PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, Carr Hardware did what it said it would do -- donate its recent prize winnings toward building a splash pad at Clapp Park.

 

The local company has won the "Indie Award" as small business of the year from the business organization Independent We Stand. The prize includes $5,000 cash, which Carr Hardware opted to go toward a splash pad project in partnership with the Rotary Club of Pittsfield. 

 

"It's got fabulous potential to be as good as the Common," Mayor Linda Tyer said of the splash pad, which "is the most popular thing at the Common."

 

The Rotary Club is looking to spend some $180,000 on the project and the city is looking for a grant from the state to renovate the entire park. The Buddy Pellerin Field Committee is looking to spend another $30,000 on improvements to the park.

 

Further, Carr Hardware won $1,000 to donate to a local business organization. On Monday, co-owner Bart Raser announced that money will go to Downtown Pittsfield Inc. 

 

Overall, Carr Hardware won some $50,000 worth of prizes. Besides the $5,000 cash prize, the company receives $1,000 for a small-business group of its choosing, $1,000 worth of Stihl equipment certificates, marketing services from Snap Retail, branding, advertising, and public relations assistance from the Meridian Group, three days and two nights at a branding retreat in Virginia Beach, and a plaque to display in the store.

 

Carr Hardware next year will be entering its 90th year since it was founded and prides itself on being a community partner. It operates stores in Pittsfield, Lee, Great Barrington, and North Adams in Massachusetts, and stores in Avon and Enfield, Conn.