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Pittsfield Performance Pavilion Ready for Summer

EEA Secretary Maeve Bartlett attended Monday's ceremonial opening of the new pavilion at the Common.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It was chilly day for dedicating an open pavilion, but the city and state officials gathered at the First Street Common on Monday afternoon could to see into the renovated park's warmer future this summer.

"We've already got people lined up asking to the use this facility for the summer and we hope the line gets longer because we've got a lot of daylight hours and even — because you can see we've got lights — evening hours," Dr. John Herman, chairman of the Parks Commission, said. "It will be a great time."

The new pavilion, designed by Barry Architects Inc. of Pittsfield, is wired for electricity and light. Performers should be able to plug in and play.

The facility will support a variety of entertainment, including plans for Shakespeare in the Park, which hosted performances at Springside Park this past summer, family movies and concerts. Mayor Daniel Bianchi said the city was keeping some of those acts "quiet for awhile" but plans for the summer are being developed.

The pavilion is the latest completed step in the multiphase $5 million renovation of the Common that includes pathways, gazebos, picnic areas, playground, lawns, the performance pavilion, restrooms and the signature spray ground.

 "I can't wait to see to the little kiddos down in the spray park next year enjoying themselves," Bianchi said. "There are literally hundreds and hundreds of children that live in this area just around the corner."

Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Maeve Bartlett toured the park in August after being appointed to replace Rick Sullivan; on Monday, she reviewed some of the work that's been completed, including the spray ground, and helped cut a Christmas ribbon to indicate the majority completion of the pavilion.

Bartlett, along with Bianchi, state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, described the Common's revitalization as a team effort, one led by Gov. Deval Patrick's efforts and his special affection for the Berkshires.

Pittsfield's Parks Department knew exactly what do with that money, Barlett said.

Farley-Bouvier called the city's Parks and Open Space Manager James McGrath the "guru of planning" and noted the ideas for the park were solicited from a broad range of community members.

"This is the vision of the whole community coming together," she said. "These things take time and these things take dedication, but what we all believe, and what I still believe, is that everyone, everyone deserves to have green space around them. Good things happen when we work together."

Downing agreed, saying the too often the focus is only on the bad.

"We need to create these spaces where neighborhoods and neighbors can come together to support everything that is good about our communities," he said. "We have a lot to brag about. There's a lot that's right in the community."

Five Local Firefighters Graduate From Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

05:32PM / Monday, January 06, 2025

Cody Doyle, left, and Owen Hoffman of Dalton hold their axes after graduating from the academy on Monday. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Five local firefighters were among the 20 graduates of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on Monday. 

 

Jahyde Bullard, Phourasamy Din and Matthew Tobin, all of Pittsfield, and Cody Doyle and Owen Hoffman of Dalton completed the academy's 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.

 

Bullard, Din and Tobin were appointed permanent firefighters by Mayor Peter Marchetti last July. 

 

"Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely."

 

The graduating firefighters of Class  No. S39 represent the fire departments of Amherst, Chicopee, Dalton, Monson, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, South Hadley Fire District 1, Springfield, Ware, and Westfield.

 

The Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award, which is presented to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class, was presented to Dylan Sliech of Springfield Fire and Emergency Services. The award is named for the longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit's academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program.

 

The graduates received classroom training in all basic firefighter skills during the course. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires.