Pittsfield Construction to Resume on North Street

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
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Pittsfield is embarking on a third phase of street improvements. The $3 million project was set to begin on Monday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction work will begin this month throughout multiple locations of the downtown area as the city begins to implement renovation plans for two pedestrian plazas as well as the third phase of its streetscape reconstruction.

Streetscape construction began on Monday and will include the stretch of North Street between Madison Avenue and Wahconah Street.
 
"The construction may have a short-term impact on the immediate area," Mayor Daniel Bianchi told iBerkshires. "We appreciate everyone's patience as we move into the next steps of beautifying the downtown area."
 
The third stage of the streetscape will continue the improvements seen in Phase 2 renovations from Park Square to Columbus Avenue, completed in 2012, and will follow similar blueprints. 
 
Improved and upgraded sidewalks and new traffic signals will be among the changes, as well as the planting of 33 trees in raised beds along both sides of the street. Bike racks and and ornamental poles for banners and decorations continuing the aesthetic seen in Phase 2 will also be part of the project.
 
The project will have an estimated cost of $3 million, two-thirds of it funded from a grant from the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, announced by Gov. Patrick last fall. Two more phases, totaling approximately another $5 million, are planned as part of the streetscape improvements.
 
Second phase work was a source of some controversy among some North Street merchants throughout the summer of 2012. Many of them  were vocally upset about the impact on access and parking amidst ongoing concerns about what has been perceived by some as a lack of downtown parking.
 
On July 17, belated renovations to two 40-year-old "pocket parks" will also begin, a $965,000 project allocated for in a previous year's capital budget. 
 
Sottile Park, on the corner of North and Eagle streets, will be rehabbed to its original condition, while Persip Park, across North at the corner of Columbus, will undergo significant changes, including a small stage area, new benches, planters and small grassy areas.
 
Design plans for both plazas were presented at a sparsely attended public hearing in January, when they faced rigorous questioning and some criticism.
 
“We will make every possible accommodation to keep impact on businesses to a minimum," said Bianchi of the projects.
 
According to the administration, traffic around the intersections of these two parks will be guided with signs, cones and drums, and police officers will assist pedestrians safely through the construction area when needed.
 
"In the long term, streetscape will have a tremendous, beneficial effect on the downtown and the entire community," said Bianchi.

Tags: downtown,   North Street,   public parks,   sidewalks,   streetscape,   

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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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