Downtown Pittsfield Lit Up for Pittsfield Beautiful

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Lightscapes will honor Pittsfield Beautiful for its commitment to the downtown by lighting up the exteriors of buildings and public spaces with flower colors, Monday, July 22, through Sunday, July 28.
 
"The effect of all the plantings done by our local Pittsfield Beautiful organization makes a wonderful difference to our urban landscape, so we are planning a special lighting show of flower colors (red, yellow, orange and violet) to honor all of the volunteers and reinforce the festive summer season," said Steve Oakes, property owner liaison for Berkshire Lightscapes. 
 
"When I contacted Claudine Chavanne of Pittsfield Beautiful about our plans for a commemorative light show, she said, 'This is an overall team effort to make downtown shine in a welcoming and inviting manner.' I replied, 'When any of the volunteers drive down North Street in the evening, these lights shine for them!’"
 
Berkshire Lightscapes lights up the exteriors of downtown buildings and public spaces to help illuminate and energize downtown Pittsfield. The artistic, energy-efficient LED lighting is coordinated between buildings and allows for exciting light shows. Check out the following buildings after dark:
  • City Hall
  • Dunham Mall
  • Persip Plaza
  • Sottile Plaza
  • The Colonial Theatre
  • Barrington Stage Company's Wolfson Center
  • Crawford Square
  • The Shipton Building
Berkshire Lightscapes will be installing lights on the fronts of the Masonic Hall and United Church of Christ building, formerly called South Congregational Church, this summer. These two additional buildings will provide a bright new entry for the southern gateway to downtown Pittsfield. 
 
After the Pittsfield Beautiful special show, Berkshire Lightscapes will project all red in honor of Barrington Stage Company's 30th anniversary celebration on Monday, July 29.
 
For more information on Berkshire Lightscapes, call 413-443-6501 or visit berkshirelightscapes.com.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

BCC Sees $1M in Federal Funds for Trades Academy

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal secured $995,000 to begin design and construction of the academy. The congressman had earlier attended the Norman Rockwell Museum business breakfast, which celebrated Laurie Norton Moffatt's 49 years leading the institution.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College was awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to support a Trades Academy. 

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal visited the college to highlight the $995,000 he secured through congressionally directed spending. Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont said BCC can be a destination for adults who want to learn a skilled trade. 

"I want to join up with the amazing work that Taconic and McCann (vocational high schools) are doing to prepare people for these really specific skills, helping people become confident professionals with a direct path to high-wage, high-demand jobs," she explained. 

"And we're also addressing the labor shortage that exists in this county, around the state, and around the country, in the skilled trades." 

The federal funding will support a feasibility study of an existing vacant building on campus, as well as the evaluation and abatement of any hazardous materials at the location, because it was once a power plant. 

BCC will dip its toe into the skilled trades with its first HVAC training program, for which it received $1.2 million from the state in support. The $995,000 in federal funds will go toward creating the academy in a building located on the main campus, and the HVAC heat pump training program will be funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. 

The $1 million in federal monies will get the college to construction documents, maybe fund some construction, and help identify the necessary equipment and other learning space needs for a skilled trade, Clairmont reported. 

The funding is part of more than $14 million in congressionally directed spending secured by the congressman to support economic development, workforce training, and community infrastructure across the Berkshires.

Neal said there are about 6.5 million jobs in the United States that go unanswered every day.

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