Lanesborough Select Board Hires DPW Foreman, Expands Toward Five-Member Board

LANESBOROUGH -- October 27, 2025, Lanesborough Select Board pressed the Berkshire Mall's ownership representative on mounting safety hazards at the long-vacant property and won a commitment to file demolition permits. In a tense exchange Monday, member Michael Murphy cited the Massachusetts attractive nuisance doctrine in confronting Jay Jones of ownership group JMJ over dozens of break-ins, vandalism incidents, and recent large-scale teenage fights on the 600,000-square-foot site; Chair Deborah Maynard, who described the building as "a disaster" after a recent police ride-along, said the town would seek legal guidance on whether it could compel the owner to install fencing. Jones pegged demolition at $6 million to $7 million and tied financing obstacles to the Baker Hill Road District's $947,000 annual charge, but no formal permit application had been filed as of the meeting. In other business, the board unanimously hired Mark Gerlach as DPW foreman, approved the sale of a town-owned parcel at North Main Street and Prospect Street, and appointed Vera Farrell to a three-year term on the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire. Maynard also announced that legislation expanding the Select Board from three to five members had cleared the Legislature and was awaiting the governor's signature, with implementation set for the June 2026 town election.