Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Aug. 7-13

05:31PM / Friday, August 07, 2020Print Story | Email Story

For the month of August, the First Friday Artswalk has been re-imagined to encompass outdoor locations perfect for a socially distanced walk around downtown, plus three indoor locations. Enjoy four new art shows, PHS student art, and Artscape's Pittsfield Paintboxes featuring work by more than a dozen accomplished regional artists on Friday, Aug. 7 from 5-8 p.m. and all month long! Be sure to maintain a physical distance of six feet from other individuals and wear your mask. See you soon!

FUN & LEARNING

A shy Midwestern man leads an outrageous double life as a cocky Londoner in Barrington Stage Company's sexually charged and wickedly funny one-man thriller Harry Clarke, starring Mark H. Dold. Moving to NYC, Harry presents himself as a Brit and charms his way into a wealthy family's life, but his increasingly risky behavior threatens to undo more than his persona. Now - Sunday, Aug. 16.

This week at the Virtual Pillow: As part of its virtual summer festival offerings, Jacob's Pillow invites you to dance with your family, hear from choreographer Liz Lerman, take a modern master class with Darrell Grand Moultrie, catch a performance by Bereishit Dance Company, and more.

Plus...

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Mass Audubon's properties are now open and the organization is currently holding in-person and online classes for all ages. Children can explore the ins and outs of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary or participate in virtual camp adventures. Adults can enjoy hikes and birding at The Mount or virtual ecology talks.

Sign up now to join Otha Day and Berkshire Music School for Drum2TalkTEENS from August 17-21. FREE. Space is limited; pre-registration required at 413-442-1411. This is a hands-on experience for teens to experience drumming while connecting with each other. This is an opportunity to process emotions and experiences they've encountered during a very stressful 2020, including their own relationships to race, diversity, and belonging in America.

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SHOP LOCAL / EAT LOCAL

Hotel on North's outdoor culinary and cocktail experience, "The Backlot," welcomes back M & J's Taste of Home, plus lawn games and a full bar! Friday & Saturday from 4-9 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

Roots Rising's Virtual Farmers Market is open for viewing all week long! Online shopping is available from Monday at noon until Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., or until the maximum order limit is reached. Shopping for Benefits Day is on designated Tuesdays at noon. If you would like to volunteer to help Roots Rising with Saturday packing and delivery, click here.

RESOURCES

Do you have a photograph, story, song, video, artwork, letter, or object that captures some aspect of your or your community's experience with the COVID-19 pandemic? Share them with Berkshire Museum, the Berkshire Athenaeum, and the Berkshire County Historical Society! In the future, your contributions will help tell the story of how our lives were changed during this remarkable time in history.

1Berkshire has compiled a list of online sites where you can find information on a number of topics, including an explanation of our state's reopening plan. You can also visit the City of Pittsfield's COVID-19 webpage for updates and helpful resources.

Plus...

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If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Housing Projects Get Extra ARPA Boost

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, March 03, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two affordable housing initiatives are getting $120,000 in leftover American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The Affordable Housing Trust approved the funding on Wednesday to the Westside Legends and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.

These projects had already been awarded funds from the trust, meaning that they could be allocated after the ARPA deadline. Westside Legends will get an additional $70,000 for an affordable housing project underway at 70 Dewey Ave., and Habitat will see an additional $50,000 for its home build on Curtis Terrace.

Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported that while ARPA projects had to be under contract by December 2025, these were under-contract projects that could use the funds.

"I think our Affordable Housing Trust has really done a good job being a catalyst for improving the housing stock in the city of Pittsfield, and we've got a lot of things happening now in Pittsfield that are close," Trustee Michael McCarthy said.

This includes units coming online from the non-profit and private development sectors.

Habitat CEO Carolyn Valli gave the trust an update on its ARPA-funded effort to build five new affordable homes in Pittsfield. Habitat has completed and sold two homes, two are ready for sale, and one home is under construction with the help of Taconic High School career technical education students.

This includes condos at 112 Robbins Ave., units A and B, and 21 and 23 Murphy Place. The stick-built project at 37 Curtis Terrace has run into some delays, and the additional ARPA monies will fund upgrades to the heating system.

The total projected cost to build the five units is nearly $2.2 million, and the affordable mortgages are expected to total about $1,036,000. Valli recognized that there is a significant gap, and said the money Pittsfield invested was "really impactful, and we hope that you'll be able to give us a little bit more cash in order to be able to close that gap a little bit more."

iBerkshires attended the open house at Murphy Place, which offers three-bedroom and one-bathroom homes in a condominium style for about $1,700 per month. All Habitat homes include a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove, over-the-counter microwave, and dishwasher.

The condos will be sold to families earning between 50 percent and 65 percent of the area median income, which ranges between $49,150 and $63,895 for a family of two and $66,350 and $86,255 for a family of five. A monthly payment of $1,673 will cover the principal and interest, property taxes, and home insurance. There is a monthly HOA fee on top of that.

Valli reported that they have had more than 600 pre-screening applications between the Pittsfield project and the Great Barrington project, called the Prosperity Way Community.

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