Pittsfield 2021 Year in Review
2021 was a year of transition for Pittsfield. The city not only elected a new slate of City Councilors, but it, along with the rest of the commonwealth, shifted out of the state of emergency after COVID-19 vaccinations were deployed throughout the community.
Election and Leadership
The 2021 municipal election brought five new faces to the city council and one At Large councilor was voted out.
Four of the city's seven wards saw new leadership in the 2021 municipal election and a majority of familiar faces were voted into the at-large seats.
New Councilors include Kenneth Warren, representing Ward 1, Charles Ivar Kronick, representing Ward 2, Kevin Sherman, representing Ward 3, James Conant, representing Ward 4 and At Large Councilor Karen Kalinowsky.
Three of the four At Large seats were maintained by incumbent Councilors Peter Marchetti, Peter White, and Earl Persip.
Incumbent Patrick Kavey resumed leadership of Ward 5 for his second term after running unchallenged, and in Ward 6, Dina Lampiasi was also reelected. Incumbent Anthony Maffuccio in Ward 7 also ran unopposed.
Former Ward 1 Councilor Helen Moon announced in May over a Facebook video post that she would not be seeking reelection after two terms.
In January, former Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi simultaneously announced with former Ward 4 Councilor Christopher Connell that they would not be running for re-election.
In February, former Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo announced he would not be running for his fifth consecutive term.
School Committee incumbents William Cameron, Mark Brazeau, Alison McGee, and Daniel Elias will continue to represent the Pittsfield Public School district. Newcomer Vicki Smith was elected as a new face to the School Committee and Sarah Hathaway, the former mayor, will return to the committee.
The district also saw a new superintendent after Jason McCandless was chosen to be the new superintendent of the Mount Greylock Regional School District in the summer of 2020. Deputy Superintendent Joseph Curtis was chosen as Interim Superintendent and took on the role permanently in 2021.
COVID-19
At the beginning of the year, Mayor Linda Tyer delivered her first virtual State of the City address. The second-term mayor reflected on the pandemic's toll on the city's agenda, the continued fight against COVID-19, homelessness, upcoming city initiatives, and economic development.
She highlighted the toll that local businesses had taken for nearly a year and assured residents that her administration was working to support them.
The efforts included a $1.1 million Economic Relief and Recovery program and the Restaurant Rapid Response Grant program. Through these, a total of 90 grants were awarded to small businesses and restaurants within the city, resulting in nearly $700,000 in financial support.
Pittsfield housed one of the three Berkshire County vaccination sites at Berkshire Community College’s Paterson Field House as well as a Stop the Spread testing center in Saint Lukes Square.
In January of 2021, the clinic vaccinated over 1,000 community members. The clinic then vaccinated thousands more as the phases were rolled out.
Pittsfield students returned to hybrid learning in late February for the first time since November. The transition was done with caution but was seen as a milestone.
The BCC clinic was paid a visit by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in March and Governor Charlie Baker in April.
At the end of May, the city entered the green risk category for COVID-19 transmission for having less than four COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people and Berkshire Medical Center had no patients hospitalized for the virus.
The state of emergency instituted in March 2020 officially ended June 15. This allowed city bars and restaurants to essentially go back to business as usual, though some opted to ease into the transition.
The City Council and other panels returned to in-person meetings over the summer along with the reopening of public buildings.
In August, Berkshire Health Systems made the move to mandate vaccinations for staff by Oct 1. At the time, the number of COVID-19 cases had spiked with more than 200 new cases and two deaths occurring in a largely vaccinated population.
Pittsfield schools also mandated masking in August based on metrics and state and federal guidance.
In October, BHS began administering the Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccination through its testing centers in Pittsfield, North Adams, and Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington.
In early November, the Board of Health voted to implement a citywide mask directive because of an increase in cases, and later that month, the city moved into the red incidence rate for transmission.
Pittsfield saw new leadership in the health department in 2021, as former Director of Public Health Gina Armstrong resigned from her position in September. Former Senior Sanitarian stepped up as Interim Director of Public Health.
He was offered the position permanently in December and accepted.
ARPA
In March it was announced that Pittsfield will be receiving about $41 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The city is receiving $32.4 million that is being allocated in two parts. The first deposit of $16.2 million happened in early 2021 and the second will happen in 2022 at the same time.
