Pittsfield Health Board Plans Mosquito Task Force, Public Outreach

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Board of Health will establish a task force to handle mosquito control after efforts to resume to spraying were not supported by the City Council.

This part of the panel's path forward after unsuccessfully recommending that the city resume mosquito spraying, which was discontinued in 2021. Last summer, six mosquitos tested positive for West Nile virus but there were no reported human cases.

After members are added to the subcommittee, it plans to meet in early March ahead of the BOH's April meeting — also ahead of mosquito season.

"I would also want to have someone that has consistently and historically expressed articulated concerns that sits on the City Council to be part of this because we don't want us to be doing the Lucy and Charlie Brown football thing again," member Brad Gordon said, explaining that the panel has put in a lot of work in good faith and when the matter goes to the council there is a disconnect.

Director of Public Health Andy Cambi said he and Chair Roberta Elliot had a meeting with Ward 4 Councilor James Conant, chair of the Conservation Commission, and Conservation Agent Robert Van Der Kar on how they want to tackle the overall mosquito plan.

"I think our goal is to have more input on the actual services that are being provided," Cambi said, explaining that Health Department staff would make sure that everything outlined in the plan is happening.

Part of the community engagement will be a public meeting at which the public can state concerns and have their question answered. This will also include a representative from the state to discuss Massachussetts' mosquito plan.

Elliot said this will "hopefully" be a good way to educate the community on mosquito control.

"We have a couple of ideas around things that we may want to do differently with the larvicide and all of that," she said.

Progressives March for Human Rights in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:55AM / Sunday, January 19, 2025

Amelia Gilardi addresses the crowd at Park Square. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Around 100 people marched down North Street on Saturday in support of human rights. 

 

The Pittsfield People's March was designed to unite community members, raise awareness, and promote the fundamental rights of all people. It was one of numerous marches across the nation, including in Boston and the annual one (formerly the Women's March) in Washington, D.C. 

 

The marches started in 2017 in response to the first election of Donald Trump, who is set to sworn in for a second term on Monday. Saturday's marchers expressed their fears that the incoming administration will place money and power over the needs of the people. 

 

"For me, the motivation of this march was to make people see that we are all feeling similarly, that we are not isolated in our feelings, and that your neighbor feels like that, too," said march organizer Meg Arvin of Western MA 4 the Future.

 

"So one, it's not just you thinking this way, and two, you have other people that you can lean on to build that community with to feel like you are not in this by yourself and that you have other people who will be here to support you."

 

The first march, and its successors, have focused on fears of rights being chipped away, including women's bodily rights, free speech rights, voting rights and civil rights. The first Washington march drew nearly 500,000; Saturday's was estimated at 5,000.

 

Arvin, who moved from Tennessee a few years ago, said she comes from a state where rights have been taken away and knows what it looks like for people to be desperate for representation.