Downtown Pittsfield Inc. President Kate McGuire, honoree Peter Lafayette and Executive Director Kristine Hurley.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Robert Quattrochi spent 45 years working with Downtown Pittsfield Inc., more than a decade of that as president.

 

He ran Pete's Motors while being civic oriented and serving on numerous boards like Downtown Pittsfield, the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Berkshire Historical Society and a number of others. He also sat on the city's Licensing Board.

 

"It was impossible to own a business or be active in the community without meeting Bob Quattrochi," Downtown Pittsfield President Kate McGuire said on Thursday.

 

When he died at age 87 in November, Downtown Pittsfield lost not only a former president but someone who had been actively involved with promoting and improving the city's downtown for the last 45 years.

 

Quattrochi was still raising money for the ethnic fair and judging the organization's downtown clean up (cruising around in his antique car). 

 

"He operated with integrity, compassion and kindness," McGuire said. "The entire community remembers him with great love."

 

Gerry Murray, committee member, called him a "shining example" of how to be active in a community.

 

"He was involved in so many organizations. The world involved is so important. He was on a lot of boards and he was actively involved when a lot of people are just appointed to boards. He tried to add value to everything he was involved in," Murray said. 

 

So, fittingly, Downtown Pittsfield renamed its annual person of the year award after Quattrochi. The first Robert Quattrochi Award for Service went to another former DPI president, Peter Lafayette.

 

"Peter shares the love Bob had for Pittsfield and the Berkshires. He has a real passion for downtown. He's been looking for ways to get involved for many, many years and he acts when others may not," Murray said. 

 

Lafayette is credited with helping to raise money to build the Beacon Cinema and "behind the scenes" work with both securing the grants for the city's streetscape program but also to make sure the planning and execution went off without a hitch. He has served on a number of boards including being chairman of Downtown Pittsfield and serving on the United Way and is a former president of Berkshire Housing.

 

Gerry Murray presented the award to Lafayette on Thursday morning.

Now, a retired Lafayette lives part time in Florida but is still calling Pittsfield to participate in board meetings.

 

"Peter, too, is a shining example of someone being involved and not just being involved by being named to a board of directors. He's made a huge impact and I'm sure he'll continue to have an impact on downtown for years to come. The board is counting on him for that," Murray said.

 

Lafayette said Quattrochi was the leader when he joined the organization 20 years ago and "an inspiration" for the organization to help transform downtown.

 

"He really was an inspiration to me and to the others to help do the planning and the hard work that is necessary. I've been gratified in my involvement in my terms to see downtown turnaround. It has taken a lot of effort," Lafayette said.

 

Lafayette shared some lessons he learned over the last two decades, particularly that a downtown is much more than a group of merchants.

 

"Downtown is the heart and soul of a community," he said.

 

He said the organization needs to continue to work toward improving the city's central core because the market changes over time. He said Downtown Pittsfield Inc. is the type of organization that is needed to make any downtown be successful and those communities without such a group seldom have vibrant downtowns. And the focus should be on attracting young people.

 

"Downtowns must continue to attract young people. The new generation of leaders is critical," he said.