PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Residents may notice a couple of purple bike repair stations in the downtown area.
They are called Fix It stations, and are part of the city's Bicycle Facilities Master Plan that aims to make the streets of Pittsfield multimodal.
They are located on Wendell Avenue in front of the Berkshire Antheneum and on North Street in front of the Funky Pheonix.
Bike riders can simply walk up to the public utility and fix a number of issues including flat tires and loose bolts with an air pump and tools attached to wires.
"It's part of the growing need in infrastructure for people on the road moving with a bicycle being able to repair, if necessary, their bicycles," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said.
"And not have it be an impediment when you have a malfunctioning bicycle or an unworkable one, not have it be an impediment that you don't have the necessary tools to repair it."
The city purchased four of the stations with funding from a Shared Streets and Spaces grant for around $2,000 each. This funding is available to municipalities and Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) for improvements to plazas, sidewalks, curbs, streets, bus stops, parking areas, and other public spaces in support of public health, safe mobility, and strengthened commerce.
In the near future, the remaining two stations will be installed on Tyler Street and near the new leg of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail that comes out on Crane Avenue.
"It's very reassuring to be able to provide some of this stuff, and it was very good to see already some people making use of them. On passing bys I see some activity happening with them," Morales said.
"So it's reassuring when we look at our residents move around and rely more on alternative modes of transportation."
It aims to create a safe, user-friendly connected bicycle network throughout the city based on transportation factors, land use factors, and demographic factors and will be implemented over the years as the city has opportunities to add more bike accommodations to its infrastructure.
The plan has been in the works since the early 2000s but was officially launched in August 2020.
Morales added that the city is working on installing more of the Fix It stations and other facilities as the city continues to expand its bike infrastructure.
"We're adding infrastructure to our city in terms of bicycle needs, so that does not just include bike lanes," he explained.
"It's the bike lanes definitely, it's bike boxes, potentially in the future we can start seeing intersections that are incorporated with bicycle infrastructure. But then on the furniture side, we're looking for bike racks, bike lockers, bike repair stations, and that sort of thing."
A bike box is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that gives bicyclists a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase.
All of these efforts are under the umbrella of becoming a community that is less reliant on single-use vehicles for transportation. This has environmental advantages and makes transportation more accessible for those who cannot afford a car.
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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.
The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.
"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.
"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."
Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.
Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.
Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.
The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. click for more
Police Chief Thomas Dawley will retire next month after 24 years with the Pittsfield Police Department, and the mayor will appoint his successor.
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Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series.
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Brown hopes to one day work in a lab, feeding their strong interest in scientific research and making a positive difference in the world.
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Prior to the ribbon-cutting, public officials and community resource personnel were able to tour the two new permanent supported housing projects — West Housatonic Apartments and The First Street Apartments and Housing Resource Center.
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