MOUNTAIN BIKERS ‘PIMPING’ CITY FOR HALF-A-MILL IN ‘FREE CASH’ … WILL TYER, COUNCIL, & MARCHETTI CAVE IN OR WILL THEY DO RIGHT BY CITIZENS?
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MARCH 22, 2023) — Now one day into official Spring, THE PLANET sees this as a good time to update citizens on the attempts by a tiny groups of bike activists to hijack Springside Park for mountain biking.
THE PLANET has obtained a copy of a letter sent to the mayor and city council basically trying to convince them to spend between $400,000 and $500,000 in free cash on their proposed “bike skills park.” Park abutters and Friends of Springside Park say the invasive project will affect the entire park. Furthermore, says abutter Royal Hartigan, despite biker claims that it won’t cost taxpayers a cent, the project represents an attempt “to pimp the city for free cash.”
Hartigan founded the Friends of Springside Park, which today, he says, is anything but friendly. He says the group “has been strategically taken over by compliant bike sympathizers, so our current group is known as Best Friends of Springside Park.”
If the bikers fail to get half-a-mill from “free” cash, the Best Friends say there’s a secret agreement with the city to tap the ARPA funds.
Apparently, this is “transparency” in city government.
———- ooo ———-
Here’s a verbatim copy of the letter:
From: Tommy Goggia <tcgoggia@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 11:45 AM
To: Marchetti, Peter <pmarchetti@cityofpittsfield.org>; White, Peter
<pwhite@cityofpittsfield.org>; Persip III, Earl G.
<epersip@cityofpittsfield.org>; Kalinowsky, Karen
<kkalinowsky@cityofpittsfield.org>; Warren, Kenneth
<kwarren@cityofpittsfield.org>; Kronick, Charles
<ckronick@cityofpittsfield.org>; Sherman, Kevin
<ksherman@cityofpittsfield.org>; Conant, James
<jconant@cityofpittsfield.org>; Kavey, Patrick
<pkavey@cityofpittsfield.org>; Guiel Lampiasi, Dina
<dlampiasi@cityofpittsfield.org>; Maffuccio, Anthony
<amaffuccio@cityofpittsfield.org>; Mayor’s Office – External
<mayorsoffice@cityofpittsfield.org>
Subject: Please support bike skills park at Springside Park
A group of volunteers from local non-profit mountain bike groups has
brought a project forward to the Pittsfield Parks Commission and I
would like to voice my support for this and ask you to further support
the efforts on this project.
In 2020, a proposal for a 2.3-acre bike skills park, including a paved
pump track and multiple learning zones, was brought to the Pittsfield
Parks Commission with the hope of bringing a positive impact to the
city’s largest, yet often under-used park–Springside Park. This
project, spearheaded by the Berkshire Chapter of the New England
Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) along with the very popular
Berkshire Mountain Bike Training Series and growing NEYC Shire
Shredders youth mountain bike team, is not only unique in its design
and features, but has the potential to be a tremendous draw to our
city.
The volunteers bringing this project forward have now spent years
working with the Parks Commission, Conservation Commission, and Parks
and Recreation Department to teach about bike skills parks and pump
tracks, answer questions about the environmental impact, clarify
misinformation about alleged negative impacts of mountain biking, and
collaborate on locations and parameters per the request of the parks
commissioners. All of this has been done diligently because of how
much they, and the many many members of the public who support them,
believe in the positive impact this bike skills park will bring to
Pittsfield and the Berkshires as a whole.
The groups bringing this forward have offered to fundraise to donate
this entire park, which is estimated to cost $400,000 to construct, to
the city of Pittsfield even though all three groups are not-for-profit
and volunteer run. There is no specific report on the level of impact
a park like this would bring to the city because it is a completely
unique and special combination of features, however research on the
impact of mountain bike trails and other bike infrastructure have
shown to significantly increase property values, bolster local
businesses, and often nearly doubled the cost of building with
profits.
As an [avid mountain biker, beginning biker, parent, local student]
and community member, I am asking you to help support these amazing
efforts and bring this wonderful recreation opportunity to Pittsfield.
The Parks Commission has already approved the project and is working
with Berkshire NEMBA on a Memorandum of Understanding. Although
Berkshire NEMBA and its supporters did not request any taxpayer
dollars or city funding, the addition of this park will have a massive
benefit to the City of Pittsfield for many years–not just in it’s
positive economic impact, but it’s contribution to increased health
and recreation opportunities, education, tourism, safety, and
community cohesiveness.
