Friday, September 05
The Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization's decision to take the $5.2 million reconstruction of West Street (Route 183) off its Transportation Improvement Program is certainly a blow to the town of Lenox, which was counting on the "road to Tanglewood" being fixed. The anger was expressed most poignantly by State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, a Lenox Democrat and former town selectman, who said the project was "mysteriously bumped" from the TIP list, which puts road projects in line for state funding. He also accused the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, of which the Berkshire MPO is a part, of "playing games" and "throwing Lenox under the bus."

Emotional responses? Sure. But they are not out of character for Mr. Pignatelli, a Lenox Democrat and former member of the town's Select Board for many years. He doesn't spare feelings when it comes to his hometown. They are also legitimate responses considering the Berkshire Mall Road wasn't even on the Berkshire MPO's radar until July. West Street, meanwhile, listed as one of the Berkshire MPO's two "target projects" for the next two fiscal years on a list of proposed amendments to the 2008-11 TIP.

What's even more surprising than the MPO's decision is why the rehabilitation of the Berkshire Mall Road wasn't on the organization's radar in the first place. Being a state highway, and the main road from the center of Lenox to its most well-known cultural

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attraction, it's easy to see why West Street wouldn't escape scrutiny from the Berkshire MPO, a 10-member panel of state and local officials. But the Berkshire Mall Road may arguably be the most dilapidated roadway in all of Berkshire County. Only a roller coaster contains more dips and drops. It's a nightmare to travel in the winter when ice and snow on the road can make the going extremely treacherous. The Baker Hill Road Association, made up of Lanesborough residents and mall officials, has talked about fixing the road in the past. A few years ago there were discussions about extending the mall road straight to Route 7, but no action was ever taken. Considering the mall road is the main entrance to Berkshire County's leading retail complex from the west, its condition is an embarrassment.