Ruberto Presents Valenti With City Honors

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor James M. Ruberto presented writer Dan Valenti with the recognition and honor of the city of Pittsfield Saturday at the start of a talk and book signing at Chapters Bookstore on North Street.

Valenti was there in connection with the release of his new book, “Baseball Comes Home.” Ruberto read the proclamation before a crowd gathered in Chapters’ reading room, noting that Valenti, “a long-time resident of our area, has become renowned far beyond the confines of this community” through his writing and broadcasting.

Valenti is a nationally known baseball writer whose work has been honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which presented him with its President’s Award for lifetime contributions to baseball history and literature.

Valenti writer grew up in Pittsfield, attended Pittsfield schools, and has a B.A. from Union College and a master’s degree in journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

He has been a member of the English Department at Berkshire Community College since 1992. Since that time, he has also been a frequent commentator on local, state, and national politics. He has written for the Berkshire Eagle and Pittsfield Gazette, and for 14 years, hosted “The Dan Valenti Show” daily for WBRK.

He has written 13 books and edited three. He has published many newspaper and magazine articles, as well as fiction and poetry. Valenti lives in Stockbridge with his wife, Paula.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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