As a resident, I would like to see my city invest in this project by
supporting it with partial funding–either from the free cash or other
funds set aside for community improvement efforts because this project
will improve our community immensely.
Thank you,
Thomas c Goggia
449 Churchill St
Pittsfield, MA
———- ooo ———-
Goggia’s claims, as anyone who has researched this issue shows, are untrue. His arguments:
- The park is underused–It isn’t. Hundreds use it daily for passive recreation and enjoying nature.
- Mountain bikers are a large group–They aren’t. They are less than 1% of the city population.
- It is harmless recreation: Mountain biking destroys the environment, flora and fauna, fragments wildlife habitat, erodes plant/tree life.
- The money is “a small amount”–Is $500,000 “small?”
- City has no risk or exposure–False. The city will be exposed to claims won from the inevitable injuries.
- It will be a positive boon to the city– How is it a boon? The Northeast Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA) promised funding support when the project was earlier presented and approved by the parks commission. They promised “no expense to the city but is now is asking for “free” cash funding.
Moreover, NEMBA hasn’t signed the original Memo of Understanding (MOU) with Pittsfield, because it includes their responsibility to reconstruct any area of the park damaged by bikers.
It’s the old bait-and-switch, and Pittsfield officials once again have fallen for it. Step One: Present project and claim it won’t cost city a dime. Step Two: Win approval on that condition. Step Three: Switch tactics, refuse to sign MOA, and hit city up for Mucho Dinero.
Hartigan calls this and the ARPA giveaways “criminal embezzlement of city funds meant for those truly in need,” including taxpayers.
———- ooo ———-
THE PLANET also received a copy that Best Friends member Dan Miraglia sent to council president Peter Marchetti. We present it verbatim:
—–Original Message—–
From: Daniel Miraglia <danrags@verizon.net>
To: pmarchetti@cityofpittsfield.org <pmarchetti@cityofpittsfield.org>
Sent: Mon, Mar 20, 2023 2:58 pm
Subject: springside park free cash bike complex
peter
I have a copy of letter sent to city officials from Mr Goggia
regarding using free cash to support building the skills pump track
within springside park. I would like to bring to your attention that
any funding from the city would not be legal or allowed under the
current guidlines established by the park commission.. The parks
commission voted to approve the proposed skills bike project with
conditions that all funding would be privately raised by NEMBA and a
legal contract or memorandum of understanding be agreed upon with
special conditions. NEMBA has currently not signed any agreement with
the city and the parks commission has failed to provide information to
the public regarding financial questions and a ruling from the EOEEA
asking if this project would even be allowed under chapter 91 state
regulations. In my opinion NEMBA has failed to supply financial
information to the parks commission in a timely manner and the open
space director has failed to supply a ruling from EOEEA in a timely
manner. Springside park in its entirety is listed on the national
register of historic places and NEMBA should withdrawl its proposal
to the parks commission and look for an alternative site because of
the aggresive nature of this sport in a park meant for passive
recreation . the old berkshire county softball complex would be a
perfect location for the city of pittsfield to consider once again for
this type of sports complex proposal from NEMBA.
Daniel miraglia
pittsfield ma.
Hartigan also sent Marchetti a letter, saying that “Mr. Miraglia is correct on all counts. … Every single item in Mr. Goggia’s letter is false, every one.” He also says that a pump track includes “a whole constellation of buildings, pavement, etc.” In other words, the track includes development and infrastructure, not the least of which is a parking lot, that will affect the entire park and not just the immediate acreage.
———- ooo ———-
THE PLANET applauds the concerned citizens who, for 18 long months, have been fighting to preserve the park for all citizens, which was the original intent of the Miller Family when it generously deeded the land to the city.Will the city now violate that noble intent for the indulgence of a tiny group of selfish activists?
This puts the entire city council on watch, particularly any who back the bikers and are foolish enough to seek re-election to any office. Citizens fighting for the park form a sizable interest group, one that VOTES. They won’t forget and can spell doom for any candidate who caves in to the Special Interests and sacrifices the park.
——————————————————————–
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm” — Abraham Lincoln.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2023 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
And the BEAT goes on.
