Common Ground E-Newsletter
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BRPC Annual Meeting - Celebrating 60 Years!
Join us on October 15th from 5 to 7pm
at the Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South St.
All municipal officials and representatives from our partner organizations are welcome! The program includes guest speaker Ben Downing of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, presentation of the 2026 Kusik Award, and an overview of BRPC's work in FY26. Networking begins at 5 pm, with hearty appetizers and a cash bar, followed by the presentation beginning shortly before 6 pm. Purchase tickets through Eventbrite.
Please reserve your tickets no later than October 8th.
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Listening Sessions with State-Owned Land
PILOT Commission
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Register: Listening Sessions with State-Owned Land PILOT Commission
Thoughts about the PILOT program? See below for more information on how you can participate.
The Commonwealth owns more than half a million acres of land, including state parks and forests, wildlife management areas, beaches, and military training facilities. Because this property is exempt from local taxation, the state administers a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program that provides payments to municipalities hosting eligible state-owned land.
The Commission on PILOT for State-Owned Land (SOL), established by Governor Healey through Executive Order 645, is hosting a series of listening sessions to solicit feedback on how the state compensates municipalities for state-owned land. The Commission is eager to hear directly from municipal leaders, residents, and other interested stakeholders, and findings from the listening sessions will inform the Commission’s recommendations.
After several productive in-person sessions, the Commission will offer additional virtual listening sessions.
VIRTUAL: Thursday, October 1, 5pm-6:30pm
VIRTUAL: Tuesday, October 6, 3pm-4:30pm
To register for a listening session, please fill out this form: Registration for PILOT Listening Sessions. Pre-registration is not required. In advance of each session, materials will be sent out that provide an overview of how the PILOT program works, with an opportunity to ask questions during the session.
You can also use this form if you are unable to attend a listening session but would still like to share your thoughts on the PILOT program with the Commission.
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BRPC is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members.
Sarah Dias has joined BRPC as an Inspector/Health Agent for Public Health Services. Welcome Sarah!
Karen Pelto has rejoined BRPC as a Grants Specialist, continuing her work as lead of the Berkshire Funding Focus initiative. Welcome back, Karen!
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Farm Business Accelerator
Berkshire Agricultural Venture's Farm Business Accelerator is a new, two-year program bringing individualized 1:1 technical assistance, expert perspectives, peer learning, farm visits, and implementation funds to a cohort of farmers.
Priority Applications Due: September 15, 2026
Applications Due: October 15, 2026
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The Green Team
The Green Team is an interactive educational program for K-12 schools in Massachusetts that empowers students and teachers to help the environment through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, energy conservation, and pollution prevention. Registered participants receive one-on-one assistance and educational tools such as posters, lesson plans, recycling tips, and suggested activities.
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The Department of Public Utilities is excited to offer various informational sessions that will cover topics such as the new siting and permitting regulations and the Intervenor Support Grant Program.
To learn more about each upcoming webinar and register to attend, use the links provided below.
October 6th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
October 29th, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
November 12th, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
December 3rd, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
Interpretation and translation services are available upon request.
To request language access accommodations, please email dpu.ej@mass.gov.
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Build for Mass | Executive Office for Administration and Finance
The Healey-Driscoll Administration is launching BuildForMass, the Commonwealth’s first general municipal infrastructure lending program. The initiative will provide Massachusetts municipalities with flexible, low-interest financing to address funding gaps, advance priority projects, and maximize access to federal resources. Housed at MassDevelopment, BuildForMass includes two revolving loan programs that help municipalities, especially Gateway Cities and rural communities, move critical projects from planning to completion.
Submit an Interest Form
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PACE Massachusetts | MassDevelopment
MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources have updated PACE Massachusetts guidelines to make financing for new commercial and industrial construction projects more flexible and accessible. The changes align financing levels with local energy code compliance, expand eligible project costs, and streamline application and approval requirements to help reduce complexity and accelerate project timelines.
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MassEnviroScreen | Office of Environmental Justice and Equity (OEJE)
The Office of Environmental Justice and Equity (OEJE) officially launched MassEnviroScreen, a GIS-based mapping tool developed and administered by OEJE that uses indicators to produce a MassEnviroScreen Score and provide indicator data for every census block group across the Commonwealth. It is intended to support the guidance and regulations on Cumulative Impact Analysis and Site Suitability assessments.
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Housing Production Tracker | Office of Housing and Livable Communities
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities launched the Housing Production Tracker to provide insights into housing development progress across the Commonwealth. The tool provides housing production data for every city and town in Massachusetts.
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Cyber351 Building Cyber Resilience Event
Get ready for an inspiring day of ideas, innovation, and connection at the third annual Cyber351, happening October 1, 2026, at UMass Amherst!
This year, the state is bringing together leaders, innovators, and professionals around a timely theme: Cyber351: Building Digital Resilience – Securing the Future with AI, Cybersecurity, and Accessible Technology.
