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Board Chairman Chris Moon addresses shoppers and volunteers.
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Executive Director Carolyn Valli said the ReStore has made $1 million sales has helped to build one Habitat house a year.
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Mayor Daniel Bianchi.
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The new location is triple the space of the first one opened five years ago.
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More than a dozen people went in to shop as soon as the doors opened.

Habitat For Humanity Cuts Ribbon On New 'ReStore'

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Store manager Steve Gingras and Mayor Daniel Bianchi cut the ribbon on the new store.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Habitat for Humanity has tripled retail space for its ReStore.
 
ReStore accepts and resells home improvement items such as furniture, cabinets and other material. The sales support the construction of new homes through Habitat's program.
 
Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity first opened the ReStore on Jefferson Place — off West Housatonic Street — five years ago and has outgrown the space.
 
"We had almost as much in storage as we did on the sales floor," Executive Director Carolyn Valli said.
 
On Saturday, the organization cut the ribbon (caution tape) on a new 17,500-square-foot store on Hubbard Avenue.
 
The new space is nearly triple that of the previous location and the organization hopes to double the amount of sales with the more visible and larger space.
 
"It's been a dream of ours to get to a facility as big as this and as beautiful as this," said store manager Steve Gingras.
 
Gingras was joined by Mayor Daniel Bianchi to cut the ribbon, welcoming more than a dozen shoppers to the new store. The mayor spoke highly of Habitat for Humanity's work in not only recycling items that would otherwise go to landfills but in the work of building homes for families in need. 
 
"Habitat for Humanity is such a wonderful organization," Bianchi said, encouraging residents to shop at the store to increase the number of homes the organization can build.
 
Valli said the store previously made enough to build one house per year. She hopes to double that income, especially with a large six-unit project ahead of the them.
 
"Our hope is that we will double our net," Valli said. 
 
The store first opened in a 6,000-square-foot facility with a donation from the Berkshire Bank Foundation and an all-volunteer effort. The operation now supports 2.5 full-time jobs and still has some 30 volunteers.
 
Hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 to 5; donations can be dropped off on Wednesdays from 9 to 1.
 
So far, the store has prevented 700 ton of materials from going to landfills, Valli said, and has made more than a $1 million in sales. The donated items come from contractors, new homebuyers, and renovation projects in which the old items are repurposed and resold. 
 
The organization began looking for a new space almost two years ago. It took a year to find the new space and then almost eight months to negotiate a lease. In the last six weeks, the organization has built out the inside of the 399 Hubbard Ave. location with shelving and stocking. 
 
"This has been a long time coming," board Chairman Chris Moon said. "We were at the old store for five years and we hope to be here for another 25 years."

Tags: grand opening,   habitat for humanity,   home & garden,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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