image description
A rendering of the monument that will be placed at Veterans Way Park to honor the Berkshire County residents who died serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pittsfield Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial On Target To Be Unveiled Sep. 11

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A monument honoring the five Berkshire County residents who died serving in Iraq and Afghanistan is still on track to be unveiled at Veterans Way Park on Sept. 11, the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. 
 
Arnie Perras of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 448 called into the Parks Commission's meeting held on the Zoom platform last week to give an update on the proposed monument and he said it is well on its way to completion.
 
"We have been getting a lot of compliments on this monument from contractors and folks who think it is just a beautiful monument," Perras said. 
 
The piece will be installed near the World War I Peace Memorial, just off the paved way at the top of the stairs on the South Street side of the park.
 
The funds are being raised privately for the black granite marker, its laser carving and installation. The monument committee hit its funding goal and to date has raised $47,845, surpassing its original goal of $45,000.
 
Perras said unanticipated costs have increased this amount closer to $50,000, but the committee is still in striking distance.
 
He cited a sizable state grant as well as other larger donations from various veterans groups. He added that crowdsourcing also contributed to the bottom line. 
 
Some of the money will be used to set up a perpetual care account for the marker. Perras said he hopes to consolidate all of the monument's perpetual care accounts into one.
 
Unistress has installed the footing, foundation, and vault for free, and Bonded Concrete supplied the concrete. A time capsule will sit underneath the monument with materials from the Gold Star families.
 
"The families will be putting things in there from their loved ones that they lost during these wars," Perras said.
 
The five Army soldiers being honored are Sgt. 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory, 32, of Cheshire, who was killed by friendly fire bomb on Dec. 5, 2001, in Afghanistan; Sgt. Glenn R. Allison, 24, of Pittsfield who died Dec. 18, 2003, during physical training in Baghdad, Iraq; Chief Warrant Officer Stephen M. Wells, 29, of North Egremont, who died Feb. 25, 2004, when the helicopter he was in crashed in Habbinayah, Iraq; Spc. Michael R. DeMarsico II, 20, of North Adams, who was killed by an improvised explosive device on Aug. 16, 2012, in Panjway, Afghanistan; and Spc. Mitchell K. Daehling, 24, of Dalton, who also was killed by an IED on May 14, 2013, in Sanjaray, Afghanistan.
 
The capsule will be opened in 2101, 100 years from 2001.
 
Perras said a full-scale model of the monument was created that they plan to use if the actual monument is somehow delayed. He said it is critical that they unveil something on Sept. 11.
 
"It is an important day," he said. "That is the day that started all of these wars, so we don't want to have it on any other day than that." 
 
The United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, by members of Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group that had been operating out of Afghanistan. The 19 terrorists captured four commercial jets, flying two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon. Passengers on the fourth plane fought back and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.
 
On the actual unveiling, attendees will be asked to wear masks and social distance. Mayor Linda Tyer and two veterans of the wars will speak.
 
In other business, Parks and Open Space Manager James McGrath said now that the city has solid state local aid numbers, some capital projects can go forward.
 
"It's shaping up to be a busy construction season this fall," he said. 
 
At the outset of the pandemic little was known about the state budget. Because of this, the city passed a budget that did not include capital projects.
 
But with the state passing a three-month budget, McGrath said the City Council will review a slate of capital projects that were put on pause.
 
For park, this includes the dog park that is at 100 percent design and Phase 2 of the skate park project. Both of these projects require a local share.  
 
In regard to other projects, McGrath said the West Side Riverway Park should wrap up this month. He said Clapp Park is essentially complete but the splash pad will not be turned on this season.

Tags: parks commission,   veterans memorial,   

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

EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories