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The city is making changes in several precincts to reflect a decrease in population.

Pittsfield Council Approves New Ward Map with Precinct Changes

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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City Clerk Michele Benjamin updates the City Council on changes to the voting maps because of redistricting. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved a new city ward map with precinct changes that will affect 174 residents.

This is done every 10 years, according to U.S. Census data, so that shifts in population will never unfairly increase or decrease a voter's voice in government.

During her presentation to the council, City Clerk Michele Benjamin pointed out that there will no longer be two state representatives in Pittsfield as state Rep. Paul Mark won't be representing Ward 1 because of redistricting.  

State Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier will take over that area and, therefore, represent all of the city.

The largest precinct change occurred in Ward 1, where 111 residents were moved from 1A to 1B.  The border now extends to Garland Avenue and Bryan Street.

Twenty-eight residents were moved from Ward 6A to 6B, with the precinct border now following Robbins Avenue to Southern Avenue.

Ward 7 had changes in two different areas that affected nine and 26 residents. The changes moved the residents from Ward 7B to 7A, with the precinct border following Vivian Avenue to Louise Street in the first alteration and following Grant Street to Tampa Avenue in the second.

"The reason for this change was it used to just clearly go across someone's property," Benjamin said about the former precinct border that went from Orlando Avenue into private property. "So we cleaned it up with recommendations by the state."


The city did not see any ward boundary changes and Benjamin said Pittsfield was fortunate to only lose 810 residents.

The 2010 Census population was 44,737 and the and 2020 number is 43,927.

Benjamin explained that wording to the legal boundaries in Ward 1 and Ward 2 was cleaned up through working with the city's GIS Coordinator Ryan Grennan.  

At the intersection of Dalton Avenue and Cheshire Road, the border used to run right across Cheshire Road. In the updated version, the border follows Cheshire Road and drops down to Dalton Avenue, and then goes back up Dalton Avenue.

The affected area does not have any residents living in it therefore will not displace any voters.

The city also eliminated some duplicate descriptions to make the boundaries more accurate.

This year's municipal election will be based on the current ward map, as the new one will take effect on Dec. 31, 2021.


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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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