| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Lanesborough Senior Park Initiative Sees First MembersBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:47PM / Tuesday, October 03, 2023 | |
 LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town's Senior Park Initiative is shaping up with four official members.
Last week, the Select Board voted to appoint Linda Pruyne, James Neureuther, William Cook, and Preston Repenning to the committee. The deadline for citizens' interest forms was extended to give more residents a chance to join the effort.
Pruyne told the board that they would love to start working on the project, which proposes the addition of senior-friendly activities to the underutilized Bridge Street Park.
"Just to keep it simple and have it available and start getting some use out of it," she said.
A couple of weeks prior, the board voted to form a
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PCTV Hosts 36th Annual Meeting and Celebration | 04:00PM / Tuesday, October 03, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Community Cable Broadcasting, Inc., which operates Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) and WTBR-FM, held its 36th Annual Meeting and Celebration on Thursday, Sept. 21 at the Polish Falcons Club on Belair Avenue. New board members were elected, and recognitions of achievement in programming and community service were awarded. More than 50 people attended the event. The annual meeting began with PCTV's Executive Director Shawn Serre championing a successful year. Serre advocated for modernizing the funding models for community media and highlighted a bill currently in committee in the state legislature that would 0 Comments
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Hudpuckers Gets Entertainment License, Extended Hours on Opening DayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:00AM / Tuesday, October 03, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On its opening day, the Licensing Board granted Wahconah Street's new restaurant an extension of hours and entertainment license.
Hudpuckers Pub and Grill opened on Monday in the former Tahiti Takeout. The name is a nod to Bobby Hudpuckers, a popular eatery that closed more than 10 years ago.
"It's going smoothly," manager Justin Martin said to the board about five hours into the first day.
The eatery was approved for alcoholic beverage service until midnight. Currently, it is open daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. on weekdays and at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The board also OKed an entertainment license for
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Central Berkshire Officials Pass Policy Mandating RecessBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
02:54PM / Monday, October 02, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District approved a controversial wellness policy during its meeting on Thursday night that mandates recess time. There have been times when elementary teachers have used the time for extra study. The policy passed 8-5 after a discussion focused mainly on Section 3 that covers policies around physical activity and recess. Some School Committee members argued that the language surrounding recess was vague making it easy to misinterpret. The policy states that students are required to have a 20- to 30-minute break of " unstructured free-play" to optimize social emotional 0 Comments
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Berkshire Museum presents 120th: Building the Museum| 12:28PM / Monday, October 02, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Museum announced the second installment of its 120th-anniversary celebration, an exhibition that takes visitors on a journey through the history of the Museum and the world during the 1940s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. Titled 120th: Building the Museum – 1939-1978, this exhibition is set to be on display from Oct. 7, 2023, through Jan. 7, 2024. Focused on the leadership of Stuart Henry – whose tenure as Director of the Berkshire Museum spanned a total of 39 years. This exhibition offers an opportunity to step back in time and explore the Berkshire Museum through the headlines, stories, and cultural phenomena 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Council Says Baseball Should Be a HolidayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:45AM / Monday, October 02, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council wants to give America's pastime a birthday and recognize its history in the city.
The council last week supported a request from Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey and baseball enthusiast Phil Massery to recognize Sept. 5 as the official birthday of baseball.
"It has been played here since before we were a nation. In fact, it was played so rapidly in the late 1700s that the town elders had to pass an ordinance to prevent people from playing ball in certain areas of the city because they were breaking all the windows and they were trying to prevent broken windows at the meeting house. Glass was an issue back then. If you broke a
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Pittsfield School Committee Calls for Shorter-Term Maintenance SolutionsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:41AM / Monday, October 02, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — School Committee members want to see shorter-range planning to address the condition of Pittsfield Public Schools.
Earlier this month, there were complaints of excessive heat in the some of district's classrooms and calls for the immediate implementation of air conditioning. Around this time, it occurred to Chair William Cameron that there is no plan for the maintenance and upgrading of school facilities, as it is done on an as-needed basis.
PPS is currently undergoing a restructuring study to address its educational and physical structure.
"The municipality for whatever reason has not, I think, addressed the problem of the condition of our
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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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