Interprint Plans Additional Expansion

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:06AM / Thursday, August 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

Editor's note: we have been informed that the information provided during the presentation may not be correct. This information was given during a public meeting recorded by PCTV and was the basis for an approved permit. This article will be updated or rewritten when as needed and marked as such when further information is provided.

The L-shaped plant will be filled in (see the yellow) with a 57,500-square foot addition. That area, below, is partially used for parking that will be pushed farther back.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Interprint is planning a fourth expansion of its Route 41 facility to increase production capacity.

Last week, the Community Development Board approved an amendment to its site plan that allows an approximately 57,500 square foot addition to the rear of the building.

The original decor printing facility was built in 2001 at around 131,000 square feet within a 78-acre property on Central Berkshire Boulevard. An addition was built on the back of the building in 2008 and additions were also added in 2016 and 2017.

The petition had been in the works for over a year.

"The reason that they're doing this is because they need to increase their production capacity and keep up with the products that they're making," project architect Timothy Eagles said.

"They originally were proposing it — their parent company was proposing — doing it in another location and fortunately the folks in Pittsfield convinced them that Pittsfield was the place to do it operationally for them as well as for continuity of their product and everything else."

The addition will fill in a back corner of the building where there is currently parking. The parking will be relocated behind the addition. The site will have 158 parking spaces after the construction, which exceeds its requirement of 130 spaces.

Board member Libby Herland observed that the site plan has been amended several times over the years.

"I'm just wondering whether we are going to keep amending and amending and amending this plan," she said. "It looks like you're kind of filling up the space but I'm just kind of wondering about that."

Eagles reported that the company doesn't have any plans that he has heard of.

"I really appreciate the fact that this business is here and it's doing well and that's great that they need to expand," Herland said. "I just, I will always really prefer not to see these piecemeal incremental adjustments to the site."

There was also some discussion on tree planting as it relates to the project and the wetlands that surround the facility.

Interprint is a worldwide leader in décor design and printing for the decorative laminate, furniture, case goods, and flooring industries.

Last year, it announced an investment of $7 million in the facility, which includes the new printing press that is expected to be operational in early 2023.

The company is expected to have more than 200 employees by the end of 2022. It was reported that its expect to employ 195 people when the addition is completed.

Tags: Interprint, Planning Board,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

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

Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

View Full Story