2024 Regional Transportation Plan Under Development

04:00PM / Monday, October 31, 2022Print Story | Email Story

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.

Tags: BRPC,

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Zebra Mussels Found in Pittsfield's Onota Lake

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
10:34AM / Tuesday, October 27, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city will treat one acre of Onota Lake for zebra mussels.

On Wednesday, during a special virtual meeting, the Conservation Commission approved a series of three treatments with EarthTec QZ. During dive monitoring in August, a live adult zebra mussel was found near the boat ramp.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said it will begin in the next 7-10 days, and that this treatment is nearly identical to that in the fall of 2024, as approved by the ConCom and other entities.

EarthTec QZ, an EPA-registered liquid molluscicide, will be applied to a 1-acre section from a boat with GPS guidance, about 14 days apart. There will be signs and notices of treatments to alert the public.

Karen Murray, of the Lake Onota Preservation Association, explained that the area is from the rocky point north of the boat launch to the boat launch, and a little south of the fishing pier.

"Again, does that mean we have live zebra mussels? We don't know, but it's pretty strong evidence of a potential problem," she said.

Over the last few years, Pittsfield has grappled with occasional findings of the invasive species.

Pittsfield and LOPA embarked on an early detection process at Onota Lake in the fall of 2023; the state Department of Conservation and Recreation had found the area near the boat launch positive for zebra mussel eDNA.

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