image description — Mary Rentz demonstrates how residents will be able to walk all over images of the city.

Pittsfield 250 Announces Sidewalk Art Installations

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
01:17PM / Thursday, February 03, 2011Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Go ahead and walk all over the city.

By the end of June, many of the city’s sidewalks will be images depicting the city’s past, present and future. The pictures will be comprised of a lot of digital photographs, but also other forms of art to celebrate the Pittsfield‘s 250th birthday.

The Pittsfield 250 Committee, organizers of the yearlong birthday party, announced on Thursday the installation of the 3-by-4-foot photographs on sidewalks in the city's business sectors.

“We want people to go around the city looking for these,“ committee co-Chairwoman Mary Rentz said. “We’re doing a call for artists.”

The committee is seeking submissions from artists of all kinds to create the images and sponsors to pay the installation cost in front of their businesses. The “Walk-On” project is similar to the prior city campaigns Sheeptacular and Art of the Game. Sponsorship costs $350 and pays for the printing and installation fees.

“The Berkshires and Pittsfield have a history of innovation,” Megan Whilden, director of Cultural Pittsfield, said. “We like to have these projects that are open to everyone.”

Graphics on top of sidewalks have been used in other cities for advertisement but Rentz said she could not find anywhere that it had been used it for art.

A jury of local artists will choose which submissions get printed, Rentz said. A total of 144 images will be placed throughout the city. Some of the historic photos will be taken from the library. The deadline for submissions is April 1.

“Brilliant Graphics is doing the printing at a discounted price for us,” Rentz said of the local high-tech printing company. “We’re also calling for writers.”

There is space for up to 75 words below the photographs as well as space for up to three sponsor names.

The committee is still undecided where to display the stories behind the images. Rentz said the committee is leaning toward a Facebook page or a website to explain each piece.

The installations also will go along with the committee’s plan to host a “Where in Pittsfield” game during the summer, Rentz said. Details of that game have not been fully developed.

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Pittsfield Seeks $28M Borrowing for Water, Sewer Infrastructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:32PM / Saturday, February 28, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is seeking a total of $28 million in borrowing authorizations to upgrade its drinking and wastewater infrastructure.

This includes $13 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and $15 million for upgrades to the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants, which are located outside Pittsfield. The City Council referred the $15 million borrowing request to the Finance Subcommittee on Tuesday.

The full drinking water project is expected to cost $165 million over the next 8 years, with $150 million for long-term construction and $15 million for near-term needs. The initial ask would fund the final design and permitting for Phases 1-3, Phase 1 of interim updates, allowances, and contingency.

After the meeting, Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales explained that these are needed repairs so the current infrastructure can be stretched a little longer while design work is underway.

Pittsfield's two Krofta drinking water treatment plants were installed in the 1980s. The city says they are beyond anticipated useful service and at risk for catastrophic failure that could leave Pittsfield with a shortage of potable water.

Krofta is a compact filtration system that Pittsfield will continue to use. There are four units at the Cleveland WTP and two at the Ashley WTP. Morales said the system is "very good" but needs to be upgraded.

"We were one of the first to use that type of technology in the 80s, and it's outdated now, and getting parts and getting repairs to it is very costly because of the outdated technology that it's using, and we can replace that with better infrastructure," he explained.

"We need to build a chemical facility on the Cleveland side. We already have that done at Ashley with [American Rescue Plan Act] funds, largely, and then we need to build better tank holding systems at the plants to allow for fluorination to happen at the plant, instead of on its way down to Pittsfield."