Downtown Pittsfield Announces 'Hey Neighbor!' Summer Marketing Grants

10:33AM / Friday, May 16, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) is offering the 2025 "Hey Neighbor!" Summer Marketing Grant for downtown storefront businesses.

Funded by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), the grant aims to support businesses through coordinated cinema and radio marketing campaigns.

Ten businesses in downtown Pittsfield will be awarded marketing grants. Recipients will receive custom video advertisements to be shown before films at the Beacon Cinema and radio advertisements to air on WUPE/WBEC FM from June through August 2025. The initiative seeks to increase foot traffic, raise community awareness, and highlight the stories of local small businesses.

Applications for the grant are due by Friday, May 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Grant awardees will be announced on June 6, 2025.

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be a for-profit, storefront business located on or within a five-minute walk of North Street in Downtown Pittsfield.
Must have an active lease or own/operate a storefront in the district.
Must be independently owned (no franchises or chains).
Eligible business types include retail, restaurants, hospitality, bars, and other customer-facing service businesses (e.g., repair, salons, barbers, massage therapy).

Selection Priorities:

Strong storytelling and positive representation of Downtown Pittsfield.
Ability to highlight another neighboring business.
Availability for filming between June 9–13, 2025.
Responsiveness to the radio content production team.

Grant Awards by Business Size:

4 awards for businesses with 1–3 employees
3 awards for businesses with 4–9 employees
3 awards for businesses with 10+ employees

Selected businesses will be required to participate in filming coordination and provide input on campaign messaging. A final review meeting will be held at the end of the summer campaign.

Applications can be submitted at https://downtownpittsfield.com/2025/05/hey-neighbor-grants/.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

View Full Story