Pittsfield to Create Cultural Plan with National Endowment for the Arts Grant

08:12AM / Wednesday, May 31, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development, in partnership with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, has been recommended for a $75,000 Our Town award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support a Cultural Plan for the City of Pittsfield.

This is one of 57 grants nationwide, totaling $4,175,000, that the NEA has recently announced in the Our Town category. These creative placemaking grants support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into local efforts to strengthen and authentically engage communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including A Cultural Plan for Pittsfield, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. "These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design."

The project, which starts in September 2023 and lasts until August 2024, will jumpstart a community-led process leading to A Cultural Plan for Pittsfield.

"As the cultural sector is a major economic driver in Pittsfield and throughout the Berkshires, the development of this comprehensive cultural plan will provide a roadmap of actionable next steps and initiatives to build upon, enhance, and grow this vital segment of our local economy," said Mayor Linda M. Tyer.

Pittsfield's Cultural Development Director Jen Glockner continued.

"We are looking forward to partnering with the staff at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and cultural organizations throughout Pittsfield on this community-led initiative to continue our commitment to arts and culture," she said.

The plan will focus on actionable recommendations and policy proposals that aim to enhance arts access for all Pittsfield residents and ensure the sector plays a vital role in addressing the City's physical, social, and economic challenges while improving quality of life. The process to arrive at a plan will be an inclusive one that encourages and welcomes broad and diverse public input.

In addition to BRPC, local organization Berkshire Black Economic Council and the Berkshire Black Arts Council have been tapped to play a key role in the public engagement process. "The Berkshire Black Economic Council and its Black Arts Council are very excited to prepare research that will inform efforts to enhance diversity by improving inclusion and the creative economy in Pittsfield," said A.J. Enchill, President & Executive Director of The Berkshire Black Economic Council.

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Crane Park's Mini-Pitch is Open for Fun

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:18AM / Wednesday, October 21, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City officials celebrated the opening of the new Crane Parks mini-pitch on Tuesday.

Players from several local soccer programs, community leaders, and project partners gathered to kick the ceremonial first pitch into the goal on the new facility.

Back in May, the Parks Commission endorsed a project to place a mini-pitch over the aging, cracked concrete surface of Crane Park's former rink. A mini-pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates.

"The mini-pitch system will create a space that encourages physical activity and welcomes play through teamwork. The space will serve as a location for the community to gather for outdoor fun and recreation for many years ahead. They'll be able to put their cell phones down for a few minutes and actually engage in some great outdoor entertainment," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

The project was funded entirely by grants. In June, the City Council accepted the gift of the mini-pitch facility, valued at over $100,000, and $10,000 from the Mill Town Foundation to ready the site.

The facility has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together. Cleats are not allowed on the surface, but sneakers and other sports shoes are.

The mini-pitch system came with a light tower and two LED lamps, but Crane Park does not have power, so it won't be illuminated. That could change in the future, officials said.

The pitch is open for the community every day, but Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reminded users to be mindful as they play as well as to respect the pitch and the neighborhood it resides in.

McGrath said the idea grew out of conversations with Andy Wrba, program director for the Mill Town Foundation.

"There's been a deep, deep soccer community in Pittsfield and throughout the Berkshires for a long time. I've seen it as a multi-generational way for communities to connect and pass down lessons and connect families and everyone. And a big part of that has been the West State Soccer League," Wrba said.

He said the goal is to keep the space active and encourage outdoor recreation and youth engagement.

McGrath said that with the partnership from Mill Town and the city's park commission they were able to bring the pitch to the finish line.

"It's a testament to our ability to bring new and unique facilities into our city that accommodate youth sports. And it really, at the end of the day, is about promotion of soccer. And we are just so pleased that our partners all came together and that we were able to get this mini-pitch completed," McGrath said.

Other contributors as well were the U.S. Soccer Foundation, who provided the mini-pitch system, surface materials, and installation assistance at no cost to the city, as well as Massachusetts Youth Soccer who partnered with Pittsfield to bring the system to the city.

"All these contributions made this project possible, and highlights how our community continues through public and private partnerships to provide new facilities and amenities for all to enjoy," Marchetti said.

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