BRPC to Present Draft Safety Action Plan

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding program is bringing resources to Berkshire County to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, with the goal of reaching zero.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has been developing the STEPS Initiative: the Safe Travel and Equity Plan for our Streets and will be releasing the draft Action Plan for public review and comment on Nov. 4, 2024.

Earlier this year, BRPC, along with their consultation partners at BETA Group Inc., began the development process of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan with public meetings, an online survey, municipal stakeholder interviews, and a comprehensive review of regional crash data. The draft report of safety recommendations based on these findings will be available for public review and comment beginning Nov. 4. An executive summary is available now at https://www.berkshiresteps.org/.

An input session presenting the draft plan and inviting comments will be held at the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), 45 Woodlawn Avenue in Pittsfield, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:00pm. The comment period runs for 28 days from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.

The meeting will be in a hybrid format. Zoom pre-registration is required to attend online and may be done at berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/. No sign-up is required to attend the meeting in person at the BIC. Language and accessibility services can be provided at the meeting with 7 days advance notice by emailing nrusso@berkshireplanning.org or calling (413) 442-1521 extension 19.

At the meeting, the planning team will present background information, describe the need for this study, and present data gathered over the course of plan development. The team will then review recommendations for future transportation safety projects and programs to address the concerns identified. Berkshire County residents are invited to review the draft report and provide feedback during the comment window from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.


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Housing Secretary Visits Pittsfield's 'The First'

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Just five months after opening, The First has already become a community hub for individuals in need of resources or a place to decompress. 
 
The space is filled with donated items from a room full of clothing, lockers, a classroom, couches, a television, a ping-pong table, and more.  
 
Located at 74 First St., the resource center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
 
"[Visitors] come up to us daily and admit that this is a beautiful space, and we want to keep it in the community as a whole… It's a wonderful place for them to feel as part of the community," The First Program Director, John Jablonski, said. 
 
The First was one of the stops on Housing Secretary Juana Matias' tour of supportive housing initiatives in Pittsfield.  In February, she was appointed to lead the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. 
 
 
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