Berkshire Workforce Board Presents FY25 Workforce Impact Awards

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — MassHire's Berkshire Workforce Board recapped successes of FY25 and honored workforce professionals

The Board of Directors of the MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board (BWB) highlighted its FY25 successes and presented their FY25 Annual Workforce Awards on June 5. 

The BWB recognized the following individuals for their tireless commitment toward enhancing the region's skilled workforce:

• Community Health Programs, Inc./CHP Berkshires – Employer of the Year -  Celebrating 50 years of serving Berkshire County residents, CHP Berkshires provides medical, dental and nutrition services throughout the region and is essential in supporting the region's health. CHP has been actively engaged in career readiness programs, and is a new partner in MassHire's Healthcare Hubs grant, CHP embraced the pay-to-train model and is aiming to onboard 15 certified medical assistant through this three-year training grant.
• Heather Boyko & Chris D'Aniello – Educators of the Year. Heather has transformed Monument's internship model to allow all seniors to participate and has worked to engage a wide array of businesses in South County in providing these vital work-based-learning experiences. She has also instituted a portfolio project that allows students to document and showcase all of the knowledge and skills gained through their internship – and she does all of this while dually serving as a Math teacher. Chris has served as the driving force to enhance Monument's Automotive Technology CTE Pathway and has always been at the table for many years working to elevate career readiness and career-technical skill development as a priority for all students.
• McCann Technical & Taconic High School – Workforce Professionals of the Year.  McCann & Taconic implemented the first Career Technical Initiative (CTI) training grant for adults to address the persistent demand for skilled labor in Berkshire County.  Partnering with MassHire, CTI programs develop talent pipelines to meet the skill needs of businesses in high-demand occupations. Partnering with MassHire, McCann & Taconic implemented adult training in advanced manufacturing, welding, and auto technician.

In FY25, the BWB provided more than 40 career awareness, exploration and immersion experiences to 2,800 youth in grades 6-12.  Career Teams continued in all 11 school districts, two additional Innovation Pathways were established, and 350 internships were hosted in the region's critical industry sectors. 

Together with its regional partners and the MassHire Berkshire Career Center, BWB worked with 800 Berkshire County businesses in supporting their workforce needs, ignited the CTI initiative, provided 14 on-the-job training opportunities for the manufacturing sector, and implemented fifteen healthcare training programs for 142 individuals embarking on a career in the Healthcare sector. Additional programs, services and accomplishments can be found at www.masshireberkshire.com.   

Mayor Marchetti reappointed the following individuals to the Board & Youth Council for 2-year terms:

• Deni Evans, Dept. of Transitional Assistance
• Paul Gage, Adult Learning Center
• Tammy Gage, Pittsfield Public Schools
• Doug McNally, Frost Hollow Associates
• David Moresi, Moresi & Associates
• Brian Morrison, Central Berkshire Labor Council
• Beth Petropulos, MountainOne
• Eva Sheridan, CHP Berkshire

Youth Council

• Bryan House, 18 Degrees
• Kathy Yon, Pittsfield Public Schools liaison
• Doug McNally, Frost Hollow Associates
• Rebecca Lilley, Bliss Crumbs and Coffee

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.