$15 Million Eyed For Berkshires In State Senate Bond Bill

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The crumbling Brown Street Bridge in North Adams is set to get $1.5 million should the transportation bond make it through the House and governor intact.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state Senate passed a transportation bill Thursday which sends $15 million to the Berkshires to improve roads, bridges and a parking garage.

The bill includes $6 million for the replacement of the parking garage between Columbus Avenue and Summer Street; $5 million for reconstruction of the Hubbard Avenue railroad overpass; $1.75 million for Thiel Road in Adams; $1.5 million for the Brown Street Bridge in North Adams and $750,000 for repairs to the bridge over the Housatonic River on Route 7 in Great Barrington.

"These important funds show our commitment to transportation across the state," said state Sen. Benjamin Downing in a prepared statement. "Transportation investment will not only keep our roads and bridges safe and reliable, but will also create jobs and promote economic development."

The bill also includes an amendment, co-sponsored by Downing, that releases up to $50 million to pay snow plow contractors for services rendered this winter. That funding was tied into a supplement budget not yet approved.


The bill also adds $1.5 billion in Chapter 90 funding statewide over the next five years. The Chapter 90 program allocated money to municipalities for road repairs.

The state's Complete Streets program also received $50 million to create a grant programs municipalities can apply for to improve all types of transportations including walking, cycling, public transportation, automobiles and freight.

The Senate and House of Representatives will now have to compromise a final draft of the bill before hitting Gov. Deval Patrick's desk for consideration.

The rest of the Senate version includes.

  •     $1.9 billion for interstate/non-interstate federal highways, which is approximately 80 percent federally reimbursable;
  •     $2.2 billion for non-federally aided roads and bridges;
  •     $125 million for the Department of Conservation and Recreation for repairs, improvements, construction of parkways and related equipment;
  •     $350 million for transportation facilities and rolling stock for improvements to facilities, urban development plans and the purchase and rehabilitation of rolling stock;
  •     $24 million for the mobility assistance program and regional intercity bus and intermodal services;
  •     $80 million for the statewide rail access program;
  •     $2.5 billion for heavy and light rail and bus projects to fund state of good repair projects, including on the Red, Orange and Green line cars;
  •     $55 million for the airport improvement program to allow for paving runways and upgrades;
  •     $63 million for Registry of Motor Vehicles modernization;
  •     $1.3 billion for Green Line extension projects;
  •     $175 million for Springfield-Worcester, Boston-Cape Cod and Pittsfield-NYC rail projects;
  •     $30 million for service improvements to the Knowledge Corridor Rail Line; and,
  •     $146.5 million for information technology at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Tags: bonding,   bridge work,   roads,   State Senate,   transportation,   

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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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