Local Businesses Clean up Pittsfield's Downtown
 Volunteers cleaned the streets from the Colonial Theatre area all the way to Berkshire Medical Center. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — One hundred and 30 volunteers representing 17 local businesses took to downtown on Friday to spruce the streets up for the summer.
The spring cleaning effort is headed by Downtown Pittsfield Inc. and brings local businesses to sweep, mulch and pick up trash in the city's main business district.
This year a record high number of businesses participated for two hours to clean South Street from Taconic Street down North Street to Berkshire Medical Center.
"Companies were coming to us before we event started planning," said Kristine Hurley, of DPI. "They do really love it."
The teams of workers scattered across the city's downtown before concluding for an award ceremony at J. Allen's Clubhouse. The volunteers were kept hydrated with donations of water from Price Chopper.
Meanwhile, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. member Bob Quattrochi cruised around in an antique car judging the efforts for an array of awards.
At J. Allens, the teams dined on catered food from Baba Louies and DPI raffled off tickets to the Beacon Cinema. The award ceremony presented some of the teams with plaques for offbeat awards.
Berkshire Housing took home an award for the best teamwork; Sabic plastics won the "golden trashbag" award for going to extraordinary measures; Colt Insurance won an award for being a small team but accomplishing a big job; Greylock Federal Credit Union won the "crushed can" award for having the most fun while working; Pittsfield Cooperative Bank was the most energetic; Molari won an award for making a big impact and Berkshire Bank was awarded a special "frozen mulch brigade" award for their efforts.
But it really wasn't about the awards. The goal was simply to make downtown look better after the melting of the winter snow left sand and trash along the road way.
"It looks fabulous. It really looks good," said Pam Tobin, DPI's executive director.
The organizations participating were Baba Louies; BCARC; Berkshire Bank; Berkshire Housing; Colonial Theatre; Berkshire Young Professionals; Berkshire Community College and the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority; Colt Insurance; Doc's Deli; Greylock Federal Credit Union; Molari; NBT Bank; Pittsfield Co-Op; Pittsfield Suns; Price Chopper; Sabic Plastics and Live 95.9.
The annual clean up firs began 16 years ago with downtown merchants taking the lead and has grown to include even more businesses than just those located downtown.
Tags: cleanup, downtown, North Street,
