PEDA Gets Site 9 Update, Comes Up With Street Names

PITTSFIELD, Mass – Site 9 is coming along and work is almost complete.

During Thursday's Pittsfield Economic Development Authority meeting Edward Weagel of Rioux Associates gave updates on the project and said work is progressing.

"I've been working on this project for at least 10 years. So, it's really nice to see the long term efforts that everybody has put in here, bearing some fruit. And I'm happy to say we're really close to getting everything wrapped up here with the regiments," he said.

He said the draft closeout report given to the regulators was happily received with two requests: the grid map is transferred to a contour map, and to fix the insufficient built measurements on the embankments. the later has been rectified.

The board then went on to talk about potential street names for Site 9.

Linda Clairmont suggests a street be named Morningside.

"I have a passion for honoring the history of our city, and I'm not trying to relive GE, that's not what I'm talking about. But I feel like honoring the surrounding neighborhood might be one way, one road, to be named in honor of the surrounding neighborhood. So it's known as Morningside. And the reason why it's known as Morningside is because it's the first part of the city that's lit by the sun at sunrise, and so I feel like one of the roads could honor that history without it being a memory of GE and all of the hardship left behind," she said.

Jonathan Denmark suggested to honor Dave Mixer for a street name who didn't want that but suggested MillTown as a name. The board says it's a great way to honor the investment Mill Town has had with the site.

After some more weighing the board came up with the three street names; Mill Town Way, Morningside Way, Innovation Place.

Lastly, Coakley brought up to the board a CDL training site across the street from BIC in the parking.

"MassDOT and Representative Farley Bouvier have been looking around the Berkshires for a place for a CDL license, a commercial driver's license testing site, and they looked at the parking lot across the street here, and have asked if that's possible, and BIC uses about a third of it for overflow parking, so that Eastern half is basically unused, and it's a perfect spot for what they want to do," he said.

He explained they are still in the negotiation process but they would use it maybe a couple times a month. This will also be rented out to them for $2,600 a month, bringing in some money for Pittsfield Economic Development Authority.

Claremont also brought up the point of BCC and their CDL training that could be brought in as well.

"Berkshire Community College is focused on building up our trades programming, and CDL is one of them. There's a clear labor market shortage for CDL drivers. We've already had two training sessions, and we originally talked about using a portion of PEDA for BCC training program, and there were issues that we weren't able to do it. So we've been using the Berkshire mall parking lot. But if there's a way to, if this space is truly undevelopable, and there's a way for BCC and MassDOT to create a training center for CDL drivers in Berkshires, this could really have an impact on our ability to prepare the workforce," she said.

All voted yes to start negotiations with MassDOT to use the parking lot for training.

Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Honors Leaders, Volunteers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Liana Toscanini presented the Founder's Choice Award to Smitty Pignatelli for his years of support as state representative. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires held its ninth annual nonprofit awards last week honoring the contributions of those who have helped the community in their own way.

 

The gathering at the Country Club in Pittsfield on Tuesday included the introduction of new nonprofit Executive Director Samantha Anderson, who steps in for retiring founder and director Liana Toscanini. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, John Barrett III and Leigh Davis attended the event.

 

Toscanini, who created NPC in 2016, was honored at the conclusion of the evening to mark her decade leading the organization. 

 

"Founders don't just lead organizations, they are the organization in the deepest sense," said NPC Board President Emily Schiavoni. "Their relationships, their instincts, their fingerprints are on everything, and when someone has poured a decade of herself into building something from the ground up, the act of stepping back is not a simple handoff, it's an act of extraordinary trust and courage that brings me to what Leanna actually built." 

 

NPC became something of a chamber of commerce for nonprofits under Toscanini's guidance, creating a hub of support for leadership and networking for the small and large nonprofits that fuel much of the activity within the Berkshires. 

 

She developed more than two dozen programs, including Get on Board, which helps connect community members with nonprofit boards, and a giving-back guide, volunteer fairs, and a resource directory.

 

Schiavoni described Toscanini as a great mentor who has had a big impact in strengthening local nonprofits.