| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Awarded Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant | 04:21PM / Friday, December 15, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that nearly $18 million in additional 2023 grant funding is being awarded to 11 communities and two planning agencies as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's(USDOT) Safe Streets?and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. Pittsfield was awarded $310,000 and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission was awarded $198,593. "Massachusetts residents shouldn't have to worry about their safety when they simply need to cross the street," said Senator Markey. "Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding will make sure the roads we drive, walk, 0 Comments
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State Launches Multilingual Enhancements to Paid Family and Medical Leave Program | 12:27PM / Friday, December 15, 2023 | |
 BOSTON — Recently, the Healey-Driscoll Administration launched accessibility and equitability enhancements to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. The new enhancements allow applicants for PFML benefits to now select Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole or Chinese, in addition to English, when applying for benefits, and further communication from the Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) will also be in the individual's preferred language. "Massachusetts is proud of our strong Paid Family and Medical Leave Program, and we want all our residents to access information about the benefits available to them in their 0 Comments
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BArT Announces Upcoming Enrollment Deadlines| 08:08AM / Friday, December 15, 2023 | |
ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts and Technology (BArT) Charter Public School is currently accepting applications for students in grades 6 through 10 for the 2023-2024 school year and the 2024-2025 school year. The first enrollment deadline for the 2024-2025 school year is Thursday, Feb. 29 at noon. The easiest way to apply is to visit https://bartcharter.schoolmint.com/. Use the teal button in the top right corner of the webpage to toggle to 2024-2025 (it will then appear orange). Interested families should note that the best way to secure a seat or a desirable waitlist spot for the 2024-2025 school year is to apply before the Feb. 29 deadline. The final enrollment 0 Comments
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Dalton Uses Sewer Stabilization to Makeup Sewer Bill ShortfallBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:48AM / Friday, December 15, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The last sewer bill that the town received from Pittsfield was $70,852.75 more than the originally estimated. According to Pittsfield's Finance Director Matthew Kerwood, Mayor-elect Peter Marchetti will look favorably on a new approach to rate increases that will make budgeting for Dalton more predictable, however there will still be some level of fluctuation from any estimate, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said. Marchetti is proposing an "annual increase at some objectively defensible rate, perhaps the Consumer Price Index" rather than once every three years, Hutcheson said. During a special town meeting in August, 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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