The day’s ceremonies began at the city’s newly renovated Civil War Memorial, integrated into Old Town Hall. After that, a delegation from...

Easthampton, MA · 1d

businesswest.com

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Marcus & Millichap Brokers $5.95 Million Sale of Dental Office Portfolio

WESTERN MASS. — Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in investment sales, financing, research, and advisory services, announced the sale of a five-property dental office portfolio consisting of dental condominiums and a free-standing dental office building located throughout the Pioneer Valley region of Western Mass. The portfolio sold for $5.95 million.

Greenfield, MA · 14h

iBerkshires.com

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Lanesborough Looks to Dissolve Baker Hill road DIstrict

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board is looking to move forward with dissolving the Baker Hill Road District, which is hindering the Berkshire Mall sale. On Friday, the Select Board heard from Vice Chair Juli Baker and Chair Deborah Maynard on how Tuesday negotiations went with Cypress Equities, JMJ Holdings, town counsel, the town administrator, and state Rep. John Barrett III.

Lanesborough, MA · 15h