Pittsfield Councilor Requests Dept. of Public Services Restructuring

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti said his administration is working to improve the structure of the Department of Public Services and Utilities.

At the last City Council meeting, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey presented a petition requesting that Marchetti and Commissioner Ricardo Morales restructure the department.

Specifically, he would like to see the highway division and traffic division merged and update the standard operating procedures to streamline efficiency and improve outcomes in the city.

"As you know from previous documents, we are working to make improvements to the structuring of the department," Marchetti wrote in advance of Tuesday's council meeting.

"While we are not certain that the merging of the two divisions is the answer, we are committed to making the necessary enhancements to ensure efficiency and improve outcomes across the city and will keep you informed of our next steps."

In July, the Personnel Review Board supported the creation of a deputy commissioner in the department that would assist Morales.  The full-time position, if approved by the City Council, will have a Grade M-8 pay scale with a yearly salary ranging from $89,247 to $116,021.

Marchetti engaged with a former commissioner shortly after taking office in January and asked for him to offer suggestions about how the department could be run more efficiently.  This position was recommended and Morales agreed that changes need to be made to set the department up for success.

According to the FY25 budget, the highway division's major activities include street paving work and pothole repairs, sidewalk installation and maintenance, street sweeping, and stormwater system maintenance.  The traffic division's responsibilities include compliance inspection of contractor street work, streetlights and traffic signals maintenance, contracted tree work, traffic signs, and public parking enforcement.

Markey Applauds Pittsfield's Economic Development Efforts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:30AM / Friday, October 04, 2024

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey was in the Berkshires on Thursday to visit the county's two cities. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey is impressed by the city's effort to spark economic development in the downtown and beyond.

He spoke with officials and stakeholders Thursday at Dottie's Coffee Lounge and browsed a couple of North Street businesses. After visiting Carr Hardware and Dolc'e Rose Beauty Supply, he ended the downtown visit with an ice cream cone from Empire Pizza. 

"It's pretty clear to me that the businesses are feeling a clear uptick in their opportunities, their economic outlook for the future," said Markey, who had made a visit to North Adams earlier. 

"And they are excited about the mayor's plan for more housing downtown, more people walking the streets. We can feel the dramatic reduction in the number of vacancies in the storefronts."

He believes the city is at a "historic economic inflection point."

"You can feel the economic energy on the street in Pittsfield," the senator said. "And I just want to be as helpful as I can be in partnering with the mayor and all of the rest of the economic partners to see ultimately, the 21st century be even greater than the 20th or 19th century was for Pittsfield."

Mayor Peter Marchetti was excited to report that for the first time in a long time, about 90 percent of downtown storefronts are occupied. This, coupled with two upcoming housing projects in the Wright Building and at the corner of White Terrace, hopes to bring sustainable foot traffic to the corridor.

Housing was a common topic amongst the business and community leaders gathered at Dotties.

President and CEO of 1Berkshire Jonathan Butler explained that the region is struggling with recruiting talent because of the high cost of housing. Additionally, it's retain a local population that can't afford a home in the Berkshires and doesn't have access to market-rate quality housing, he said.