State Community Affairs Director Tours Pittsfield to Start Dialogue
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Police Chief Michael Wynn points out the police station to Hodari Cail.
State Community Affairs Director Hodari Cail joined a cadre of local officials and business leaders to see some of the highlights of Pittsfield's downtown revitalization efforts over the last decade or so.
Tyer led the tour that brought the group to the likes of the Berkshire Museum, Hotel on North, Barrington Stage, the Colonial Theater and even the parking garage on Columbus Avenue.
"I was hoping to highlight that Pittsfield is in an evolution. We've started to move away from being a GE town and moving toward our future, which really is being led by a new generation of young leaders and new ideas," Tyer said.
Through nearly two hours in rainy weather Thursday, Tyer pointed out the renovations of the former fire house into the 1Berkshire offices, the current condition of the police station, and the success arts and culture have had in turning the downtown around. Through a series of public and private partnerships, the city invested in a number of those buildings to drive the arts and culture economy.
"We can replicate that in other parts of our city. We still need the state's help with building out the William Stanley Business Park. We need help with funding for our garage which is important for our downtown. We want their support when we start talking about a modern law enforcement community in terms of a modern facility," Tyer said.
North Street is in its final stage of reconstruction and the Colonial, Barrington Stage and Beacon theaters have been up and running for a number of years. But, there is still work to be done downtown. The group stopped at the Columbus Avenue garage, which has 200 parking spots that support the businesses on the northern end of North Street.
Director of Maintenance Dennis Guyer said the structure is failing and beyond repair. There are plans to replace it with a 400-space garage to increase available parking downtown. But, to do that, the city is going to need the state's help.
Cail considered his trip as the start of a relationship between the state and the city. Gov. Charlie Baker is in his second year of office while Tyer is three months into her first term.
"I think the first thing is dialogue. I think before you can have any impact you have to really take an interest in what is going on, No. 1. No. 2, you have to really start the conversation about what communities need and how you can help," Cail said.
"I think the most important step is having that dialogue, accessibility, and that's what we are trying to do here."
He said Pittsfield's investment in the downtown "speaks volumes" to the city's push. He cited the museum as being impressive with its size and long-term plans. And he was amazed by both the arts events and the education tied into the cultural institutions. He said it all goes into having "an area to work and play."
"What I do is give my report on what we did, what we saw, and make a recommendation on how we can help the people in the Berkshires," Cail said.
Tyer said there will be a number of projects the state could help with in the next four years. She chose to lead a tour showing off the successes Thursday rather than in areas like the William Stanley Business Park, which are on the radar for redevelopment.
"I wanted to give them a reason to believe that their investment is worth it for the community," Tyer said.
Cail said his next step is to arrange a visit from the governor to see for himself what's happening in Pittsfield. Cail said Baker is "hands on" and staff will be there to assist the city in a number of ways.
"We just want to make sure we are helping in anyway we can," he said.
Joining the tour were state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Police Chief Michael Wynn, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Board President Jesse Cook-Dubin, City Council Vice President John Krol and Berkshire Chamber of Commerce President Jonathan Butler. Along the way, the group discussed the history and relevance of the various investments made in the downtown and ultimately the results.
Tags: Charlie Baker, downtown, redevelopment, state officials, tour, Tyer,