Dan, thank you for exposing this. It’s shady hsit like this that just might finally bring out a dark hose candidate this city desperately needs. I feel sorry for anyone stuck in The Pitts. Neither Pretty Boy Krol nor Pete The Putz Marchetti is the answer.
This is the type of expose that MUST be told if we are to have the pretense of a “free, open society/city.”
Pittsfield officials once again have fallen for it? They haven’t fallen for anything. I believe most city officials elected or appointed that had or have anything to do with this bike park getting done are and were all in on it happening to begin with right from beginning of the Springside biking proposal and are doing their best to make it happen. I would bet that everything mentioned in the letter bringing up the need for taxpayers money (Free cash, ARPA )was already known to those officials who are onboard with it long ago and discussed about the need for the cash behind the scenes. Now the mayor and most of council members can openly bs why they are planning to get this done for everyone’s benefit of course.
Pittsfield politics has been, is and always be the victim of shakedown artists, corrupt career politicians, and public financial fraudsters who “Cook the Books” at the expense of the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski family. A distressed “Gateway” city such as Pittsfield should be using its limited financial resources to Invest in People because they are the community’s most valuable economic resource. Instead, Pittsfield politics is run by a small group of insiders – some of whom live in galaxies far, far away such as Naples Florida (Rolodex) and Boston (Pittsfield’s Pot King) – who have no regard for the people and taxpayers who live in Pittsfield. Peter Marchetti and John Krol’s respective campaigns for Mayor of Pittsfield should be speaking out against the generations of failed state and local leadership in Pittsfield. Pittsfield has hundreds of millions of dollars in public debts and other liabilities (that will never be paid off in our lifetimes), yet the city continues to give away millions of dollars in municipal funds for gimmicks such as the proposed mountain biking skills courses at Springside Park. Lastly, the real bait-and-switch scheme is Pittsfield’s record-setting municipal budgets and excessive municipal spending in return for Level 5 public schools, Pittsfield always being in the top 10 cities in Massachusetts for violent crime year after year, dozens of empty storefronts on North Street’s “Social Services Alley” and the “Ring of Poverty” neighborhoods that surround dangerous downtown Pittsfield, the heavily indebted and polluted PEDA debacle, Nuciforo’s Pot Kingdom on Dalton Avenue stinking up nearby residential neighborhoods with his unpleasant pot growing odors, and so much political corruption and retribution that at least 80 percent of the city’s population doesn’t even bother to participate in Pittsfield politics because the fix is always in.
Correct me if I’m wrong JM, but didn’t you give Flat Tyer the letter grade of “A,” for her tenure as the Mayor of Pittsfield in a post last week?
Reading your post is anything but “A” level work to me. Maybe for the current Pittsfield Public Schools grading system, but I’m old-school and I would say she got an “F” for making it ‘Fuc$ing’ worse off than ever with gang members and their gunplay. I won’t mention the race of most of the gun and dope slingers in Pittsfield. Most brought in by all the ‘free’ grant money TFCB has bestowed on the city for bike lanes and non-working city park splash pads or restrooms. I don’t want to be labeled ‘racist’ by the cultural competency coach.
So, JM or “flip-flop” as I’ll now refer to you, how about a new take from you. We’ve read all of this before from you. These are HER issues. Not anyone else’s. The past is the past. She’s been mayor long enough to make a change for the better. She certainly has not.
Good points.
I wonder if mayoral candidate Marchetti will speak up as to whether this money could be better spent. Like, could there possibly be a more pressing need in Pittsfield than a fun park for people with budgets for expensive toys? Will he demonstrate that he is going to be a better steward of the taxpayers money than the woman he follows like a puppy now?
Will Krol show up in the audience and give his opinion on its importance or lack thereof? Or will he keep his head down hoping no one notices him until it is too late?
Both will take the low road on needs that affect the vote.
Now that this has been exposed, all candidates are on notice to take a position, early, up or down: Do they stand for the continued destruction of Springside Park via this huge, invasive project or do they stand for Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski and stop the deterioration by a tiny special-interest group.
And hopefully take a stand on other things that matter. I hate to think there is a mutuel agreement between the two going against special interests. My bottom line is let’s pray another candidate will enter this lightweight fray.
Right Dan. Keep in mind that when we asked them both about a forensic audit a week or so ago we were met with silence. DEAD SILENCE.
It was eerie and foretelling.
