Friday, February 14, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

HomeNewsGreat Barrington Police...

Great Barrington Police Department honors retiring officers and citizen heroes

The inaugural Great Barrington Police Department ceremony honored two retiring, longtime officers and three women who acted heroically at the scene of a horrific car accident in 2012.

Great Barrington — There wasn’t a dry eye at the Mason Library Tuesday evening (April 5) at an inaugural Police Department ceremony to honor two retiring, longtime officers and three women who acted heroically at the scene of a horrific car accident in 2012.

Chief William Walsh, Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) and officer Adam Carlotto, for the Police Association, noted the outstanding service of officers Paul Montgomery and Daniel Bersaw, and even recognized their wives, as making “this all happen,” particularly for Bersaw, who for years took the “midnight shift.” And Montgomery worked multiple details and lots of overtime “in all weather,” Walsh said.

Walsh said when Montgomery began 44 years ago, police work “was different than it was today.” Montgomery grew up in a large family in Housatonic, and started out as an officer there. Walsh said rather than call the station, people would often go to Montgomery to solve problems and deal with complaints. “An early stage of community policing,” Walsh said.

The ceremony also honored the three women who rescued Mark Tomen after a car accident. From left Kimberly Gasperini, accident victim Mark Tomen, Alexa Quartararo, Celina Sinico, and Great Barrington Police Officer Kristopher Balestro.
The ceremony also honored the three women who rescued Mark Thomen after a car accident. From left Kimberly Gasperini, accident victim Mark Thomen, Alexa Quartararo, Celina Sinico, and Great Barrington Police Officer Kristopher Balestro.

Bersaw spent 25 years at the department, and Walsh said he was a steady, no hassles worker who he could always be counted on. A serious health problem took him out for a while, but he pulled through and stayed on the job a while longer.

Walsh noted how important the “strong family support system” is for police officers with their “crazy hours and schedules,” and he gave a nod to Bersaw and Montgomery’s wives, Shirley and Carol.

Walsh and Pignatelli also presented Certificates of Appreciation to three women who happened upon a car accident near the former Route 7 Grill on Route 7, in which Mark Thomen of East Caanan, Conn., traveling southbound, was hit by a car pulling out of the restaurant. Thomen’s car flipped and he was partly ejected out a passenger window and his arm pinned beneath his car.

“I still shake my head when I think about it,” Walsh said, before he introduced Kimberly Gasperini, Alexa Quartararo and Celina Sinico, and explained how the three women lifted the car to free Thomen’s arm. They also stayed with him, talked to him and comforted him as he went in and out of consciousness, Walsh said, until the first responders and Great Barrington officers Kristopher Balestro and Victor Zucco arrived. Thomen was eventually extracted by the jaws of life.

Police Chief William Walsh commends citizens, from left, Celina Sinico, Alexa Quartararo and Kimberly Gasperini. To the chief's right are officers Adam Carlotto and Kristopher Balestro. Photo: Heather Bellow
Police Chief William Walsh commends citizens, from left, Celina Sinico, Alexa Quartararo and Kimberly Gasperini. To the chief’s right are officers Adam Carlotto and Kristopher Balestro. Photo: Heather Bellow

“If it wasn’t for [the women] it would have been a lot worse,” said an emotional Thomen, who spent two years in “brutal” rehabilitation for his arm, and had a skin graft on his leg, and told The Edge even the doctors were unsure how it would turn out for him. “I can’t thank you guys enough, from the bottom of my heart.”

Walsh said it was important to note that “people can always help police and first responders.”

Chief Walsh said he would also soon hand out medals to various officers in a private ceremony at the Great Barrington Police Station.

spot_img

The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.

Continue reading

School district looking to eliminate jobs in proposed fiscal 2026 budget, staff members express anger and frustration

“I worry about what happens to our students when their leaders lose sight of whom they serve," said Du Bois Middle School Spanish teacher Mercedes Girona. “I understand that there are budget cuts, but I feel like there needs to be a little bit more humanity."

Welcome to Real Estate Friday!

Selina Lamb of BIRCH Properties offers a Berkshire gem, a contemporary New England classic with the perfect combination of design, condition and location. Luca Shapiro and Rosalind Wright of Pryor & Peacock bring us “furniture re-imagined.” A year-end wrap-up of 2024 real estate sales has surprises. Plus, recent sales, a home-cooking recipe, and gardening columns.

Berkshire Hills Regional School District proposes increases and layoffs for fiscal 2026 budget

“This year is a tough one from a budget perspective,” writes Superintendent Peter Dillon. “For the first time in many years, we are planning for layoffs and other budget reductions as we work to make our budget increases more manageable.

The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.