Berkshire Museum Welcomes New Trustees

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Trustees of Berkshire Museum held their Annual Meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 - the first fully in-person board meeting since early 2020 – at which they elected officers and appointed three new Trustees. 
 
Ethan Kelpetar will continue as President for one more year. Jeffrey Belair will serve a full two-year term as Vice President, as will Rachel Melendez Mabee as Secretary, and Brian Tremblay as Treasurer.
 
Judith Bookbinder, James Greenfield, and Charles Walker were all duly elected to serve full terms on the Berkshire Museum's Board of Trustees.
 
"This is an exciting time at the Museum. We are thrilled to have Kim Bush Tomio as our new Executive Director, and we are working on the plans for a significant renovation of the first floor. It is the perfect time to welcome these new highly qualified and experienced people to our Board. We are so grateful for their commitment and to all Trustees, past and present, who have given so much to the Museum over the years," said Ethan Klepetar.
 
About the new Trustees:
 
Judith Bookbinder joins the Berkshire Museum Board of Trustees after being the Vice President of Creative Communications at The Hearst Corporation for 27 years. Judith retired from her position at Hearst in December 2021 and is currently working as a special projects consultant. Judith has established a deep connection to the Berkshire Museum through her grandchildren, having attended several birthday parties and many family events at the Museum. Judith and her husband, Larry Fischer, have resided in both New York City and the Berkshires since 1988. They now spend most of their time in their home in Lenox. Judith currently serves on the boards of the ANA Education Foundation (AEF) in New York, NY, and the Pine Cobble School in Williamstown. 
 
James Greenfield has served on the Investment Subcommittee of the Berkshire Museum for the past two years. He brings with him 36 years of investment experience in serving wealthy families and endowments as an investment portfolio manager. Jim and his wife Marla have a connection to the Berkshires of over 40 years. 
 
Charles Walker joins the Berkshire Museum Board of Trustees having recently retired from Disney/ABC News based in New York, NY where he served in multiple senior management roles including Director of Broadcast Engineering & Operations, Operations Producer, and Technical Production Manager. After retirement in 2021, Chuck decided to make Pittsfield and the Berkshires his permanent year-round home. For years prior to moving here, he would often visit the Berkshire Museum to learn more about the people, history, culture, and community of the Berkshires. 
 

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Historic Wahconah Park Grandstand Almost Leveled

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — If you want to catch a last glimpse of the remaining Wahconah Park grandstand, you need to hurry.  

The historic grandstand is currently being demolished, with only a couple of the major structures remaining. Pittsfield is also working on what comes next for the park, and how baseball will return next year. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said if people want to see the last of the structure, they should head down by the end of this week because "by Thursday or Friday it probably will entirely be down."

"It's moving quickly now that they're into the active demo phase," he told the Parks Commission on Tuesday. 

"…Certainly, I think by the end of September we'll see cleanup and, if you will, the big hole where the stadium sat. That all will be filled to grade." 

The more than 75-year-old structure was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners determined that starting from square one is the best option.

On Sept. 3, the Conservation Commission issued 36 orders of conditions for the reconstruction of the ballpark. 

Conservation Agent Shannon Poulin pointed out that the application has gone through many revisions; reconstruction cannot begin until a certificate of compliance for the demolition is issued. 

The project crew will have an on-site meeting on Friday morning and consider two avenues of revitalization: The funding, last estimated around $15 million, and a financial strategy coming together through the mayor so that Pittsfield can move into an active build next year, or a longer process where the field is utilized before a new grandstand is built. 

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