This conference, which runs from 8 am to 4 pm, is a great opportunity for IT professionals and municipal leaders to stay up to date on securing municipal technology.
Registration is now open.
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2026 Statewide Municipal Partnerships Conference
A Statewide conference for municipal officials and staff, co-hosted by MARPA, DLS, and MAPC. Registration is available at mapc.ma/marpa-2026. Registration fee is $20. Doors open at 8:30 am for this 9 am to 12:30 pm conference. Light refreshments will be available during check-in. This event will be held at the Hogan Campus Center of the College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA.
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MCPPO Renewal Amnesty Program
The NEW MCPPO Renewal Amnesty Program allows municipal employees with an MCPPO Designation that lapsed between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025, to re-instate their designation without having to retake the full 60-credit program. The OIG will cover the $495 tuition for the MCPPO Renewal Course for participants.
Individuals that enroll and complete the renewal course and six additional continuing education credits between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027, will be able to apply for designation renewal under this special program. The OIG will cover the cost of the renewal course under this program.
There is a limit of two participants per municipality for this program. Applicants must be authorized by their Mayor, Select Board Chair, or Town Administrator/Manager. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
More information and access to the application can be found here.
Questions? Contact ma-igo-training@mass.gov.
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Free AI Training for Every MA Resident
The Massachusetts AI Hub and Google have joined forces to unlock new opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth, so you can gain the skills you need to thrive in today’s digital economy.
Massachusetts residents will receive no-cost access to the following Google programs until December 31, 2027:
- Google AI Professional Certificate
- Google AI Essentials
- Google Agile Essentials
- Google Career Certificates (e.g., Data Analytics, IT Support, Project Management)
Learn more about the Google AI Professional training and how to earn a certificate.
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Low or No Emission Grant Program
The Low or No Emission Grant Program provides funding through a competitive process to states and transit agencies to purchase or lease low or no-emission transit buses and related equipment, or to lease, construct, or rehabilitate facilities to support low or no-emission transit buses.
Application deadline: September 21, 2026
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Business Builds Capital Grant Program | Massachusetts Office of Business Development
Business Builds Capitol Grant Program supports established businesses making significant capital expenditures that will allow the business expand operations, create jobs, or relocate to Massachusetts.
Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
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Natural Disaster Recovery II Program for Agriculture (NDRII)
Natural Disaster Recovery II Program for Agriculture (NDRII) provides financial assistance to aid agricultural operations that suffered weather-related losses in 2023-2024 to rebuild and recover, with the aim of supporting farm sustainability, building resilience, and enabling ongoing production.
Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
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LEAP Grant Placeholder
The Local Early-stage and Actionable Planning (LEAP) provides planning and early-stage design support for municipally prioritized transportation infrastructure projects. The program will prioritize requests from rural communities and Gateway Cities.
Application Deadline: Rolling
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Into Light Highlights
Into Light is a national arts‑activism project that uses portraits and storytelling to reduce stigma surrounding the opioid epidemic and to honor the lives of those lost. BRPC collaborated with Berkshire Health Systems to bring Into Light to the Berkshires.
The gallery featured thirty hand-drawn portraits of Massachusetts residents lost to overdose and substance-related health complications, including ten newly commissioned Berkshire portraits. The accompanying narratives illuminate the full lives of these individuals, how they were loved, and why they mattered.
More than a thousand individuals visited the exhibit during the gallery run through March-June at Hotel Downstreet in North Adams. One participant shared:
“It was extremely moving, for me! Several of those faces are folks from my past, which is a glaring reality... I'm so grateful for recovery and to be alive!”
BRPC and community partners held six awareness forums with over two hundred participants. Topics included the impact of substance use on the family, harm reduction, and the neuroscience of addiction.
There are still opportunities to view Into Light, with small pop-up exhibits planned in honor of Recovery Month in September. Upcoming displays include:
- Zion Lutheran Church, Pittsfield – August 28 through September 13, alongside Revel in Recovery, Sept 12
- Adams Town Hall – September 16 through September 27, overlapping Voices in Recovery on September 25
- The Milne Library, Williamstown-- September 17- 19
- North Adams City Hall, September 21 – 28
These exhibitions are free to all and will be available to view during the normal hours of operation for each location.
Thank you to our funders, Berkshire Health Systems, municipal leadership of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, New Ashford, North Adams, Savoy and Williamstown. Thank you to the families who shared their loved one’s story with us.
"To those still struggling with this disease, just know you're not alone and there is HELP!" -Anonymous Comment
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Skin Sense
Here is a question for your next Trivia Night: “What is the largest organ in the body?" If you said ‘skin,’ you would be right! The skin, along with the lining of the gut (which starts at the inner aspect of the lips and ends at the distal end of the rectum), forms a continuous and contiguous barrier against almost everything the environment throws at you. Although the absorptive and immune functions of the gut are well known, less well known is that many molecules can cross the skin barrier and be actively absorbed to exert systemic effects, as with a pill. A property now widely adopted by the pharmaceutical industry, as there is now a profusion of drugs delivered trans dermally. (The Nicotine patch is a good example.)
