Mt. Everett students charging up for Tour de Sol

12:00AM / Tuesday, May 09, 2006Print Story | Email Story

The 2006 Tour de Sol, May 10-14 at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY, is a lab of automotive innovation driving toward zero-carbon emissions. The teams conducting their experiments and competing in the Tour de Sol competitions include inventors, students and entrepreneurs from across the United States and Canada and as far away as India. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, organizer of the Tour de Sol, invites the general public to come and see these innovative vehicles on display on Saturday, May 13, 10 am-4 pm at the Saratoga Automobile Museumâ€™s Spring Auto Show at the Saratoga Spa State Park. NESEA also invites hybrid and biofuel vehicle owners to participate in a fun Fuel Efficiency Rally, and put their vehicle on display. Also on display will be hybrid, hydrogen, electric and natural-gas vehicles produced by auto and electric-bike manufacturers as well as information about clean vehicles and clean-vehicle programs. Teams competing in the Tour de Sol Championship and Around Town Vehicle Competition are looking for the smartest ways to reduce carbon emissions while creating a quality, affordable vehicle. Strategies include: 1) Decreasing the use of fuel by increasing vehicle efficiency by making their vehicles lighter and/or building a hybrid (internal-combustion and electric) or electric vehicle instead of using the tried and true internal-combustion engine; and 2) Switching from gasoline to some other fuel that does not emit as much carbon, even when the full fuel cycle, from production to consumption, is taken into account. Teams compete in various technology categories and earn points for practicality, acceleration, handling and range in addition to good fuel efficiency and low climate-change emissions. Among the 18 teams registered to compete in the Tour de Sol Championship are, in alphabetical order: 1) Delhi College of Engineering in New Delhi, India, with a one-person car; 2) St. Mark's School in Southboro, Massachusetts, with a solar- and battery-powered electric pickup truck as well as a biodiesel car; and 3) West Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a biodiesel car. Each team believes it has the right formula to be No. 1 in this year's Tour de Sol. Among the 11 teams registered to date in the Around Town Vehicle Competition are, in alphabetical order: 1) Mount Everett High School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, with a solar-assisted, battery-powered neighborhood electric vehicle; 2) Optibike LLC in Boulder, Colorado, with a high performance pedal-assisted electric bicycle; and 3) Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York, with two electric bicycles. The Tour de Sol Championship challenges students and others to build one-of-a kind, practical and highway-worthy vehicles. Paul O'Brien is technology coordinator of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District. The Mount Everett High School, which is in the District, has designed and built a solar-assisted, battery-powered neighborhood electric vehicle named "Project e-3" (Project E Minus 3) in the "Student" division of the "Neighborhood Electric Vehicles" category of the "Around-Town Vehicle" competition. Neighborhood electric vehicles are for use on roads posted for 35 miles per hour or less. This year, his team will also bring an informative, exciting display, in a 10-foot trailer, on renewable energy. Eight years ago, O'Brien brought a winning team to the Tour de Sol. He says Project e-3â€™s entry is quite competitive for this year's Tour de Sol is "Usually [used] for gated communities and small communities, primarily in the Southern warm states. We added on the rear-bed solar panels, to [enable drivers] to leave your vehicle outside in the sunlight and put a decent charge on it so that you can extend the range of the vehicle from your normal charge." Project e-3 also contains a solar-powered stereo system. "So it gives you solar sound, so to speak," he adds. "You can listen to your tunes from solar power as well. It's kind of a fun vehicle in that respect." Project e-3â€™s base cost ranges from $8,000 to $9,000, with an additional cost of $2,500 to $3,000 for the solar panels and solar-powered stereo system. Anubhav Jain is a third-year student at Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) in India, whose DCE Hybrid Car team has designed, built and entered a one-person hybrid vehicle named "Fledge," in the "Student" division of the "Hybrid & Alternative Fuel Vehicles" category of the "Championship" competition. His says his team's primary goal with Fledge is to help lower the use of petroleum gas, reduce harmful emissions and achieve a high-efficiency rating. "The current hybrids available in this world are very expensive