image description — The city broke ground this week on the new pickleball court near the Doyle Softball Complex. The six courts are expected to be ready for play this fall.

Pickleball Coming to Springside Park in the Fall

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:14PM / Sunday, August 13, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new pickleball facility is coming this fall.

Located in the northeast corner of Springside Park near the Doyle Softball Complex on Benedict Road, it will feature six courts and a small parking lot.

A groundbreaking scheduled for Monday was cancelled due to inclement weather but there are plans to unveil the finished project with a ribbon cutting in the fall.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong and is suitable for singles and doubles. It has recently grown in popularity with the Sports and Fitness Industry Association estimating 4.8 million current players, which is almost double the number of players five years ago.

Last year, a Springside pickle ball proposal rose from the grave after it the City Council scrapped its funding in 2019.

This time, it is supported by $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act monies and is positioned farther away from residential homes on Bossidy Drive.

A site selection committee was appointed last summer and, starting with nearly 50 possible locations, chose the park out of six.

It began by considering all parks, conservation properties, and school grounds.

Schools and conservation areas were almost immediately disqualified and six possible sites remained: Lebanon Park on Lebanon Avenue, Springside Park on Benedict Road, Lakewood Park on Newell Street, Burbank Park on Valentine Road, Marchisio Park on Dalton Division Road, and the East Street Softball Complex.

Members considered the surrounding neighborhood, co-location compatibility, availability of parking, and environmental aspects of the location.

The Parks Commission voted in favor of the location in November after being presented with a pickleball site study report.

In March, the commission OKed a scaled-down design to fit the $500,000 budget. Construction is estimated to take eight to ten weeks.

Users will be welcomed by a plaza area that has a bike rack, a trash can, and possibly a bulletin board kiosk. It will be fully accessible from the 23-space parking lot with three handicapped-accessible spots.

Four pickleball courts comfortably fit within one tennis court, making the proposed playing area about the size of two tennis courts.

Tags: pickleball,

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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