Pittsfield Saw Two Mini-COVID Surges This Fall

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has seen ups and downs with COVID-19 cases this fall and is currently on the lower end of case counts.

Health officials now say sewage testing is the truest indicator of the virus's impact on the community because it accounts for at-home tests.

"We did experience in the past two months a couple of mini surges throughout the city," Director of Public Health Andy Cambi said to the Board of Health on Wednesday.

"It's hard to gauge it from the active tests we have received because a lot of it, as I mentioned before, is done through at-home test kits."
 
On Tuesday, Biobot sewage testing showed 1.3 million copies per liter. The recent peak of sewage concentration occurred in mid-October when there were 2.7 million copies per liter and last week, the city saw a low of around 988,000 copies per liter.

The percent positivity rate is about 11, down from over 13 percent in mid-October, and there are around 31.5 average cases per 100,000. The city has around 68 estimated actively contagious cases and remains in the red incidence rate, having more than 10 average cases per 100,000 and a positivity rate over 5 percent.

COVID hospitalizations at Berkshire Medical Center have not exceeded 20.

Dalton Special Town Meeting Rejects Land Buy for Police Station

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
09:29PM / Monday, October 19, 2026

Voters hold up cards to be counted on a vote to cast secret ballots on purchase of land question. Voters rejected the land purchase but authorized buying electronic devices for future voting.  

DALTON, Mass. — A special town meeting on Monday night authorized 11 of 12 warrant articles, only nixing a contentious proposal to buy land for a police station.

 

After nearly an hour of discussion, 113 voters rejected by secret ballot the purchase of land on West Housatonic Street for $69,700.

 

Article 2 needed two-thirds to pass, and failed 65-48, about 10 votes short. 

 

A motion was made by Robert Collins for the article to be voted on by secret ballot to ensure ballot privacy, which was approved by 72-19. 

 

Town officials have been debating options for a new police station for more than year, focusing on several parcels that could host a new building and, more recently, the possibility of a combined fire and police station. These included the West Housatonic site, another on Main street and the vacant Dalton High lot next to the Senior Center. 

 

Resident Adelard Nadeau Jr., who previously served on the Fire District's Prudential Committee, argued that the town is spending money that it does not have. 

 

He advocated for the lot by the Senior Center which he believed to be cheaper and shovel ready.