Pittsfield's Ives Pledges Communication In Bid For Council Seat

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Sadler Avenue resident Tammy Ives is seeking a seat on the City Council as the Ward 1 representative.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tammy Ives says Ward 1 residents have trouble getting their voices heard.
 
Ives is now challenging incumbent Lisa Tully for the seat on the City Council. Ives says she would greatly improve communication among residents.
 
"My No. 1 goal for the ward would be to have open communication. It is very important for me that if somebody calls or e-mails me with a problem or question that they get a response within 24 hours," Ives said. 
 
Ives said there is no excuse for concerns to go unaddressed for more than a day and vows if elected to respond to everybody in the ward. 
 
"[Tully] is not representing everybody in the ward. She is representing a select few that she wants to represent," Ives said of the incumbent.
 
Ives didn't make it past the preliminary election two years ago when she challenged then incumbent Christine Yon and Tully. Tully ultimately won the seat in a close election. Ives is running again and directly targeting Tully, saying she isn't doing a good job.
 
"She says one thing originally and tries to get people on her side to do one thing, like the school buses, and then all of a sudden she flips and changes her mind and goes in the other direction," Ives said.
 
Ives promises to be more inclusive and push for things like road repair in the ward. She is particularly looking to advocate for reconstruction of the intersection of Springside Avenue and North Street and repairs to Crane Avenue. 
 
Meanwhile, she hopes to find ways to curb costs to the budget. She said she'll be trying to strike a balance between lowering taxes, addressing citywide concerns, and trying to keep money flowing to Ward 1. 
 
For example, she supports road repairs but when it comes to buying a new street sweeper, she'd like to delay that purchase and fix the current one. Or buy one that can do the garages and the streets instead of operating two.
 
"Let's figure out a way to curb these costs," Ives said.
 
Crime is also a rising topic for Ives who believes in the city's mentoring programs through the Pittsfield Community Connection and advocates for more intervention at the elementary and middle school levels to curb crimes committed by juveniles.
 
"A lot of these kids feel like nobody cares," Ives said.
 
She said if there were more mentors intervening at a younger age, that'd help keep the youth from falling in with bad crowds and ultimately leading to a life of crime. She said if a younger man or woman commits a crime there should be a rehabilitation program they are forced to go through to reduce recidivism.
 
When it comes to crime, however, she opposes more neighborhood watch programs. Mayor Daniel Bianchi has been encouraging residents to join or start programs to help get more eyes on the street. Ives, however, says that just puts residents at risk.
 
"It puts people in a difficult position," Ives said.
 
Ives fears that residents involved in neighborhood watch programs would take matters into their own hands, putting them at risk to become victims.
 
The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Ward 1 is just one of many contested seats. A preliminary election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22, but that will only be for the mayor's seat, which has four candidates.

Tags: candidates,   election 2015,   

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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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