The downside is that harmful chemicals can also be absorbed through the skin when they are ingredients in sunscreens, body/hand lotions, and cosmetics. The two bad actors one should be aware of are parabens and phthalates. Unfortunately, they are still allowed in the U.S., though the European Union has banned them.
Parabens are used as preservatives in several skin-based products and are endocrine disruptors, having a weak estrogenic effect and reducing sperm count. They are still approved by the FDA, although research is ongoing.
Phthalates are plasticizers that make plastic products more flexible (soft plastic water bottles) and make the scented ingredients of skin products last longer. They are even stronger endocrine disruptors and have a significant deleterious effect on nervous system development in children, and are essentially banned in products used in the pediatric population.
Although most products claim to be free of these toxins, it is still wise to verify them using the tool provided below. Better yet, gather all the topical products you use daily and check each one. Some products now have the EWG Approved Seal for safety.
Type in EWG Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database (www.ewg.org/skindeep/) in your browser search bar. This will open a site where you can enter the product name to get a safety profile. For example, Avon Skin So Soft Body lotion had a score of 5. (Best=1 / Worst +10). Badger Face Mineral Sunscreen had a score of 1. Coppertone Sunscreen Continuous spray had a score of 7.
For the tech-savvy, download the EWG Healthy Living app to check the safety of products in real time when shopping and support their work with a small donation.
Article credit: Mehernosh Khan MD for Richmond Board of Health
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Community Transit Grant Funding Opportunity
MassDOT Rail and Transit has announced their FY 27 Community Transit Grant Program, Operating and Mobility Management grant. It opened on September 1 and closes on October 30. These grants provide funding to operate transportation or promote mobility management to expand mobility for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income people.
Transit authorities, municipalities, nonprofits, and private providers providing shared-ride public transit are eligible to apply. To best meet riders' needs and use public resources wisely, the program prioritizes coordinated models that bring partners together, fill gaps in the transportation network, and avoid duplicating services.
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Opportunity for Input: Southern Bike Path Feasibility Study
Work on the Southern Berkshire Bike Path Feasibility Study is nearing completion. The draft study document is now available for public review until September 15. This study, which has been underway since last November, seeks to identify the most feasible alignment for a multi-use path in Southern Berkshire County. BRPC has retained Weston Sampson to assist in this study effort. The proposed alignment for the southern segment will traverse the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield. During the development of this study, a number of public information input sessions were conducted in these towns and the input that was received has been reflected in the proposed alignments. Residents are encouraged to review the draft study and accompanying maps and share their thoughts and comments. A copy of the study and maps is available here.
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Grant Announcements
BRPC has been awarded grants for two climate change projects through the State’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. The first will result in a comprehensive map of all unmapped dams in the County. The State maintains a map of jurisdictional dams but did you know there are a number of dams that don’t show up on any map or database? These are mostly private, small dams sometimes called “Ghost Dams” or “Run of the River Dams” from historic uses that no longer serve a purpose. The dams often go unmaintained causing damage to fish passage, water quality and a risk to downstream properties. Working with our conservation partners in the Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected Partnership, and in particular Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), BRPC will have these dams mapped, characterized and start identifying those structures that are ready for removal.
The second project will continue our work to map and assess culverts throughout the County by producing Road Stream Crossing Management Plans for Dalton, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, and Cheshire. These plans help towns prioritize culvert and bridge replacements and gather data to help with grant applications to fund design and construction. To build on work skills training, BRPC is partnering with Greenagers to hire and train youth crews on culvert assessments throughout the summer.
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ECO OneStop
ECO OneStop is the State’s Environmental grants portal for all grants through EOEEA. The ECO OneStop Expression of Interest is open September 8th. If you have questions about a project you think might be eligible contact Courteny Morehouse, cmorehouse@berkshireplanning.org.
Four upcoming Webinars:
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Land Use Planning Topic – Tuesday, October 27, 12pm-1pm- Register
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Stormwater Management - Tuesday, November 3, 12pm-1pm- Register
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Culvert/Small Bridge Upgrade or Removal – Tuesday, November 10, 12pm-1pm-Register
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Dam/Levee Repair, Upgrade, or Removal – Tuesday, November 17, 12pm-1pm- Register
Registration links and recordings will be made available on the ECO One Stop webpage.
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Mass Department of Environmental Protection Section 605b
Open now is the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection Section 604b cycle. This application is open to municipalities for stormwater planning, design, and pre-construction scoping for projects reducing stormwater pollution.
Request for Proposals can be found here.
Applications due October 7, 2026. Contact Alison Dixon for more information.
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