as compared to normal cars, so we have tried to reduce the cost and we have tried to think of simple systems by not using the complicated systems," he says, adding, " We are making a vehicle for the common person in India who commutes to his office, which is in the range of about 30 kilometers. So ... he has the option [with a vehicle like ours] for electric mode, which has more range." He says it would cost about $10,000 to go into production with Fledge. Kenneth Wells is a teacher of physics and environmental chemistry at St. Mark's School, whose EV Club has entered two vehicles in the "Championship" competition. One is a 1994 Ford Ranger converted to a solar- and battery-powered electric vehicle named "Woodstock," in the "Student" division of the "Solar-Assisted Electric Vehicles" category. The other, is a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta TDI converted to a vehicle powered with 100% biodiesel and named "Moritz," in the "Student" division of the "Hybrid & Alternative Fuel Vehicles" category. Wells says he approached this project with his physics-teacher hat on, thinking that an electric-vehicle project would be great for his students to do. "As we got into it, we discovered that inefficiency is a bad thing, from a physicist's point of view, and we became more and more aware of the environmental benefits of increased efficiency. It sort of snowballed from there." The EV Club's first build was the electric vehicle named "Woodstock," a converted pickup truck that is powered by electricity generated completely by wind and solar power -- giving it absolutely zero carbon emissions. Motivated by that experience, Wells donned his environmental-teacher hat and got his chemistry students also involved in the Tour de Sol project. He asked them to examine producing biofuel from used fryer oil -- a process quite similar to making soap and one that high school students can easily perform. The resulting biodiesel is being used in Moritz, their VW Jetta. While it produces carbon emissions when running, the plants the biodiesel is made from absorb carbon dioxide while growing so the net effect is about 77% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the original Jetta. Wells says the Woodstock electric-conversion cost about $13,000 while the Moritz biodiesel-conversion required no additional cost because switching a stock diesel vehicle to biodiesel "is about as difficult as changing a gasoline car to premium fuel -- you just put something different in the tank." To hear an approximately 4-minute interview with Kenneth Wells, by NESEA's Steve D'Agostino, in MP3 format, visit Kenneth Wells. Simon Hauger is site administrator for the Automotive Academy at West Philadelphia High School, whose EV Team has converted a kit car and entered a biodiesel vehicle named "The Attack" in the "Student" division of the "Hybrid & Alternative Fuel Vehicles" category of the "Championship" competition. During the 2005 Tour de Sol, West Philadelphia was one of two student teams (the other was Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington) that took top honors with their purpose-built hybrid vehicles, which use biodiesel instead of gasoline. The Attack produces 85% less climate-change emissions compared to a conventional 27 MPG gas car. Several years ago, West Philly students and teachers working together in a summer program came up with the idea of making a hybrid car that was fun to drive and had high performance. Ever since, West Philly has participated in the Tour de Sol. In 2003, according to Simon Hauger, "the kids [on my team] were fascinated by the [hybrid] Honda Insight and the [hybrid] Toyota Prius and were debating the dilemma of why they weren't catching on faster [in the marketplace] than they are. What we came up with is, they're not exciting cars. They get good gas mileage but they give up performance. So their idea was to make a cool-looking sports car that did both." Hence, the hybrid Attack, West Philly's entry in this year's Tour de Sol. Hauger says it would cost about $50,000 to go into production with Attack. To hear an approximately 2-minute interview with Simon Hauger, by NESEA's Steve D'Agostino, in MP3 format, visit Simon Hauger. The Around Town Vehicle Competition showcases vehicles that are designed to meet our transportation needs in our communities as well as student projects built for non-road use. Participating this year is a wide variety of electric bikes, trikes and scooters, neighborhood electric vehicles, and various non-road vehicles such as Electrathon vehicles and electric or solar-assisted electric vehicles. Craig Weakley is marketing director of Optibike LLC, which has designed, built and entered a high performance pedal-assisted electric bicycle named "Optibike 400" in the "Production" division" of the "Electric Bicycle & Tricycle Vehicles" category of the "Around-Town Vehicles" as well as the â€œChampionshipâ€™sâ€ on-road range event. During the 2005 Tour de Sol, Optibike 400 won a first-place award. Optibike 400, which is a high-performance machine, was not specifically designed for competition. However, Weakley says it has done quite well competing in past Tour de Sols because it has a low center of gravity, full suspension and disk brakes. "It really makes for quick, agile handling [and] it's really balanced," Weakley says. "In the Tour de Sol, I cruise at well over 30 miles an hour and I feel really comfortable on it." Optibike LLC plans to go into production with 125 units of Optibike 400 later this year at its Boulder facility, at a production cost of $5,500 per bike. Optibike 400 has 90% of its parts produced in the U.S. To hear an approximately 2-minute interview with Craig Weakley, by NESEA's Steve D'Agostino, in MP3 format, visit Craig Weakley. Scott Bellinger is assistant professor of automation technology at the Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). The school's NTID E-Bike Club has designed, built and entered two electric bicycles -- one, with pedal assist, and the other, without pedal assist -- in the "Student" division. He says the competition is a range, not a speed, race. "So now you're balancing the energy that's stored in the battery system with how quickly you extract that energy using a motor and drivetrain," he says. "Plus, the whole time, [you're] trying to be as efficient as possible so that you're not wasting your energy through heat or frictional losses either in the drivetrain or even just air friction." He says these were the "main drivers" for the design of NTID's non-pedal-assist bicycle, which is the newer of its two entries. He says it would cost in the range of $300 to $600 to go into production with the pedal-assist bicycle, which would require purchasing a conversion kit for an existing bike, and $600 to $1,000 to go into production with the non-pedal-assist bicycle, which would require building the bike from scratch. To hear an approximately 3-minute interview with Scott Bellinger, by NESEA's Steve D'Agostino, in MP3 format, visit Scott Bellinger. For a complete list of "Championship" and "Around Town" entries go to www.TourdeSol.org and follow the links for Entrants or click here http://www.nesea.org/transportatio n/tour/2006Entrants.php Two other competitions for middle and high school students that will be held on Saturday, May 13 at the 2006 Tour de Sol are "Junior Solar Sprint" and "H2Help." Christopher Mason, education director of NESEA, says they get kids to engage in problem solving so that they can bring innovative ideas to the table to help us solve the climate -change challenge that we all face. Both of these programs have kids working with model cars that have no tailpipe. One of them uses sunlight directly to produce power and the other one uses battery-stored energy, which could be produced from sunlight or fossil fuel, to generate power. "So it opens up the conversation as to where do we want our energy sources to come from, what energy sources do we want to use, how do we get power for our transportation system, and what are the unwanted outputs," Mason says. "It's wonderful not to have that tailpipe, but it's also going to be very important for students to explore renewable energy versus using fossil fuels." To hear an approximately 2-minute interview with Christopher Mason, by NESEA's Steve D'Agostino, in MP3 format, visit Christopher Mason. Premier sponsors of the 2006 Tour de Sol are the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Center for Technology Commercialization. Additional key sponsors are the following: New York Power Authority; Saratoga Automobile Museum; New York State Office of Parks, Recreating and Historic Preservation; Saratoga Spa State Park; Eastern Biofuels; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Toyota; UK Trade & Investment; American Honda; Stewartâ€™s Shops; Kurkoski Solar Electric; Westboro Toyota; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; E- The Environmental Magazine; EIN Publishing; and GreenBiz.com. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, organizer of the Tour de Sol, is the Northeastâ€™s leading organization of professionals and concerned citizens working in sustainable energy and whole-systems thinking. NESEA facilitates the widespread adoption and use of sustainable energy by providing support to industry professionals and by educating and motivating consumers to learn about, ask for and adopt sustainable-energy and green-building practices. NESEA accomplishes this through conferences, K-12 educational resources, its members and chapters, its Sustainable Yellow Pages, and public events. Results will be announced to the news media on Sunday, May 14. To find out more about the Tour de Sol, visit www.TourdeSol.org .

