| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Residents Call for 'No More Roundabouts'By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:36PM / Monday, September 11, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Nearly 100 residents are up in arms about a traffic-calming measure for busy intersections.
On Tuesday, the City Council will tackle a citizens' petition that reads "To the City Council of Pittsfield- No more roundabouts."
The petition from Deborah Cooper has garnered nearly 90 signatures.
Last year, the problematic intersection of Tyler Street, Tyler Street Extension, Dalton Avenue and Woodlawn Avenue was converted into a roundabout. Data has shown that a roundabout decreases the rate of injury caused during crashes, though a slight increase in crashes has occurred in the first year.
The state Department of Transportation is planning an
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Berkshire County Historical Society Community Day | 09:23AM / Monday, September 11, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society (BCHS) welcomes the community to Herman Melville's historic Arrowhead for a free day of family-friendly activities on Sunday, Sept. 16 from 10 am to 4 pm. The day includes food, fun, music, history, hands-on activities, traditional craft demonstrations, and more. House tours are available by ticket only. A full schedule of activities is available at https://berkshirehistory.org/event/arrowhead-community-day-2/. The event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union. "Community Day is one of the most important things BCHS does," said Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. "We 0 Comments
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Second Street Second Chances Triples its Outreach GoalBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:40AM / Monday, September 11, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Since launching a little over a year ago the nonprofit Second Street Second Chances has tripled its original goal. When the organization first started out its goal was to help 150 people in its first year but as of date it has seen more than 500 people, Executive Director Jason Cuyler said. Second Street Second Chances works with current and formerly incarcerated individuals to provide the support that they need for a successful reintegration into the community. It was established when a community coalition started looking into the challenges people go through when being reintegrated into their communities, board 0 Comments
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Pittsfield's 'Pearl Street Shelter' Opening SoonBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:08AM / Monday, September 11, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The shelter at First Methodist Church is soon to open with a straightforward name that has a deeper meaning. ServiceNet's Director of Shelter and Housing Erin Forbush told the Homelessness Advisory Committee last week that the new facility is planned to open around the end of the month as the Pearl Street Shelter.
When people get to know the shelter and its staff, the hope is that it is referred to as "The Pearl."
Because the entrance to the shelter is on Pearl Street, the name was proposed to eliminate confusion because the building's frontage is on Fenn Street. There is also a sentimental interpretation.
"I would like
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Pittsfield Firefighters Respond to Blaze on East Street By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
09:39PM / Sunday, September 10, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A section of East Street was closed for more than an hour as firefighters knocked down a blaze at a building on the Haddad Subaru lot. The fire was in a former home turned office between the Ford and Subaru dealerships. It was called in just before 8 p.m. "There was a fire in the wall in the garage," said Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Noyes, referring to the small two-car garage on the east side of the building. "The investigators are on scene trying to figure out what started it." He estimated it took about 15 minutes to contain and douse the blaze but checking for extensions in the building "takes quite a bit of 0 Comments
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Two-Car Collision Closes Lakeway Drive, Valentine Road Intersection | 04:53PM / Sunday, September 10, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Sunday, Sept.10, 2023, at approximately 1:20 pm, Pittsfield Police, Fire and County, and Lanesborough Ambulance responded to the intersection of Lakeway and Valentine Road for a report of a two-car crash with injuries and entrapment. A 2017 Subaru was traveling westbound on Lakeway Drive approaching the intersection with Valentine Road when it failed to stop at the stop sign and collided with a northbound 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. As a result of the impact, the Hyundai rolled onto the driver's side and came to rest off the roadway. Both operators were transported to Berkshire Medical Center for what appeared to be 0 Comments
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Executive Office of Veterans Services Announces Statewide Logo Redesign Contest | 10:53AM / Sunday, September 10, 2023 | |
BOSTON — The Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) announced the launch of a statewide logo redesign contest to visually represent the mission of the recently elevated Cabinet Secretariat. On March 1, Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll unveiled the formation of the Commonwealth's new Executive Office of Veterans Services. This elevation raised the Department of Veterans' Services to a Cabinet-level Secretariat. Over the past six months, the Executive Office of Veterans Services has undergone a significant transformation with regard to departments and programs under its umbrella, including overseeing our 0 Comments
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Governor Announces Natural Disaster Recovery Funds to Impacted Farmers | 08:04AM / Sunday, September 10, 2023 | |
 BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the availability of an initial $15 million in funding from the Natural Disaster Recovery Program for Agriculture to Massachusetts farms that were adversely affected by one or more of the extreme weather events in 2023. This funding will provide financial relief to farmers impacted by the February freeze, May frost, and July floods so they can recover and rebuild their growing operations. "The climate crisis is here and farmers are bearing the brunt of extreme weather. With the heavy losses that our farmers have recently suffered, it is critical for us to support their recovery efforts," said 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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