Four Berkshire County towns to pursue Community Development Block Grant
Dalton — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has announced that a regional Community Development Block Grant application will be submitted to benefit residents of Dalton, Becket, Stockbridge and Sheffield. The four Berkshire County municipalities are joining forces to apply for housing rehabilitation grant funds through the fiscal year 2020 Massachusetts Community Development Block Grant program.
CDBG grants provide low- to moderate-income households with up to $40,000 for housing rehabilitation projects. In existence since the 1970s, the program has helped thousands of homeowners nationwide maintain and upgrade their homes.
Traditionally, communities have chosen to use CDBG funds to rehabilitate substandard dwelling units; to bring them up to current housing code; or to make needed repairs that enhance “livability,” such as replacing roofs, and installing insulation and energy-efficient windows. Said Patricia Mullins, BRPC’s community and economic development program manager: “CDBG funds can be also be used for other types of community development projects, at the communities’ option, such as infrastructure improvements and improvements to other public facilities, too. If a municipality wants to increase accessibility to municipal buildings or parks, they can apply to use a portion of the funds for ADA upgrades, or conduct planning for a larger project in the future.”
The FY2020 CDBG housing rehab program income limits will range from $49,700 for a single-person household up to $98,700 for a family of eight. In anticipation of the grant application being funded, BRPC is developing a waiting list of interested homeowners.
For more information or to sign up for the housing rehabilitation waiting list, residents of Dalton, Becket, Stockbridge and Sheffield may contact Laura Dorr at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission at (413) 442-1521 x23.
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Berkshire DA secures jail time in domestic violence case
Pittsfield — The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office secured a maximum District Court sentence to the Berkshire County House of Correction in a domestic violence case after a trial on Friday.
Judge Jennifer Tyne sentenced Andrew Rossetti, 32, of Pittsfield to two and a half years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on a single count of intimidation of a witness.
He will serve concurrent time on counts of assault and battery; assault with a dangerous weapon; drug possession; threat to commit a crime; lewd, wanton and lascivious conduct; and assault and battery on a household member.
Police arrested Rossetti Sept. 5, 2019, after he was reported for multiple domestic assaults and intimidation. The court ruled him to be a danger to the community and held him without bail.
A District Court jury this week found him guilty of threatening the victim. The jury found him not guilty on counts of assault and battery on a family or household member, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault, and another count of intimidation of a witness.
He then pled guilty to the other charges relating to three other open cases.
Rossetti is a registered sex offender, stemming from a rape conviction in 2008, and has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2003. He has faced numerous assault charges throughout the state. Six different women had taken out abuse prevention orders on him in that span.
Said District Attorney Andrea Harrington: “My office focuses on removing dangerous people from our community. This is an individual who has a long record of violent behavior. We took a difficult case to trial and were able to secure a sentence that protects individuals, the public at large, and law enforcement, which are at an increased risk when responding to these types of calls.”
