BRTA Launches Route 7 Bus Route

Gary Shepard, left, Adam Falk and Benjamin Downing discuss the new routes during an announcement at the Harper Center on Friday.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is launching a pilot bus run down Route 7, connecting North County to Pittsfield in a much quicker fashion.

The route is an extension of a partnership with Williams College, which previously identified a need to connect students with jobs, internships and the Berkshire community. The route runs from Stop & Shop in North Adams to Berkshire Medical Center, with stops along the way.

Riders can request additional stops and pickups as well with a "call/tell" system, allowing the drivers to deviate routes according to needs. Two new mini buses — both equipped with a trial Wi-Fi connection — will run the route about a half dozen times a day. The earliest route run at 6:20 a.m.

The school is taking the money they would have spent running their own system to help BRTA expand — freeing up the school's resources of management and allowing the company to achieve goals they previously eyed quicker. The BRTA is also using some of a federal grant for the new route.

According to Williams College professor Paula Consolini, who headed the effort, the school identified a need for connecting the students with the community.

"This originated from a study group on community engagement," Consolini said. "We knew it. But we got confirmation that transportation was a problem with getting students into the community."

The college initially ran a Route 2 run with its own shuttle bus but the demand was so great the college reached out to the BRTA. That initial partnership proved to be successful and the college and BRTA launched another pilot to extend hours, and now have added the Route 7 corridor.

"Coming to Williams is about coming to Williamstown and the Berkshires," said Williams President Adam Falk.

"Route 7 is rich with opportunity," said BRTA Administrator Gary Shepard. "We are filling an opportunity that exists. It's always been part of our long-range plans."

Government, business and educational officials were all on the bus Friday morning.

On Friday, representatives from BRTA, Williams, Berkshire Community College, state Sen. Benjamin Downing and state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi joined in a bus tour around a portion of the new route. The bus made stops at Stop & Shop, Wild Oats, the Clark Art Institute, Mount Greylock Regional High School and the Williams campus and at each, a representative from the business or institute spoke highly of the opportunity to increase traffic.

"This just gives us flexibility that we didn't have," said Mount Greylock Principal Mary MacDonald, adding that the school is planning on using the service to transport students on small field trips or with tutors without having to increase their own spending on transportation.

The high school activity was something Shepard said had not been anticipated. The focus was to help connect elderly with health-care institutions on top of working with Williams students. Mount Greylock's participation was a welcomed addition.

Cariddi, who sits on the state Joint Committee on Transportation, said public transit is important in building strong communities. Downing said public transit is a "social safety net" in connecting residents with health-care services as well as an economic driver by getting workers to their jobs.

"It's all about the riders and building the ridership," Cariddi said. "It is most gratifying that our own BRTA is making use of the resources they have."

Falk said it is important that the college is in a "strong community," so for Williams, it is not just simply connecting students with jobs.

"All of us benefit when public transportation gets better," he said.

Shepard said the program will be reassessed in the spring and administrators will continually adjust the operations to fit needs.

Pittsfield Recognizes Firefighters of the Year, Outgoing Councilors

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:17AM / Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Pittsfield firefighters Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn with Gov. Maura Healey and state Fire Marshal Jon Davine at the annual Firefighter of the Year Awards in Worcester last month. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two members of the Pittsfield Fire Department were recognized as Firefighters of the Year for rescuing a man from the ice in early 2025. 

At the end of November, Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn traveled to Worcester for the 36th annual Firefighter of the Year Awards held by the state Department of Fire Services. The two were honored for their Jan. 21 response to a fisherman who had fallen into the icy waters of Onota Lake. 

The Fire Department responded to the report of a fisherman falling through the ice about 7:45 a.m.  The person had gotten out of the water but had fallen back in, and the ice broke again while Mazzeo and Gunn were making the rescue. 

Mayor Peter Marchetti presented the two with certificates of recognition at the beginning of Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

Fire Chief Thomas Sammons explained that the two firefighters had to be tethered in cold water suits, and Gunn's suit failed, filling with freezing water. He and the fisherman were transported to Berkshire Medical Center for hypothermia and made a full recovery. 

"They were 300 feet offshore, so it was really hard to have communications, and everything happened all at once. They did a great job," he said. 

"We started pulling them in, and there was a layer of slush on top. It was really slow. Pittsfield Police responded. They donned life preservers and jumped right in. Everybody worked together for a very positive outcome." 

Sammons explained that the ice sled used for rescues also plunged into the water, and the two firefighters had to untangle the tethers to get the man and themselves to safety.