Stories you might have missed:
The Route 8 bridge on River Road is expected to reopen Friday, Oct. 9, but East Road will not reopen to public traffic. Access to East Road will remain limited to emergency vehicles only. The board stated that the new layout is too narrow and steep between the walls to safely allow regular traffic.
The Holiday Inn & Suites is temporarily shut down, and 101 Restaurant & Bar has closed its doors until further notice. The hotel has been closed since Sept. 25, after its last working elevator of three broke down.
The Pittsfield Municipal Airport has faced an ongoing need for additional hangar space, and now a private developer has stepped forward with a proposal to build one, with hopes of bringing his aircraft back to Pittsfield.
Last October, the board had voted 4-1 to raise the Youth Center's lease from $3,500 a month to $9,500 beginning July 2026. The center is situated in the 1961 west wing of the former Cheshire School.
Town meeting members approved a tax exemption for a local business, the partial funding recension of a previously approved project and a $173,000 boost in the fiscal 2027 budget to account for additional personnel costs.
New businesses:
FireKing BBQ is making it easier to find its smoked ribs — they're in the Clocktower Building in downtown Pittsfield.
Owner Ethan Sumner has been operating as a catering service for more than a decade, with a mobile smoker for his award-winning barbecue.
InTouch Wellness and Day Spa has new owners who are keeping it the same while also expanding what they offer.
Newlyweds Abigail and Dylan Hilchey took over the 23-year-old business after former owner Marc Freedman decided to sell.
You can now bring your dogs to a new daycare and training spot.
Owners and friends Michelle Marrocco and Tiffany Boyden opened Pup Place last month at 895 Simonds Road, the former location of a martial arts studio.
Marc Bellora has high hopes for a device he's created to treat lakes from harmful algae blooms.
His patented water clarifier can physically remove captured material rather than letting the nutrient-rich material settle back into the lake, which occurs when herbicides are used.
People in the news:
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Greenagers Founder Will Conklin Honored as Business Person of the Year
Executive Director Jeffrey Thomas of Lever Announces Retirement
Berkshire Immigrant Center Announces Dr. Evelyn Thompson as its new Executive Director.
Sheffield Land Trust Welcomes Christine Bump as New Executive Director of Operations
Berkshire Money Management has promoted Stephen Di Benedetto to Team Lead Office Coordinator.
Recent full-time jobs posted on BerkshireJobs.com:
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Staff Development Coordinator (RN) for the North Adams Commons
Residential Direct Care Staff for BFAIR
DPW Highway Heavy Equipment Operator for the Town of Cheshire
Universal Banker Representative for MountainOne Bank
Dietary Aid/ Dishwasher for Williamstown Commons Skilled Nursing Center
Top five real estate transactions:
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250 Long Pond Road, Great Barrington - $5,995,000
211 Cottage Street, Great Barrington - $810,000
19 Hawthorne Road B1 - $740,000
7 Swamp Rd, West Stockbridge - $675,000
94 Tor Ct, Pittsfield - $539,000
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Berkshire Realtor's Market Watch:
By Sandy Carroll, CEO of Berkshire Realtors.
Land report:
Land sales have had a challenging run over the past several years., so 2026 has been a breath of fresh air to see parcel sales rise and volume volume rising to match. However, prior to COVID, activity peaked in the early 2000s, with 59 parcel sales in Q1 2003 alone. While Q2 2026 showed a 24% increase in transactions, that still equates to just 9 more sales, with an median price of $95,000 and total volume of $7.2 million—well below the $24 million peak seen in Q2 2021. These numbers continue to reflect the ongoing challenges around growth and development in the Berkshires. Every legislative intiative and conversation focuses on how to incentizie and allow building, rather than making it impossible to devleop new housing stock or develop available land for sale in our region.
