Pittsfield Energy Saving Trees Program

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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.
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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

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. 

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