Pittsfield Hydrant Flushing Schedule: Phase 2

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Monday, May 6 marks the start of phase two for the spring flushing schedule of the City of Pittsfield's water system. Water mains throughout the city will be flushed through hydrants over the next several weeks to remove accumulations of pipeline corrosion products.
 
Mains will be flushed Monday through Friday each week, except holidays, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
 
This phase of flushing is expected to occur between May 6 through May 10.
 
Flushing is to be expected to affect the following areas:
  • Starting at Unkamet Park Drive heading west up to North Street working north to the Broadway and Lakeview streets neighborhood.
  • Starting at Plastics Avenue moving west on Dalton Avenue including the Allendale and Allengate neighborhoods. Then moving west onto Tyler Street into the Morningside neighborhood, including Springside Avenue, pushing west to North Street.
  • Lincoln and Fenn streets, Silver Lake, Wendell Avenue and the surrounding vicinity, pushing west to North Street.
  • South Mountain and Tamarack roads, Dan Fox Drive, and south to the Pittsfield-Lenox line.
Although flushing may cause localized discolored water and reduced service pressure conditions in and around the immediate area of flushing, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that proper levels of treatment and disinfections are maintained in the system at all times. If residents experience discolored water, they should let the water run for a short period to clear it prior to use.
 
If discolored water or low-pressure conditions persist, please contact the Water Department at (413) 499-9339.
 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

SJC: Public Records Petition 'Proper'

Staff Reports
BOSTON — The Supreme Judicial Court in an advisory opinion released Monday found the petition to bring the Legislature and governor's office under the Public Records Law is "proper" as a form of law.
 
"Its principal purpose is not to regulate the internal proceedings or operations of the two Houses," the court wrote. "Instead, its principal purpose is to provide the public with a new right of access to the records of the General Court and the office of the Governor, applying the existing public records law to those bodies alongside the other governmental bodies already subject to the law. "
 
The state Senate asked the Supreme Judicial Court to weigh in on whether public records petition was a violation of the state constitution. The Legislature is required to act on the matter by May 5; if not, supporters plan to put it on the ballot in November. 
 
Auditor Diana DiZoglio has championed the petition as a measure to bring greater transparency to the workings of state government and as part of her own battle to audit the Legislature. More than 70 percent of voters approved the audit question in November 2024. 
 
The Senate asked the court whether, first, the petition was a law or a rule that would interfere with its internal processes and, second, would it create "new and unprecedented authority" to the courts to determine challenges to records determinations.
 
The court offered "that the petition proposes a law and is therefore properly pending before the Legislature" and, for Question 2, concluded "that the proposed measure does not relate to the powers of courts."
 
The court declined to answer three following questions related to intrusions on Senate authority and General Court authority, and violation of rights of  "deliberation, speech and debate" granted to members and staff.
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories