2nd Street Seeks Submissions for Literary Project

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 2nd Street seeks submissions for Using Our Outside Voices, a literary project created in partnership with Berkshire Community College (BCC) that is designed to promote creativity, acceptance and inclusion for presently or formerly incarcerated men and women in Berkshire County. The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2024.
 
Authors whose work is selected will receive a cash award of $200, and winning submissions will be published in a journal. The initial run of 400 printed copies of the free journal will be distributed locally, and digital copies will be available online. In addition, public readings will be held at various venues in the Berkshires.
 
Any presently or formerly incarcerated resident of Berkshire County is invited to submit original poetry, short fiction, personal essays or other literary works. Those who need editorial help can bring their work to 2nd Street, located at 264 Second Street, Pittsfield.
 
For more details on how to submit a literary work, visit www.2nd-street.org and click Special Projects, or call (413) 443-7220, ext. 1275. 
 
Financial and in-kind support of Using Our Outside Voices is provided by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community initiative with funding from the Barr Foundation; by Berkshire United Way; by Berkshire Community College; and by Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Council Sees Last ARPA Update

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It has been five years since Pittsfield received more than $40 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to offset the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2021, with Linda Tyer as mayor, Pittsfield accepted $40,602,779 in ARPA awards to be used by the end of 2026. Now, five years later, the city is looking back on everything those once-in-a-lifetime monies supported. 

Through June 30, $40,357,427 of those funds have been expended. Eighty-five projects were allocated funds, and only the Old Town Hall HVAC installation, soon to be complete, and administrative expenses remain. 

Special Projects Manager Gina Armstrong gave her last ARPA update to the City Council last week. 

"For me, this is the labor of love," she said. 

"It's been so exciting to see where we are after planning, having community engagement, community input, having our advisory council and our ARPA team just putting it all together, and now we have all these outcomes to show for the incredible investments we've been able to make."

Expenses will be completed by the end of this month, and a final report is due to the U.S. Treasury in October. Pittsfield anticipates returning about $42,000 in unspent administrative funds because ARPA is wrapping up sooner than the deadline. 

Funds were spent in five categories: $4.7 million for public health, $25.1 million for negative economic impacts, $5.9 million for infrastructure, $3.5 million for revenue replacement, and about $1 million for administration. 

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