It is also receiving a county allocation of $8.4 million in two phases. The funds are being distributed to communities on a per-capita basis because Berkshire County no longer has a county administrative structure.
There were four single-topic community forums held for the spending of the funds that dealt with public health and human services, economic recovery, housing and neighborhoods, and tourism and cultural organizations.
In October, Tyer announced the proposed spending of Pittsfield's first allocation of ARPA funds in the amount of $20 million.
Forty-five percent of those funds will be dedicated to supporting healthy childhoods, housing, and social determinates of health; 23 percent are dedicated to addressing negative economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, and 22 percent on public health.
The remaining 10 percent of funds will be split between 5 percent revenue replacement, 3 percent infrastructure for water and sewer, and 2 percent for administration.
Policing
Gun violence became a prevalent issue in the city over the summer, most commonly occurring in the West Side. In June, Tyer called for an increase in police patrols after a wave of shootings and one death.
A shooting in broad daylight on North Street in April left a man dead. From May 12 through mid-June, there were 13 shootings in Pittsfield, most of which happened in the city's West Side.
In July, Tyer and Police Chief Michael Wynn told the City Council that they believe human service programs, assistance from the state, technology, and increased police presence in hotspot areas are the solution to the increased violence.
District Attorney Andrea Harrington had also weighed in on the situation, highlighting the need for relationships in the community.
On the brighter side, the Pittsfield Police Department welcomed Officer Winston the comfort poodle to the force. Winston works alongside Officer Darren Derby and his main objective is assisting in traumatic situations. This can include domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness crises, or anything involving children.
Community
The city sadly lost a number of community figures in 2021.
In January, local human services advocate Daniel Dillon, 79, passed away at BMC from complications of COVID-19.
2020 Veteran of The Year Anthony Pastore, who was known for singing the national anthem at Veterans events, passed away in February.
Retired Deputy Fire Chief Michael Polidoro passed away in March after a long battle with ALS. Earlier that month, first-responders from around the region paid their respects to retired Deputy Polidoro with a procession of vehicles and lights.
In May, former Berkshire County resident and transgender activist Jahaira DeAlto was murdered in Boston. A candlelight vigil was held at Pontoosuc Lake Park to honor her life and legacy and Pride Month in Pittsfield was dedicated to her.
The city continued to grapple with homelessness in 2021. In February, The Christian Center opened a well anticipated daytime warming shelter. This space was the result of the center, ServiceNet, and the city's collaboration over the last couple of months.
It offers housing insecure folks a warm place to reside in the hours that ServiceNet's shelter at the former St. Joseph's High School is closed and is funded by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding.
Tyer’s first proposal for the ARPA spending included an allocation for the First United Methodist Church homeless shelter, which has been in the works for about a year. The 40-bed facility is planned to be administered by ServiceNet.
Throughout the year there were two issues that frequented city meetings: the 877 South Street Cell Tower and the Springside Park Pump Track.
Since the 115-foot Verizon tower was erected in August 2020, neighbor Courtney Gilardi has reported negative health effects and says she is living in alternate temporary housing because of it. She and her daughter, Amelia Gilardi, have regularly spoken during the open microphone segment of city meetings since.
Recently, Board of Health Chair Bobbie Orsi called for an action plan.
A pump track and bike skills course proposal for Springside Park also caused a stir from locals and out of towners over the last year.
Opponents of the track have argued that it will destroy the natural beauty and ecology, create heavy traffic that would ruin the road and disrupt the enjoyment of the park, and cause severe damage to a treasured natural resource in the heart of the city. They have urged the commission to reject or relocate the skills track.
The project received a vote of approval from the Parks Commission after about a year of debate in December.
Business
It is no secret that small businesses and hospitality took a hit during the pandemic. In March, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Board President Branden Huldeen and Executive Director Cheryl Mirer reported that without a resumption of "normal" business in the post-pandemic landscape, downtown Pittsfield may lose a number of businesses.
In October, the owners of the popular Patrick's Pub, the Powell family, decided to sell the business after 20 years of running and then owning it. The restaurant has been in business for almost 40 years.
