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From left, North Canaan First Selectman Brian Ohler, State Senator Stephen Harding, R-30, and Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto stand near an old utility pole on Railroad Street April 4.
Photo by Riley Klein
The group included State Senator Stephen Harding, R-30, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and Transportation Engineering Administrator Mark Carlino.
Ohler relayed a number of ideas for innovation on Railroad Street regarding pedestrian walkways, power line relocation and railroad track upgrades.
“Canaan is the welcoming committee for Connecticut with Route 7, all the travelers coming down,” Ohler said. “We want to roll out the red carpet, but the carpet really isn’t what it should be aesthetically right now.”
A Railroad Street crosswalk abuts a tall curb.photo by riley klein
Walkability
Ohler pointed out a crosswalk on Railroad Street that abuts a seven-inch curb. “There’s no ADA consideration,” said Ohler.
Eucalitto explained that while the state does not directly fund sidewalk construction, DOT supports municipalities seeking grants for such projects. He noted the Community Connectivity Grant Program and Transportation Rural Improvement Program as two potential avenues for funding.
Eucalitto said grant applications approved by CCGP and TRIP typically fund construction, but municipalities are expected to pay for an engineer to design the project.
Eucalitto said TRIP applications can receive up to $800,000 and CCGP applications can receive up to $1.2 million.
With the help of Northwest Hills Council of Governments and Mark Carlino at DOT, North Canaan can itemize the specific work required to improve the pedestrian infrastructure, enabling the town to apply for grants.
Power lines
The group addressed the dated power lines and utility poles along Railroad Street. Ohler suggested moving powerlines behind the buildings or underground.
Carlino said the cost of relocating powerlines is immense. He suggested the town partner with Eversource to install new utility poles and clean up some haphazard wiring.
Newer utility poles — like the ones nearby on Main Street — are taller, allowing for wires and tranformers to be placed above building facades.
Ohler agreed that would be an efficient option, but said he still plans to research the cost to relocate power lines to the municipal parking lot behind the buildings.
Railroad track
The group considered upgrades to the railroad and how to achieve varying levels of improvement.
Ohler noted ongoing efforts to extend passenger rail from Danbury to New Milford, as well as a desire on the Massachusetts side of the border to connect passengers from Danbury to Pittsfield.
Eucalitto said the existing railroad track that runs through North Canaan is graded for freight trains and would require considerable upgrades to permit passenger trains. He said there is a third rail option: “holiday trains,” such as the scenic and historic train rides between Thomaston and Torrington on the Naugatuck Railroad.
While a passenger railroad requires full-length electrification for signaling and equipment, a holiday train “is much easier to accomplish by investing in a freight railroad,” said Eucalitto.
Ohler and Harding envisioned a “foliage train” for the autumn season.
“Then you kind of get the tourist feel to it,” said Harding, who compared it to another holiday train in Essex, Connecticut. “They bring in hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of people per season.”
“We have funds that can help a freight railroad upgrade their tracks,” said Eucalitto, adding the money can be used to build a passenger platform where people can onboard.
The group identified a potential landing spot for a platform north of the auto dealer on Railroad Street. Utilizing Union Deport for onboarding was also considered.
To be awarded funding, Housatonic Railroad Company would need to apply to DOT and the federal government for track upgrades.
Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.
Geandy Pavon
Partnerships with organizations like Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires (VIM), the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee, and Community Access to the Arts (CATA) have helped bridge that gap. But for the Latinx community, there’s an even more targeted effort: the Spanish-language Community Advisory Network (SCAN).
“Six years ago, we started an advisory group of Spanish speakers in the community,” Bernal said. “They tell us what the community wants to see, how they’d like their culture represented. Today, SCAN has 12 members. We meet four times a year and are in constant communication. It’s because of them that we’ve hosted free Spanish-language film screenings and live performances.”
For Bernal, this work is personal. “When I first moved to the U.S. in 2003, it was because I got a Latin American scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music. That first year, I went home to Uruguay for Christmas and saw Paquito D’Rivera perform at a jazz festival. I was determined to meet him, and I did. Later that year, Paquito came to Berklee and invited me on stage.”
Now, two decades and 16 Grammys later, Paquito D’Rivera is coming to the Mahaiwe on April 5, and there’s a chance history might repeat itself. “He saw a post we made about his concert and commented, ‘Ay, chica, que maravilla, are you gonna sing a song with us?’ I almost died,” Bernal laughed. “I don’t know if it will happen, but it would be a dream.”
About the possibility of a guest appearance by Bernal, D’Rivera said, “Natalia is a very dear, valuable colleague, and jazz is about improvisation, so the surprise factor is always part of the fun here.”
D’Rivera’s concert is just one example of how the Mahaiwe is making world-class performances accessible. “My whole day has been about offering ‘pay what you can’ tickets for this show,” Bernal says. “We also issued a 50% discount to our partners. We work with ESL teachers, public libraries, literacy agencies, anyone who can help us get the word out.”
That kind of grassroots effort has been transformative. “Last year, we screened ‘Florencia en el Amazonas,’ the first opera written in Spanish ever performed at the Met,” Bernal said. “I sat in the Mahaiwe in tears. As someone who loves opera, it was the first time I heard one written in my own language. It was so powerful.”
Natalia Bernal, Mahaiwe’s education and community engagement managerPhoto by Martin Cohen
For Bernal, it all comes back to representation, on stage and in the audience. “My son is eight. I bring him to everything I can. Spanish shouldn’t just be something that happens at the dinner table. It should be in the world, in all these shapes and forms.”
And that’s what SCAN is helping build: a future where Latinx voices aren’t just included, they are central. “Our SCAN advisors are volunteers, cultural ambassadors,” Bernal said. “They help us distribute surveys, talk to the audience, and strengthen the community. Nobody should feel alone. Everybody should feel like they belong here.”
Education and outreach are central to D’Rivera’s work as well. He said, “It is an important part of our mission to plant and nurture the seed of quality music in our communities.” He continued to say, “Using our visibility and influence in favor of justice is always a very effective vehicle in denouncing violations of human rights around the world.”
This shared mission of education and social justice extends beyond the Mahaiwe. “We are one of the few arts organizations in a monthly meeting with BASIC (Berkshire Alliance for Immigrant Services). We have direct ties to the Berkshire Immigrant Center, VIM, and others so that we are well-informed and ready to serve,” said Bernal.
That commitment to community, culture, and access is why Bernal’s dream panel—Women in the Music Business—would feature Paquito’s wife and longtime manager, Brenda Feliciano. “She’s a tower of power. She’s been managing his career for at least 45 years. If I could organize an event one day, she would be the cherry on the cake.”
Until then, Bernal will keep doing what she does best: making sure the Mahaiwe is a place where everyone, regardless of language, income, or background, feels at home. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll find herself back on stage with Paquito D’Rivera, just like that first time, all those years ago.
For more info and tickets to Paquito D’Rivera, visit mahaiwe.org
