New Pittsfield Councilors Reflect on MMA Conference

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Elected officials and municipal staff traveled to Boston last weekend for the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association's annual meeting and trade show.

Pittsfield had quite a presence at the event with returning and new attendees. Councilor at Large Alisa Costa and Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre attended for the first time after being elected to office in November.

Both gathered insightful information they say will aid them in serving the city.

Serre loved sharing conversations with other councilors and learning and making connections so that "we don't reinvent the wheel every time."

"It's about learning best practices from others," she said.

Costa said she really appreciates the city's investment in allowing councilors and city employees to attend the conference. For fiscal year 2024, $4,620 was allocated for councilors to attend the event.

"Getting outside of our walls here is so important," she said. "The networking opportunities, the ability to network with the department heads and being able to be in workshops with them and ask questions."

Jan. 19 and 20 were packed with speeches, presentations, meetings, and marketing events at the Hynes Convention Center. Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll were guest speakers and Eddie Glaude Jr. and Gina McCarthy were keynote speakers.

Serre found the presenters on the trade floor interesting, as there were consultants from all sectors. More than 200 exhibitors showcased products and services that are of interest to municipalities.

This included Casella Waste Systems, which services Berkshire County and is redeveloping the former trash incinerator on Hubbard Avenue.

"There was somebody there to answer any question on anything," Serre said. "And it was really helpful to just totally immerse yourself in everything that a city councilor will likely come across in a day."

During a presentation, the state Department of Environmental Protection said pay-as-you-throw is the most efficient trash removal method. A few years ago, the City Council said "no" to a PAYT program where residents pay a per-unit fee for disposal of household trash

In the program contracted with WasteZero, residents would have been provided with 104 15-gallon bags free each year at cost and any additional bags would be purchased for $1.50 per 30-gallon bag and $0.80 per 15-gallon bag.

Pittsfield Holds Second Master Plan Workshop

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:43PM / Wednesday, April 01, 2026

Participants added notes to the sectors — such as transportation, open space and neighborhoods — being reviewed by the Master Plan Steering Committee. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The city is about halfway through developing its new master plan, and held a second community workshop this past Thursday. 

"Basically, we're talking to people from Pittsfield and trying to figure out, among a broad sector of issues that affect us, what is our goal and vision for the next 10 years, where we want Pittsfield to be in 10 years, and what changes do we want to see?" Director of Community Development Justine Dodds explained to about 20 community members and city staff at Conte Community School. 

"That will be broken down into some goals and objectives and then some measurable action items that we can all take as a community to move that forward."  

The Pittsfield Master Plan is the policy guide for future physical development, covering land use, infrastructure, sustainability, and more. The plan was last updated in 2009, and Pittsfield has engaged the VHB engineering firm and CommunityScale consultants to bring it through 2036. 

There have been two public listening sessions, a Master Plan Advisory Committee guiding the work, and small focus groups for each section. On poster boards, residents were able to see and mark the draft goals and actions under six themes: economic development, housing opportunities, transportation and infrastructure, environment and open space, neighborhoods and community, and governance and collaboration. 

In November 2025, community members participated in a similar exercise at City Hall. 

Transportation and infrastructure had several notes on them. Suggestions included using infrastructure to address the urban heat island effect, a light rail system, and continuing to implement Complete Streets standards for roadway construction projects. 

"I want to ride my bike to my friend's house safely," one respondent wrote. 

Under economic development, people suggested digital business infrastructure for the downtown, food hall opportunities, and nightlife opportunities.