The former owners said operating a restaurant has been difficult over the past two years with the pandemic.
Though with the economic issues that COVID caused, there were a number of eateries that opened in 2021:
- -Flatburger and Thistle and Mirth’s expansion to serve ramen
- -The Spot’s North Street Location
- -La Chalupa Y La Enchilada, a food truck
- -Sibaritas
- -101 Restaurant and Bar
- -RJs
- -Cafe Full Cup
Real Estate and Investment
On top of that, the city saw various infrastructure projects including the installation of bike lanes and traffic mitigation measures on North Street, the Tyler Street roundabout, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail extension, and other improvements on the horizon.
Pittsfield even installed its first dog park in September, a project that has been part of the city's long-range plan since 2003.
The booming housing market in Pittsfield raised the city’s value by $256 million when tax classification time came around.
The average single-family home is now valued at $222,000 because of increased demand during the pandemic, up from $204,000 last year.
There were a handful of apartment developments that were either completed or started in 2021 for those who prefer renting.
The Morningstar Apartments were completed early in the year. CT Management renovated the former St. Mary of the Morning Star Church on Tyler Street to create 29 units over four buildings on the property.
Down the street, Mill Town Capital created 36 new residences. Twenty new housing units will be built at 730-748 Tyler St. and Sixteen studio, one, and two-bedroom units will be created in the former boarding house at 765-771 Tyler St. with commercial space available on the first floor.
Further down Tyler Street, the Tyler Street Firehouse is staged for renovation into four, two-bedroom apartments. Developers CT Management has been awarded $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funding and a Tax Increment Exemption agreement with the city.
A majority of the new apartment developments are market rate.
AM Management LLC of Pittsfield is also beginning construction on a $3.2 million makeover of Reigning Love Church across from Pittsfield High School into market-rate and affordable housing units.
Right in the vicinity of the new developments on Tyler Street, the city in March was given $880,000 in Site Readiness Program funding from the state's Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development for the redevelopment of Site 9 at the William Stanley Business Park.
In late 2020, the city received a $3 million MassWorks Infrastructure Grant for improvements on Tyler Street. With these funds, the city will be fixing the problematic intersection of Tyler Street and Woodlawn Avenue and doing streetscape improvements on roads, sidewalks, and crosswalks.
The roundabout has been in effect for a few months and is set to be finished in the spring.
In November, the Pittsfield Family YMCA launched a $12.4 million overhaul that expands its child-care program, improves the athletic facilities, and updates its facade. The project is expected to take 15 to 18 months and still has a way to go with fundraising. So far, the YMCA has been able to raise roughly $7.5 million of the over $12 million price tag. Planning for the project began in 2017.
Arts and Entertainment
In March, Berkshire Community College made international headlines with a video of 18-time Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing at the Paterson Field House vaccination clinic. After receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, Ma spent the required 15-minute waiting period performing a rendition of "Ave Maria" and the Prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No 1.
Pittsfield was also chosen for a short-form documentary series hosted by actor Dennis Quaid on thriving and inspiring places in the country that are favorable for all facets of life and was shot by noted photographer Gregory Crewdson in the fall.
After his departure for some R&R in April 2020, Wally the 1,200-pound, life-sized fiberglass Stegosaurus was crane-lifted back to the Berkshire Museum’s lawn in July.
The Pittsfield hallmark of 24 years now sits on the left side of the museum's front lawn. He previously lived on the right side of the lawn.
The museum also saw a loss in 2021, as its beloved aquarium resident of 35 years, Chuck the red-footed tortoise passed away in April at the age of about 80 years old.
Two historic Pittsfield parades fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic once more but planners are hopeful that circumstances will allow for them to resume next year.
Pittsfield’s famed 4th of July parade was canceled in 2021 for the second time since 1977. It was also canceled the previous year due to the novel coronavirus.
The Halloween parade was also canceled. Though the parade was canceled, trick or treat was still a go.
The year ended with Pittsfield’s 25 foot Christmas tree being ceremonially lit in early December. This year, PCTV teamed up with Pittsfield's Recreation Program to air a Virtual 2021 Holiday Tree Lighting.
It was the second year that the tree lighting was virtual due to the pandemic.
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