2024 Regional Transportation Plan Under Development

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has begun work on developing the next Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Berkshire County. 
 
The RTP has a 20-year planning horizon and is updated every four years. The plan serves as the County's overarching transportation planning document and is required to ensure the region remains eligible to receive federal transportation funding. The RTP employs a systematic approach to evaluate the performance of the transportation system, to identify "needs" or deficiencies in the system, and to develop solutions that best address any existing gaps to meet the region's needs.
 
Berkshire County residents are invited to give their input to help develop the RTP.
 
Three public information sessions have been scheduled to provide an opportunity to learn more about the RTP purpose, process, and products. The first will be held at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield on Wednesday Nov. 2, from 5:30-6:30pm. 
 
The second will be held at the North Adams City Hall on Thursday Nov. 10, from 5:30-6:30pm. The third session will be held on Tuesday Nov. 16, at the Great Barrington firehouse from 5:30-6:30pm. All meetings will also be broadcast live as a
Zoom webinar. Spanish interpretation for these webinars is available by request.
 
 

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Community, Investment Keep Silver Screens Lit in the Berkshires

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the second of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here. 
 
In the wake of the 2020 COVID pandemic and its disruptions to the film industry, the county lost its two largest multiplex cinemas.
 
The 10-screen Regal Cinema in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough closed in 2022. Then in 2023, the eight-screen North Adams Movieplex in the Steeple City Plaza closed.
 
As a result, there are currently three full-time multi-screen movie theaters in the county — Images Cinema in Williamstown, the Beacon Cinema at 57 North St. in Pittsfield, and the Triplex Cinema at 70 Railroad St. in Great Barrington. These three surviving theaters in Berkshire County are totally separate operations and have their own individual histories and roles in their communities.
 
Nevertheless, there are also connections and common themes, including their downtown locations.
 
For a number of years, both the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield were siblings. Both were founded and originally owned by Richard Stanley, a South County real estate developer and investor who is also active in community-revitalization initiatives. Both theaters were established as vehicles to stimulate their local downtowns.
 
In Great Barrington, the primary destination for movies for most of the 20th century was the historic downtown Mahaiwe Theater. However, in 1988, it was facing potential demolition. That triggered a long community campaign that successfully saved and restored it as the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
 
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