Activating Dunham Mall Community Fundraiser

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association, with partners the City of Pittsfield, MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI), and the Pittsfield Community Design Center, are seeking public input and contributions on a relaunch to activate Dunham Mall with lighting, plantings, programming, and seating.
 
Reimagine Dunham Mall aims to support area business, recreation, pedestrian networks, and parking accessibility for residents and visitors of downtown Pittsfield. Pittsfield residents and stakeholders have identified beautification as a top priority for downtown.
 
The project has gone through an initial phase of public input: a community session held on Jan. 31, 2024; feedback collected online after an initial set of design concepts; and additional feedback collected in person on May 3, 2024, at First Fridays at Five.
 
Feedback to date has changed the project significantly; organizers have moved away from stylized design concepts. The new iteration of the project will include a phased approach. Installation of elements and style will depend on what the community deems essential to the project's success.
 
The public is invited to provide additional feedback and contribute to a community fundraiser on Patronicity (Patronicity.com/ImagineDunhamMall) to help determine the concepts that move forward to implementation. Every community dollar (up to $15,000) will be matched twice.
 
If the Reimagine Dunham Mall design team is able to raise $7,500 in public contributions, the team will be able to implement some basic improvements like café lighting, new trash receptacles, signage, and new tree planters. With $20,000 in public contributions, additional improvements can be implemented including ways to define the space, new edge plantings, more shrub and tree tubs with seating, and mobile planters or dividers for activities. With $35,000 in public contributions, the team will be able to purchase green benches and permanent picnic tables, public art, and more trees and shade.
 
In Nov. 2023, the Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association was awarded a $50,000 Commonwealth Places Grant: $35,000 to activate Dunham Mall and Burbank Place and $15,000 to enhance the Berkshire Lightscapes program. This award must be matched to access the funding. Pittsfield Beautiful has pledged to match each dollar crowdfunded on the Patronicity site up to $15,000. Berkshire Lightscapes will match $15,000 for Lightscapes internally. Administered by MassDevelopment, Commonwealth Places provides funding to support place-based, locally driven placemaking projects in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts throughout Massachusetts.
 

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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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