The council accepted a $275,000 grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for Pittsfield’s Municipal Vulnerability Program.
“With this funding, we're going to hire a consultant that will take the restoration of two culverts on the Unkamet Brook into, one of them into a feasibility study, and the other one into 30% or 50% design," said Commissioner of Public Utilities Ricardo Morales. "This is the first step in improving these culverts, and the next step with the same program you should expect in about a year after we submit, after we finish this work and we submit for next phases of the Municipal Vulnerability, MVP program.”
The 11-member body also voted to accept $235,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the city’s Shared Streets and Spaces program. Morales explained that the funding would go to work on West Street, where the death of a pedestrian in early 2023 led to outcry for Pittsfield to invest in safer street design.
“Rapid flashing beacons at three locations that go along with the design for West Street streetscape work we're doing," said the commissioner. "These would go bookending the project near Dewey [Avenue] on West Street, or College [Way] and Government Drive. That's where the first raised crosswalk would go. This is where the first pair of the flashing beacons would go, by the crosswalk, mid-block crosswalk, by the park is the second raised crosswalk with the flashing beacons at that location. And the third one is near Backman [Street], or beyond the church and between the church and Backman Street where speeding, the landscape changes into, from a more suburban rural landscape into a more urban landscape with more activity occurring, so that’s where we’re starting.”
Pittsfield legislators signed off on a $100,000 federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support art engagement and design for a housing project in the Westside neighborhood.
“So, there's lots of architectural fees, but there's also community engagement that is going to happen throughout the process," said Director of the Office of Cultural Development Jennifer Glockner. "Digital rendering, community design engagement, community engagement support, materials for the community design events, all of that stuff.”
Other moves made by the council included asking the administration of first-term Mayor Peter Marchetti to reconsider the rental price for a piece of city land by a watershed and more appropriately adjust it for inflation and approving the relocation and installation of poles owned by Eversource and Verizon New England on Pecks Road.
The meeting began with a proclamation acknowledging the city’s observance of Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st.
“As many of you know, my mental health substance use disorder task force are an important part of one of our new initiatives in the administration. So, I want to take a moment before I read an Overdose Awareness Day proclamation to make folks at home aware of a couple events that will be taking place in the coming weeks that highlight overdose awareness," said Marchetti. “So, on August 29th here at City Hall at 11:45, we will once again read a proclamation and have a flag raising for International Overdose Awareness. On August 31st at 6:30 p.m. at the Common, there will be a memorial service for those lost due to overdose, and then there'll be a procession to Park Square for the reading of the names of all those that lives that were lost in Berkshire County. And lastly, on September 7th, there'll be an event in the common from 1 to 5, Revel in Recovery, that will have family entertainment, and I would encourage all those that can to go.”
The Pittsfield City Council returns to a twice monthly meeting schedule in September, with gatherings set for the 10th and 24th.
