| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Pittsfield Parks OKs Annual Events, Hears Wahconah Park IdeaBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:11PM / Sunday, February 22, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission signed off on some annual city events on Tuesday.
Commissioners approved the 80th annual Eggstravaganza Egg Scramble, the Westside Legends' 6th annual Easter egg hunt, and another lineup of Eagles Band concerts in the park. The Eagles Community Band is in its 90th year.
Pittsfield's 80th egg hunt will be held at The Common on Saturday, April 4 (rain date April 11) from 10 to noon. The free event is open to children ages 2-11 and will feature a balloon artist, a face painter, the Easter bunny, and, of course, plastic eggs filled with small prizes.
The Westside Easter Egg Hunt, organized by the Westside
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Local Attorney Launches Bid for Berkshire County Register of ProbateBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:21PM / Sunday, February 22, 2026 | |
Ken Ferris has been 35 years of legal experience, including cases in probate court. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Longtime local attorney Ken Ferris has announced his candidacy for Berkshire County register of probate.
The Register of Probate's office for the Berkshire Probate and Family Court manages administrative functions for cases, often involving significant and life-changing situations. Ferris wants to ensure that the office is accessible, professional, and efficient, while serving the public with fairness and dignity.
Ferris became a lawyer decades ago to help people, he said, and feels that he can improve the Register of Probate's office to benefit the
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