1Berkshire and BRPC Launch Business Needs Survey

08:05AM / Thursday, April 29, 2021Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission have launched a survey to ask businesses about the technical assistance they would benefit from in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and building resiliency for the future.

All businesses and non-profits in the Berkshires are encouraged to provide their feedback to this short survey, which will help inform a comprehensive technical assistance program being organized by the two agencies.

Businesses should share their feedback by completing the survey as soon as possible. It can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BERPsurvey2

This program will in turn identify subject matter experts to provide no-cost technical assistance to help businesses improve their capacities around needs identified through the survey. Ben Lamb, Director of Economic Development at 1Berkshire, explained

"This survey will provide us the ability to identify specific help businesses and organizations need to regain the momentum they had prior to the pandemic, and to make themselves more resilient for the future," Ben Lamb, Director of Economic Development at 1Berkshire, said. "We will use this feedback to build a network of experts who will provide key technical assistance to help our region's businesses rebuild stronger than ever."

The technical assistance effort is a component of the Berkshire Economic Recovery Project plan, funded by a grant awarded to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission by the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the CARES Act Recovery Assistance program. This funding will be used to coordinate short- and long-term economic recovery efforts in the region.

"We're pleased to be partnering with 1Berkshire on this project, and I'm confident that the for- and non-profit businesses of our region will benefit greatly from the assistance provided," Laura Brennan, Economic Development Program Manager at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, said.

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First Responders Pull Truck From Pontoosuc Lake

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:50PM / Monday, November 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.—First responders performed a rescue at Pontoosuc Lake on Friday, Oct. 30, after a truck ended up in the water.

The driver, who was not identified, was taken to Berkshire Medical Center following the incident.

Deputy Chief Neil Myers said the Pittsfield Fire Department was dispatched for a water rescue incident at the boat ramp off Hancock Road at 9:30 a.m.

There was one occupant in the truck who had climbed onto the vehicle's roof when they arrived. The white vehicle had floated across the channel near the ramp and landed on the waterbody's base; one corner of the roof was peeking out of the water when iBerkshires arrived around 10 a.m.

Myers relayed that a witness saw the truck driving into the water; that was the initial report. On the way, first responders received another call reporting the truck had floated across the channel, and the caller was unsure if the person got out.

With this information, PFD dispatched a full assignment: three engines, a ladder truck, and a rescue. Pontoosuc Lake is drawn down right now, with a maximum depth of about 15 feet in that area.

Two firefighters were deployed in cold-water suits to make contact with the driver. They assessed him, provided a life jacket, and put some lines in for safety.

Worried about hypothermia, firefighters planned to keep the man on top of the truck until a boat arrived. Though, Myers said when the boat was launched off the ramp, the man swan dove into the lake and swam to land.

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