The 11-member body unanimously approved a $1,040,000 borrowing order to build a taxiway at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport.
Ward 5 city councilor Patrick Kavey called up Airport Manager Daniel Shearer to explain the project.
SHEARER: This is the taxi lane for the development area that we've been working towards and signed a lease for. We had intended to start this a couple months ago. The fiscal year, or federal fiscal year, put us a little behind on that, so, we're trying to get that work underway so we can pave as soon as the asphalt plant opens up in the spring. This will line up with the completion of the first hangar in that area and will provide access to that space. This substantially opens up a new area that we have yet to develop yet with this first hanger.
KAVEY: It’s necessary? The hangar that's there right now is, what, a dirt floor?
SHEARER: Yes.
KAVEY: And then you look at Lion Aviation next to us, with their beautiful hangar.
SHEARER: Yes.
So, you'll be able to use this to generate revenue for the city?
SHEARER: Absolutely. Yep. We already have that lease signed, so as soon as we have that taxi lane in place, revenue will begin for that, for that ground lease.
The council also unanimously accepted the withdrawal of a proposal to donate the property where the Berkshire Carousel sits to the city. With news that the nonprofit behind the attraction will relaunch it this spring after being closed since 2019, a plan for Pittsfield to take it over has officially been laid to rest.
Despite that, one councilor said he suspected the carousel would come around again.
“I'm very hopeful, but not overly optimistic about the current situation here," said Ward 1 city councilor Kenny Warren. “A month and a half ago, I told you that there were at least two things necessary to make this successful- One, it had to be running this year, and two, it had to be transferred out of the control of an out-of-town family group, related group to a local group. Both are very important, and we couldn't delay either one. Even if there's some success this year, we will be back to square one concerning the control of the carousel. A small minority of some are overcautious in many of the pressing issues of the city, and seem to be unintentionally delaying or putting obstacles in the way of final solutions. For the record, this will have more unnecessary sequels than the Fast and Furious series, and we will be discussing this issue in the fall.”
Janet Crawford has been involved with the carousel as a volunteer for years, helping design and craft the colorful horses locked in perpetual revolution inside the doors of 50 Center Street.
“This time, we intend to do a lot of marketing and promotion of the of the carousel, and have events, host birthday parties, showers," she told WAMC. "We're going to try to do a lot more there at the current location.”
Conceived of in 2005 and opened in 2016, the carousel cost around $3 million and was largely funded by co-founders Jim and Jackie Shulman, who now live in Ohio.
Crawford says the new-look carousel will largely operate on weekends with a volunteer staff.
“The volunteers that help build it are the ones that will be trying to get this to be a success," she said. "So, if anyone's going to make it work, it's the people that actually put all those hours into it in the first place, and it's a good thing that we are working with the original board. We're finally back to a place where we can make this a success by working together. I think that's the key.”
With the backing of Berkshire Carousel Inc. and a reinvigorated volunteer corps, the attraction is expected to reopen by May at the earliest.
