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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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State Awards $1.3 Billion in Loans and Grants to Fund Wastewater and Drinking Water Projects| 12:37PM / Sunday, May 15, 2022 | |
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito Administration announced that 183 projects across the Commonwealth are eligible to receive approximately $1.3 billion in low-interest-rate loans and grants to fund construction, planning and asset management projects designed to improve water quality, upgrade or replace aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. These offerings include nearly $189 million in additional funding that Massachusetts expects to receive from federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and $100 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds this year. "Wastewater and drinking water facilities play a 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Cultural Council Extends Invitation to Join Committee| 08:04AM / Sunday, May 15, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Cultural Council (PCC) is extending an invitation to Berkshire County residents to apply to join the committee. Those who join in the summer will be on board in time to participate in reviewing of the fall grant applications. The committee invites potential members to come to a meeting, ask questions and see how they can be involved. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 8, 7pm, Pittsfield City Hall, Room 203. Funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, each year the PCC reviews grant applications from artists, cultural groups and organizations in Pittsfield and surrounding communities and decides if those 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Dog Park Thanks Volunteers at Opening CeremonyBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
06:24AM / Sunday, May 15, 2022 | |
Parks manager James McGrath address the gathering on Saturday morning. The park opened last fall and relies on volunteers and park users to keep it clean and policed. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Dog Dark had an opening event on Saturday to thank the volunteers and contributors for all their hard work in making the park a reality. "We want to celebrate everyone who has made the dog park possible. And our volunteers are priceless. They keep maintaining the park and helping us keep it up day to day," Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Becky Manship said. A soft opening was held in September but the formal ribbon-cutting and ceremony was 1 Comment
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Dalton Select Board Sending Support Letter for Union Block RenovationsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:20PM / Saturday, May 14, 2022 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board unanimously voted to offer a letter of support for a state grant to develop residential units in the Union Block. Owners Linda and Faisal Ali are applying through the Community One Stop for Growth portal for development funding to construct apartments on the top floor of the three-story Union Block and add an elevator on the east side. The cost of the undertaking is upwards of $1.2 million. The Alis are requesting a $100,000 to $500,000 in grants. They have already secured funds from Pittsfield Cooperative Bank and plan to use the money from this and the grant to continue renovations. The couple purchased the 0 Comments
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Berkshire Planning Commission Plans In-Person Annual MeetingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
02:19PM / Saturday, May 14, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission plans to have its 2022 annual meeting in person for the first time in three years. The meeting was held virtually last year and took a hiatus the year before, both because of the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly impacted towns and businesses. The event is staged for the end of September.
This year, the planners did run into issues with inflated costs and are looking into alternate venues after getting a higher than expected estimate from a local country club.
"One of the other items the Commission Development Committee did take up at their meeting was to recommend the annual meeting be held on Thursday,
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State Makes Gap Energy Grants Available to Municipalities, Non-Profits and Small Businesses| 08:00AM / Saturday, May 14, 2022 | |
BOSTON — Continuing with its efforts to provide Massachusetts municipalities, non-profits and small businesses with clean energy assistance, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the launch of the Gap III Energy Grant Program, which is designed to implement energy efficiency and clean energy facility upgrades to qualified entities. The program will make available up to $5 million to municipal drinking water and wastewater facilities, and up to $2.5 million to non-profit affordable housing, food- and agricultural-producing organizations and small business food-distribution and processing organizations across the Commonwealth. Interested entities can apply or learn more 0 Comments
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Making the Loop | We had some free time this week to walk the 2-mile loop through the downtown. Here's a few of things that caught our eye. (In between taking photos, we were heel-toeing and arm-pumping as prescribed.)
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Let's Go Paperless | This is from Ward 6 Councilor John Krol's eblast today. His switch to digital immediately caught our attention. With the associated costs - nearly $4,000 a year for paper alone! - zipping councilors "the packet" (as we in the know like to call it) over the ether makes loads of sense.
Digital also means the average citizen gets far better access to these public documents than ever before. The city clerk's office has been diligent about posting meeting agendas and, where possible, relevant documents. So in terms of saving money and time and getting information out efficiently, digital is the way to go.
I would like to thank City Clerk Linda Tyer for agreeing to print out one less city council packet, as I have officially gone paperless for council meetings - which I hope will be a trend that can be extended throughout city government.
 The bulky (and often, very bulky) city council packet that councilors use for a reference costs an average of $170 per meeting for paper alone. Add the additional costs of ink/toner, wear and tear on city hall copiers, and the time and energy of staff who put it all together - and a simple transition away from paper benefits everyone.
With the packet now fully digital in pdf form, all councilors, and everyone with an internet
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Berkshire Music School Kicks Off 2012 Classes With Open House | The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments ...and more than a few delighted squeals.
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January 29, 2011
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of youths, many of them under the age of 5, attended an open house at the Berkshire Music School Saturday, as the educational nonprofit enters its 70th year at its 30 Wendell Avenue home.
The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments... and more than a few delighted squeals, proving once again the inherent interest in making a joyful noise is not generational, and will never go out of style.
 The open house featured a Music for Preschoolers class, designed to "children’s awareness of rhythm, ability to sing and move creatively to music," which |
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