Downtown Pittsfield Lit Up for Pittsfield Beautiful

01:58PM / Saturday, July 20, 2024Print Story | Email Story

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.

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Pittsfield ARPA Funds Have Year-End Expiration Date

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:20AM / Thursday, January 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — American Rescue Fund Act monies must be spent by the end of the year, and Pittsfield is already close.

In 2021, the city was awarded a historic amount of money — $40,602,779 — in federal remediation funds for the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the end of September 2025, more than $37 million had been expended, and 90 percent of the 84 awarded projects were complete.

Special Project Manager Gina Armstrong updated the City Council on the ARPA funds during its first meeting of the new term on Tuesday.

As of September 2025, the $4.7 million allocated for public health and COVID-19 response has been fully expended. Additionally, $22.7 million of the $24.9 million allocated for negative economic impacts has been expended, and nearly all of the infrastructure funds, more than $5.8 million, have been expended.

Less than $3 million of the $3.7 million allocated for revenue replacement has been spent, along with about $873,00 of the $1.1 million allocated for administration.

Armstrong noted that in the last quarter, "Quite a bit more has been done in the areas of the housing projects." In 2022, then-Mayor Linda Tyer allocated $8.6 million in ARPA funds for affordable housing initiatives, and the community is eager for those additional units to come online.

Nine supportive units at the Zion Lutheran Church on First Street received more than $1.5 million in ARPA funds, the 7,700-square-foot housing resource center in the basement received more than $4.6 million, and the Westside Legends' home construction project saw more than $361,000 for two single-family homes on South Church Street and Daniels Avenue.

"This is just about complete, and I believe that people who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness will be able to take these apartments in the very near future," Armstrong said, noting the supportive units and resource center that had a ribbon-cutting in late 2025.