Pittsfield Energy Saving Trees Program

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As part of the City of Pittsfield's annual Arbor Day celebration, the city has partnered with Eversource for a community tree planting program.
 
Eversource is donating over 1,000 three- and five-foot-tall trees to local communities through its Energy Saving Trees Program with the Arbor Day Foundation, a larger environmental initiative across its three-state service territory. Approximately 200 trees will be available for Pittsfield residents.
 
To participate, Pittsfield homeowners can visit https://get.arborday.org/eversource to select and reserve a free tree while supplies last. An interactive tool is available in the portal to determine the best location to plant the tree or shrub for energy savings.
 
While in the portal, residents will be provided an opportunity to review the trees available and select the tree that is best suited for the location to provide the maximum benefits. If you are a renter, Eversource asks that you contact your landlord for this request.
 
Trees will be provided during the distribution day on May 1, between noon and 7:00p.m., in the upper parking lot of the Springside House, located at 874 North Street. To receive a tree, an application must be completed online through the application portal prior to the event.
 
Pittsfield does not allow trees to be planted in the city's right of way without permission. If you are seeking permission to plant a tree in the right of way or have questions about where the right of way boundaries are, please email dpw@cityofpittsfield.org.
 
In addition, the City of Pittsfield will not be planting or maintaining any trees on a resident's property that are a part of this program.
 
The city's Arbor Day Ceremony will be held at 12:30p.m. on May 1 at Taconic High School in partnership with their CTE Environmental Science and Horticulture programs. A tree will be planted outside near the front of the school. Light refreshments will be provided by Taconic's Culinary Arts program after the ceremony.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive. 

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour. 

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.  

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children.  The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation.  One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue. 

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out. 

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories