BRTA Working on Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan

By Breanna SteelePrint Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is discussing its five-year comprehensive regional transit plan (CRTP).

"The goal of the CRTP is to review BRTA's goals and mission as a regional transit provider, to assess transit service from the past five years and then expand on enhancements that have worked well, and then make changes in areas where there's opportunities for improvement." said Diane Broderick, with consultant HDR Engineering, at a recent meeting of the BRTA board.

The transit authority's last five-year plan in 2020 had three big takeaways from the outreach efforts: that BRTA brings value to the region, a desire for more bus shelters and benches, and a need for a later evening service.

The 2025 goals of the BRTA are increased fixed-route frequencies, aligning vehicles with capacity and demand, expanding service to rural communities, improving passenger experience through infrastructure upgrades and technology enhancements, exploring micro-transit service to support first and last mile connections, and continuing to upgrade and enhance operations through technology and capital improvements.

Stakeholders were polled on their thoughts, with one question being where they'd like to see the BRTA go, with some saying said Veterans Affairs medical center in Leeds and to smaller communities.

In the polls, the service was commended for riders' personal safety on the bus and at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center as well as for notifications of a service change.

BRTA Administrator Robert Malnati discussed how much the transit service has grown in ridership.

"The fact that we came from a number last year of, I believe, 535,000 to make a jump of over 600,000 that's huge. And it just goes to show that there is a need for the service that we have out there, the fact that it is fare free now, I believe a lot more people are looking at it as now I can do what I need to do, because I've been able to get on the bus and try it and see how it works for me, and expanding on that," Malnati said.

He says this could lead to looking into and potentially applying for bigger buses.

"With that, we're talking about appropriate-sized vehicles. We're now getting into the point where people are saying, hey, my bus is overcrowded. It's standing room only," he said.

BRTA will be holding a outreach pop-up in July at the Intermodal Center and will have a survey for people to participate in.


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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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