| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
|
BEAT Webinar on Campaign to End Non-Native Fish Stocking | 07:39AM / Thursday, February 26, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) announces the launch of its campaign "Stop Non-Native Fish Stocking," a public education and advocacy effort urging the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to end the routine stocking of non-native fish in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The campaign highlights the ecological consequences of current stocking practices and aligns with state commitments to biodiversity and climate resilience. According to a press release: The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) spends millions of dollars to raise and stock waterways with non-native fish for recreational fishing.
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Lanesborough Planners Look to Clarify Signage BylawsBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:18AM / Thursday, February 26, 2026 | |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Planning Board looks to reword the town's sign bylaws after a recent contentious tussle over a business sign because of the way the bylaw could be interpreted. Chair Courtney Dondi addressed the room beforehand, asking the attendees in the room to stay respectful. "I know that our town is experiencing some tension around certain bylaw discussions, change, uncertainty, and complex zoning language can understandably cause frustration. This board does not create conflict. We manage processes," she said. "One of our responsibilities is to ensure that existing and proposed bylaws are revered, be reviewed thoughtfully, legally 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Dalton Board Approves Budgeting Software By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
01:22PM / Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board approved having the town manager engage in a potential contract with the budgeting software ClearGov for next fiscal year. Public officials say the software will streamline and increase the transparency of the budgeting process. "When I watched the presentation of this, I was totally impressed. What I like about it is the fact that it can be put up on that public website. Everybody in town can look at it," Chair Robert Bishop said. "It's very open, clear, and it's easy, even for me, to understand. So, I highly recommend we do this." The total cost would be about $18,000, including the 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Looks at 'Form-Based' Code for West Side ZoningBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:15PM / Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Department of Community Development has been working on a zoning proposal that aims to encourage small businesses and lively, characteristic activity in the West Side.
City Planner Kevin Rayner has appeared before the Community Development Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals to provide updates on the process.
"I'm really trying to bring business back into the West Side with a soft touch," he told the ZBA in January.
"So we don't want those big, big businesses going in there. We want to encourage the small family businesses to come back, because there's a lot of storefronts in the Westside that are
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Another Holmes Road Bridge in Pittsfield Down to One LaneBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | |
The location of the bridge on Holmes Road. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another bridge on Holmes Road will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning next month and closed for the rest of the week. It's the third bridge so far in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Briggsville bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced by a temporary bridge and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it. On Tuesday, Pittsfield announced that the bridge over the Housatonic River, located between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic from Monday, March 2, until further notice.
"Due to a
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Seeks Input to Update Open Space, Recreation PlanBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:56PM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants to ensure that the community's voice is captured as it develops plans for public parks over the next decade. The Parks Commission saw draft goals for the Open Space and Recreation Plan to meet Pittsfield's conservation and recreation needs. Formerly a five-year plan, this new iteration will look out over 10 years. Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath and Seth Jenkins, senior planner at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, have worked over the last couple of years to update the document so the city remains eligible for state grant funding. "Really, we're looking just to make sure that
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Switching to OpenGov for Permitting SoftwareBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:09AM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to move on from its "clunky" permitting software in the new fiscal year, switching to OpenGov instead.
On Thursday, the Finance Subcommittee supported a $199,269 free cash appropriation for the conversion to a new online permitting software. Chief Information Officer Kevin Zawistowski explained that Permit Eyes, the current governmental software, is no longer meeting Pittsfield's needs.
The nearly $200,000 appropriation is for the software license and implementation. Going forward, the annual cost for OpenGov will be about $83,000; about $66,000 for the next fiscal year, not including building
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Co-op Plans Move to West Street| 06:07PM / Monday, February 23, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announced on Monday that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire a leasehold interest in 99 West St. and will move it corporate headquarters there. Bank officials said this represents an important milestone in Co-op Bank's continued growth and long-term commitment to the Berkshire County community. Following the completion of the acquisition, Co-op Bank plans to undertake renovations to modernize and enhance the West Street facility. The new headquarters, expected to be occupied this year, will provide space to support future growth, collaboration, and expanded services while maintaining the 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Council to See Borrow Request for Water Treatment UpgradesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:59PM / Monday, February 23, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to complete upgrades to the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants by 2033.
On the agenda is a request to borrow up to $15 million for upgrades to the city's two water treatment plants, the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants. This would fund the final design and permitting for Phases 1-3, phase 1 of interim updates, allowances, and contingency.
The total water treatment plant program is estimated to be $165 million over the next 8 years, with $150 million for long-term construction and $15 million for near-term needs "to keep the plants operational and
advance the program through design and
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Berkshire County Urged to Stay Home During Monday Nor'EasterBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:41PM / Monday, February 23, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students and non-emergency municipal workers are home on Monday as the region is deals with another Nor'easter.
Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales estimated that there was about 8 inches of accumulation around 10:45 a.m., and another two or three inches are expected. All of the main routes are covered by contractors and in-house staff, with support from the water division.
"Wind is critical right now," Morales said. "That's the biggest problem we have ahead of us is wind driven conditions that may be difficult for people to drive on the road."
The city has 19 contractors. There are still
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Trash and Recycling Collection On A One-Day Delay| 10:18AM / Monday, February 23, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Be advised that due to pending inclement weather, trash and recycling collection is canceled for Monday, Feb. 23. Collection will be on a one-day delay for the week. For example, Monday routes will now be serviced on Tuesday; Tuesday routes will be serviced on Wednesday; Wednesday routes will be serviced on Thursday; Thursday routes will be serviced on Friday; and Friday routes will be serviced on Saturday. 0 Comments
Read More >> |
East Street Reconstruction Starting This SpringBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
06:19AM / Monday, February 23, 2026 | |
Improvements include grass medians, shared-use paths and sidewalks and a turning lane. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — East Street is planned to get more bumpy as construction looms for the street's redevelopment project. The state Department of Transportation project will widen the corridor from the intersection of East and Lyman Street to the intersection of East and Merrill Road, including landscaping and pedestrian amenities. It aims to improve safety, accessibility, and aesthetics with minimum environmental impacts. The $10 million project began with underground utility work that took longer than anticipated because of unexpected road bumps, such as an unknown abandoned sewer
0 Comments
Read More >> |
|
|