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Pittsfield 2024 Business Wrap-Up: New Life and Closures

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:50AM / Sunday, January 05, 2025

Mayor Peter Marchetti gets ice cream cones from the reopened King Cone on Fenn Street.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In 2024, the city's business landscape saw some shakeups, with restaurant openings and closures and some new ventures.

King Kone, a soft-serve staple, was purchased by the nonprofit Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds to be run as a workers' co-op. At the end of the 2023 season, the Barbarotta family closed the shop's order and pickup windows for the last time as they prepared to sell.

The ice cream shop had a soft opening in August, offering frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.

In 2023, Roots and Dreams was allocated $179,000 to purchase the soft-serve ice cream shop at 133 Fenn St. and convert it into a worker cooperative. It owns a series of storefronts ranging from 117 to 129 Fenn St.

This model provides workers with a flat wage, revenue shares, and the opportunity to buy into the business.

The same month, Chili's Bar and Grill closed abruptly in Berkshire Crossing after six years in business.

There were moving trucks outside the location instead of preparations for the lunch rush. It was first reported by PCTV on its Facebook page and a call to the restaurant was answered by an employee who said the eatery had no plans to reopen.

In September, Director of Northeast Operations Allen Anderson told the licensing board that a new business is being sought to carry out its lease that extends to 2029.

The former Crossroads Cafe saw new life in 2024 as Bei Tempi, which is Italian for "good times." Owners Elizabeth and Richard Zucco wanted to bring back food while preserving the establishment's long-held popularity for live music.

In 2023, the Licensing Board approved a change of stock interest for Crossroads Cafe and an application from Zuke's Soups and Variety LLC, doing business as Bei Tempi, for the transfer of license, pledge of inventory, and pledge of license from C.T. Colvin Inc. doing business as Crossroads Cafe.

Bei Tempi was granted an entertainment license in June.

North Street saw a new breakfast and lunch spot when Marie's North Street Eatery and Gallery opened in the former Maria's European Delights.

Maria's European Delights closed at the end of 2022 after 15 years in business. Maria Sekowski's late husband Krzysztof "Kris" opened the store in Great Barrington in 2007, and, in 2013, it was moved to Pittsfield. The Eastern European deli was known for the smell of homemade soup, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, and impromptu musical numbers.

New owner Neil Davis, a veteran entrepreneur, has kept an office in the historic Shipton building for about 10 years and Marie was a formal administrative assistant before they went into business together. He also owns a shredding business in California and has other startup ventures.

When Maria's closed, he saw an opportunity in the space and a way to connect with the community and purchased the business in February of 2023.

The restaurant space within Hotel on North also saw new life when the owners of RJ's Restaurant on First Street opened Rare 297 Steakhouse in the spot.

The space had been formerly occupied by Berkshire Palate, a farm-to-table eatery, which opened its second location in the Hotel on North in 2021. Around the same time, its owners opened 413 Bistro in the previously shuttered restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn on Main Street in North Adams.

Unfortunately, not all city eateries made it to 2025.

In December, President of the General Electric Athletic Golf Course Board of Directors Steve Cobb reported that the Tavern at The A is again looking for a new operator with a hopeful opening in the spring.

Attorney Bill Martin said there is a "really bad relationship" with the holder of The A's liquor license — with owners struggling to even get in contact. A few years ago, the former tenants went out of business and now, he said the GEAA is facing a worse situation with the latest tenants.

He said there are unpaid vendors, amounting to "tens of thousands of dollars worth of obligations that we're probably going to have to clear in connection with an application" for a liquor license transfer.

According to The A's Facebook, the restaurant appears to have been closed since late summer.

Pittsfield also saw a new plant shop and liquor store/Latin market.

Early in 2024, the Plant Connector of North Adams announced it would open a second location next to Thistle and Mirth following a pop-up on North Street over the holiday season.

Owners Emilee Yawn and Bonnie Marks opened the original location on historic Eagle Street in North Adams in 2020. Within two years, the shop outgrew the Eagle Street storefront and moved to a larger location on Main Street.

They offer classes and workshops, residential and commercial plant care, and sell various plants and related merchandise. They also offer personal and cleaning products that are green, sustainable, and refillable.

