Pittsfield City Council Preview: Gifts and Parking Orders
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tuesday's City Council agenda includes a grant to expand fiber-optic internet, a donation for the incoming soccer mini-pitch, and amended parking regulations.
Fiber internet companies have flooded into Pittsfield over the past year, three in particular: Gateway Fiber, Archtop Fiber and AccessPlus Fiber.
This type of internet transmits data as light through glass strands, and is said to provide symmetrical upload and download speeds.
The state's Executive Office for Administration and Finance has awarded the city $237,459 through the Community Compact Municipal Fiber Grant program to cover costs associated with expanding existing fiber-optic infrastructure throughout communities.
It will also allow Pittsfield to place "critical" utility infrastructure circuits on its fiber optic network and monitor them, and provide redundant backup circuit(s) for various locations on the network.
In a communication to the city, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the program's demand was once again strong, and the administration added nearly $4 million to the total of available funding.
"Your application was chosen because it met the overarching goal of supporting the closing of critical gaps in local networks and connecting municipally owned facilities," she wrote.
Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make mini-pitch fields available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue.
The council accepted the gift at its last meeting, valued at over $100,000, and the Mill Town Foundation has submitted a $10,000 donation to ready the site.
Milltown's Program Director Andy Wrba wrote that they believe this initiative will bring meaningful community benefits by creating a welcoming, active space that promotes health, connection, and vibrancy.
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. Today, the roller hockey rink is aging and less utilized; officials believe this soccer pitch will bring new life while still accommodating inline skates.
Mayor Peter Marchetti has also submitted three traffic orders to amend parking regulations on Church Street, Edwin Street, and West Street that add about 50 new parking spaces in the vicinity of 99 West Street.
Earlier this year, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announced that it entered into a conditional agreement to acquire a leasehold interest in 99 West St. and will move its corporate headquarters there.
The Co-op Bank, currently headquartered on South Street, plans to renovate, modernize, and enhance the West Street facility.
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