Electrical Improvements Advance at Pittsfield Municipal Airport

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:17AM / Monday, October 12, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In 2025, the Pittsfield Municipal Airport constructed a new 400-foot taxi lane but by February 2026, one piece was still missing: electricity.

Without power connected to the new taxi lane, the airport was unable to begin generating the revenue anticipated from the project, Airport Manager Anita Akor-Yeboah said during a city council meeting in February.

During the recemt Airport Commission meeting, it was announced that the closeout for the design portion of the project was submitted to the agencies on Aug. 21 and hopefully by the end of the week the airport will be sending the closeout for the construction phase portion of that project.

In February, the city approved the appropriation of $445,000 from certified free cash for electrical improvements. According to the meeting minutes, the Federal Aviation Administration and state Department of Transportation the amount will be reimbursed when complete.

At the time of the appropriation, the Pittsfield Municipal Airport sent a letter to Mayor Peter Marchetti explaining that the project will include, but is not limited to, removing existing utility poles and overhead wire, installing electrical handholes, pullboxes, conduits and wire, relocating existing area lights, and pavement patching.

The $445,000 electrical improvement project, which includes a 10 percent contingency over the $403,204 construction bid, is expected to be funded 95 percent by the Federal Aviation Administration, 2.5 percent by MassDOT Aeronautics and 2.5 percent by the city.

In August, the FAAA awarded the city with $256,085.26 under the Airport Infrastructure Grants program for Phase 3 electrical improvements to a new 400-foot taxi lane serving a non-exclusive hangar development area at Pittsfield Municipal Airport.

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports11:35AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

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.

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