Downtown Pittsfield Gets a Spring Cleaning
Employees of SABIC took a section spanning from Park Square to South Street as part of the downtown cleanup. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More than a dozen businesses did some spring cleaning Friday in the downtown.
The annual Downtown Corporate Clean-Up, put on by Downtown Pittsfield Inc., saw its highest number of participants ever with 150 people from 15 companies spending their afternoon cleaning up the city.
The companies spread out from Reed Street to Tyler Street and from Center Street to First Street to sweep and pick up trash to get ready for the summer.
"It is really to bring the downtown community together," Pittsfield Inc. Executive Director Pamela Tobin said. "It builds a lot of pride in the community."
For more than two hours, volunteers decked out in their own company "uniforms," mulch, protective gear and brooms flocked the downtown streets, cleaning as much as they could.
They returned to the Downtown Pittsfield office, where they were rewarded with donated pizza from Baba Louie's and cookies from Bagels Too.
"They clean up a lot. You don't see how much there is until you are in it," said Kristine Hurley, assistant to the director.
Hurley said she gave each one of the 150 participants a garbage bag and they all returned with every bag full of debris that had piled up over the winter.
While the volunteers were working, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. member Bob Quattrochi and E.J. LaPointe cruised around in an antique car judging which groups were having the best time, taking the most extreme measures to clean and making the largest impact, among other categories
Representatives from Whaling Properties were recognized for having the most fun while they worked. |
Friday was the 15th year of what started as spring cleanup by downtown merchants. It has grown to include major employers who are not stationed downtown.
"Originally it was downtown merchants and banks, but we're fortunate enough to attract the larger businesses, too," Quattrochi said.
Tobin added that businesses want the downtown to look attractive for employee recruitment.
A clean slate in the beginning of the summer helps set a precedent to, hopefully, encourage others to keep it clean.
The participants included Baba Louie's, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Housing Development, Berkshire Young Professionals, Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Berkshire Community College, Colonial Theatre, General Dynamics, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Live 95.9, Molari Employment & Healthcare Services, the Pittsfield Suns, Preservation Housing Management, SABIC Innovative Plastics and Whaling Properties.
Tags: cleanup, downtown,