In June, Franky's Liquor Store Latin Market & More, located at 1220 North St., opened in the former K & K Discount Liquors & Variety. The building had been vacant for four years.

It features authentic Latin food from several countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.?

The owner Frank Goncalves would drive by the building every day and see the rough condition it was in. He made it into an opportunity to make the area look better and more welcoming.

Prior to the opening of the market, the Hispanic, South American, and Central American communities had to drive an hour or longer to get authentic Latin food, Goncalves said.

Independent Connections officially unveiled its Massachusetts branch on Fenn Street in March with a ribbon cutting. The IT solutions company's specializations include consulting, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

"We're focused on serving local businesses with state-of-the-art technology while providing superior customer service," CEO Christa Proper said. "And Indy's presence in Pittsfield will help keep jobs here, and continue to attract talent to this area."

The building, formerly occupied by Alliance Appliance for more than 40 years, underwent a makeover after it was purchased by the company last year. Proper explained that it was an "employee collaboration," with staff members assisting in ripping out carpet, cutting bushes, cleaning windows, and painting.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren meets with local entrepreneurs Destiny Saunders, Jocelyn Guelce, Desean Scales and Ludwig Jean-Louis, who all received support through the Berkshire Black Economic Council.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in the city in July to talk small business opportunities and met with four local entrepreneurs who have received assistance, advice and promotion through the council's programs.

The Berkshire Black Economic Council's work to support and attract new small businesses to the gateway city got boost with $455,000 secured by Warren in 2023's appropriations package.

"I'm here to celebrate partnership because I really do believe that we have the pieces right, every part of it then starts to work better," Warren said. "And of course, I'm also here to celebrate being able to put nearly half a million dollars into funding this effort, and the work that is being done here to make sure that small businesses, that Black-owned small businesses, are not at a competitive disadvantage."

Nissan of Pittsfield saw a change of ownership at the end of 2024 as "Bella Nissan of Pittsfield" after a problematic past. New owners Javier Columbie and Benjamin Farber want to turn the dealership around after it was investigated for failing to pay off the loans on trade-ins, among other complaints.

Jonathan Butler was recognized for a decade of leadership at 1Berkshire's annual meeting, held at Barrington Stage.

When Butler joined the organization in 2014, he was executive director of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. He then navigated the 2016 merging of the chamber, Berkshire Economic Development Corp., Berkshire Business Bureau, and Berkshire Creative into the 1Berkshire that is known today.

While serving the entire county, 1Berkshire has had its strongest impact in Pittsfield, where it is headquartered. The organization has sold its property at 66 Allen St. after 12 years and will move to the second floor of Crawford Square on North Street.

A few businesses with locations in Pittsfield announced closures in 2024.

In September, Annie Selke on Peck's Road announced that it would close its doors and lay off 47 people before the end of the year.

Designer and entrepreneur Annie Selke started with a bedding and sleep items business in 1994 as Pine Cone Hill. The largely wholesale home decor operation added Potluck Studios dinnerware in 2002 and Dash & Albert Rugs in 2003.

She invested nearly $4 million into the former Interprint mill on Peck's Road that dates to the 1860s and moved in 2007. The company was purchased by Rugs USA in 2023.

In the fall, signs appeared on Staples' front window in Berkshire Crossing indicating that it would close on Dec. 13. Then Big Lots announced in December that it would liquidate its assets after a purchase agreement with a competitor fell through.

"We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale," Bruce Thorn, Big Lots' president and CEO, said in the announcement.

"While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process."

The closeout retailer moved into the former Price Rite Marketplace on Dalton Avenue in 2021. The grocery had been in what was originally the Big N for 14 years before closing eight months after a million-dollar remodel. Big Lots had previously been in the Allendale Shopping Center.

Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. It operated nearly 1,400 stores nationwide but began closing more than 300 by August with plans for another 250 by January. The Pittsfield location had not been among the early closures.

Advanced Auto Parts, with three locations in the Berkshires, is also closing 500 stores and 200 independently owned locations by about June. The North Adams store has had a "going out of business" for weeks and one of the Pittsfield stores is also slated for closure.