| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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PCTV Gets Closed Captioning on Cable After Issuing ComplaintBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:11AM / Monday, November 06, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After some advocacy from local and federal entities, Pittsfield Community Television has added closed captioning for cable viewers.
The organization implemented closed captioning for certain programs about a year ago but came to a roadblock when the captioning was coming through on streaming but not through cable boxes. It was restored after a complaint reached the hands of the Federal Communications Commission.
Members of the Cable Advisory Committee agreed that this is a "great thing" as it provides better access to people who are hard of hearing and people who prefer to have the sound off.
PCTV's Executive Director Shawn Serre explained
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BRTA Holding Public Sessions for More Bus Service| 08:00AM / Monday, November 06, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) is proposing to add new evening bus service to additional weekday and Saturday fixed routes. At the October 26, 2023 meeting, the BRTA Advisory Board voted to proceed with a public comment period to gather customer feedback on the proposed additional service. Visit https://berkshirerta.com/2023/10/31/brta-new- evening-service/ to view the proposed new evening service and provide input. BRTA will be hosting 3 in-person informational public sessions to review the proposal, receive comments, and answer any questions from attendees. Each session will be 90 minutes and held in different locations 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Council Holds Special Meeting for Audit ReviewBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:55AM / Monday, November 06, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A special City Council meeting was called on Thursday to discuss the fiscal year 2022 audits. It was found that the city over-reported more than $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, which alarmed some councilors and members of the public. "We found that you over-reported two hundred something thousand expenditures between two quarters," Tom Scanlon of Scanlon and Associates explained. "It was with the Ashley Water Treatment Plant, I believe." The facility's chemical storage building was allocated $4.6 million and is supposed to be completed this season. It is included in the infrastructure category of 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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"Holiday Pittsfield": Barrington Stage Opening House | Down on Union Street, Barrington Stage Company was hosting a holiday open house, an opportunity to look around the theatre, enjoy refreshments, and most importantly, speak to the clear headlining star of the weekend, Santa Claus.
In a quiet moment with the Man in Red, he said he was thrilled to be here, and was looking forward to hearing from many more children. Always gracious, Mr. Claus thanked iBerkshires for stopping by. Always pressed for appearances this time of year, Claus was slated to appear later that evening at the Colonial Theatre.
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