PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's time to build the better block.
MassDevelopment brought in Team Better Block to run the economic development exercise on Tyler Street. The plan is to completely revamp the section between Smith Street and Cortland Place, filling up the storefronts, improving mobility, slowing traffic, and sprucing up the aesthetics.
"This is not a block party, this is an economic development demonstration," Amequsika 'Sika' Sedzro, who is the city's fellow through the MassDevelopment Transformative District Initiative.
In June, Better Block met with dozens of residents to get ideas of what they'd like Tyler Street to look like in the future. A plan was crafted to bring those ideas to life in one section, for one day. The effort takes the ideas and concepts and puts them into reality for a single day to show what is possible, and spur more life into redevelopment efforts.
"That has helped facilitate new conversations with the property owners and we are hoping it will lead to new activation and leases," Sedzro said.
That section has a number of vacant store fronts now and includes the former Cafe Reva, Fin and Feather, the Hess Gas Station, and the Tyler Street fire house.
Better Block's conceptual plan is to bring vendors into the spaces, install bicycle lanes, create a beer garden at the closed fire station, transform the gas station into a mini-golf course, add parklets, paint crosswalks, bring in more plants and more art. Sedzro said about 22 people from the community submitted applications to fill up spaces.
"We went through a rapid planning process. That usually takes a year and we took two months to make it happen," Sedzro said.
And now comes build week: next Wednesday building it all out starts. The full plan is available below.
"Right now we are in the final stages. We are out there cleaning up storefronts. We are still looking for volunteers," Sedzro said.
On Wednesday from 5 until 7 p.m., murals will be added, new wayfinding signs put in place, and storefronts cleaned. That night, from 7 until 9 p.m. planter boxes will be built and storefront facades worked on.
On Thursday, the 5 p.m. session will feature setting up the pop-up shops, building a stage for music, and creating parklets. The 7 p.m. build continues setting up the shops, builds a fence for the beer garden, and mini-golf and a lemonade stand constructed.
On Friday, there will be five different build sessions throughout the day starting at 8 a.m. The work includes building a cycle track, a street median, painting crosswalks and bump outs, creating transit stops and a ramp, building bicycle parking, and continuing with the pop-up shops.
"We are focused on both the right of way and the storefronts," Sedzro said. "We are trying to see what it needs to actually do activation."
And the group is still looking for volunteers to help with the building — particularly a couple who own trucks to help transport material. Sedzro said right now there are 60 people signed up to help and some local companies are planning to bring in teams of employees as well.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, the Morningside Community will get a taste of what is possible throughout the entire street. The one-day event goes from noon until 7 p.m. That day will also feature the unveiling of a new mural on the wall of the Goodwill building.
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.
"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.
Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."
"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
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Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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