More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Matthew Ferraro was the first runner across the finish line at the MountainOne Steel Rail Marathon.
 
Ferraro clocked a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes flat on the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail course.
 
He finished a little more than five minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Reid (2:46:15).
 
Simone Veale won the race's women's division in a time of 3:18:42. She beat out Jill Hussain, who covered the course in 3:27:23.
 
The fastest marathoner on Sunday was Stephen Gulley, a hand cyclist, who clocked a time of 2:15:03.
 
The 26.2-mile circuit was covered by 150 finishers ranging in age from 18 (William Hanley in 14th place) to 72 (Ric Nudell, who finished in 6:04:47).
 
The day also featured a half-marathon and an 8-kilometer race.
 
Mark Rabasco won the half-marathon in 1:18:41, edging Vincent Gauthier (1:22:38).
 
Kat Morrissey placed third overall in 1:23:43 and first among women in the half-marathon, which had 213 finishers.
 
Abigail Chaloux was the fastest woman in the 8K, crossing the finish line in 35:52, six seconds ahead of Caroline Kessler; the two women were ninth and 10th, respectively, overall in a field of 171 finishers.
 
Peter Hale had the fastest 8K time, 27:42. Erik Kessler was second in 30:32.
 
More than 600 people registered for Sunday's races, a record for the Berkshire Running Foundation event. Runners from 24 different states signed up to run.
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Pittsfield Projects See $1M in Community One Stop Grants

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City projects were allocated $1 million through the Community One Stop for Growth portal in fiscal year 2027. 

This includes hundreds of thousands of dollars for the adaptive reuse of two downtown buildings into apartments: the former St. Joseph's High School and Berkshire County Savings Bank. 

Developer David Carver of Scarafoni Associates & CT Management Group plans to convert the former Catholic high school on Maplewood Avenue into 19 units, four of which will be designated affordable. The City of Pittsfield was allocated $500,000 from the Housing Choice Grant Program to support accessibility improvements and elevator installation for the project. 

Allegrone Companies saw $350,000 from the Underutilized Properties Program to support interior demolition and remediation for the adaptive reuse of a long-vacant, historic building overlooking Park Square into housing units and commercial space. 

Since 2021, the Community One Stop for Growth has distributed more than 1,900 awards totaling more than $1 billion in funding for housing and economic development growth goals in Massachusetts communities. 

Pittsfield has received 30 awards, totaling $11.7 million. 

Over the summer, Housing Secretary Juana Matias visited the shuttered St. Joe's school that functioned as a shelter during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The then 120-year-old Catholic high school ceased operations in 2017. 

The City Council approved a 10-year tax increment exemption agreement that freezes the current property value base, starting at 100 percent forgiveness in the first year, decreasing by 10 percent annually; a local incentive is required to submit an application to the EOHLC. 

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