I thought they had North Street for a “bike park”, complete with toilet plungers.
Why is the city so intent on raping the pristine nature of Springside Park? Wasn’t this park protected by our forefathers as a place to enjoy nature in the middle of the city? For all the city’s disadvantaged kids who couldn’t attend summer camp? Just read the hate rag on pickleball courts they are trying to put in by the softball fields, which will be illegally paid for by ARPA money. Does this city ever do anything legal?
because catering to special interest groups is what they do best. And who knows, what financial bird droppings may land here and there as a result. Lotsa miscellaneous expenditures with a project like this.
If the city decides on using ARPA money illegally on this project I would like our DA to take the city leaders to court. ARPA money can only be spent on infrastructure items dealing with water, sewer and broadband, Public Health expenditures caused by COVID, Negative Economic impacts caused by COVID, replace lost public sector revenue (which we know didn’t happen due to our slush fund the city has) and premium pay for people who had to work during COVID in the community like police and fire. I do not see bike paths nor pickle ball courts listed.
The Pitt doesn’t have a real pickleball court. Use the $$ for that instead.
A few sets of stocks on Park Square, to display the corrupt local politicians.
Great idea!
This is exactly what the city needs and I am being serious. Shame can do wonders to reign in egocentric out of control politicians who think their shit is prettier than everyone else’s.
Bring tar and feathers, to the Tuesday meetings of the corrupt, indifferent and out of touch slouches.
Go to BCC and you will see a pickle ball court. No need for this but at least they put it by the water tower
True, I stand corrected. A single court enclosed in a chain-link cage.
Nothing is ever Zero cost! Even if upfront they used funds from whatever account they can it comes at the expense of hauling those fund for something else. Let’s be real. The actual cost of projects like these always balloon and need more funding than they originally ask for and what about future maintenance? This can cost many times the original cost to maintain or replace things that fall
Into disrepair or get vandalized. An approval without an agreement for maintenance is giving a blank check to a group that WILL NOT bring any extra value to anyone except the very small percentage of users of the park. Nothing personal but these small special interest groups are self serving only. Just think. If after a year of it being built it needs an outdoor bathroom(mens, women’s, and non binary) who is going to pay for that? Look at what the one at clapp park cost when that was built and now things are at least 30% more. No no no. Let’s hear from the two do gooders running for mayor.
Wow bombshell story. Taxpayers are supposed to fund the destruction of Springside?
The Parks Commission members need to be replaced, they are not maintaining the existing city parks as it is. This bike pump track needs to be shut down now – bad idea all around. Great to have this revelation made public, that the bike group wants money from the city. Outrageous.
Thanks, LEN
They could go down to one high school and use Pittsfield high for a bike pump track. There are about nine sets of steep stairs and long hallways they could ride up and down until their little hearts are content and nothing would have to be destroyed. Public rest rooms? Already there. Parking? Already there. Trash receptacles? Already there. Lockers for their personal belongings? Already there. Showers? You got em buddy!
If Pete would just come forward and offer this suggestion he would guarantee his election. Do it Pete. Just do it.
No one is gonna laugh…I promise.
They already have the bike park right next door so just expand it. They could also create the new police station right there at PHS so they can keep an eye on all the drugs being sold
What has become of the city’s “Wild Acres” park?
I remember, before the airport expansion fiasco, kids enjoying fishing derbies each spring there.
Is it still in disrepair and mismanaged by the parks commission?
It’s a shithole
I live near Kirvin Park which is being destroyed by dogs running off leash and owners not picking up the dogs’ crap. My kids have had soccer games there and it’s hard to avoid all the dog crap. The city established a dog park for this purpose but dog owners still abuse Kirvin.
And the new pickleball courts, will the local pickle clubs be taking over those or will at least 2 of the courts be reserved for city residents? One of the “local” clubs has a lot of neighboring town residents and I don’t want to see these new courts commandeered by the clubs thinking that the courts are their turf exclusively. How is the Park Commission going to handle that? Personally I think they do a lousy job of managing the parks.
I also remember when you could slide down the big hill at Clapp park but now there’s all kinds of stuff in the way.
I remember pickup hockey games on the common each winter.
I don’t have a horse in this race, but to play devil’s advocate : The park is getting pickleball courts for a vocal minority, this only seems fair a different vocal minority gets what they want.
exactly! where does it end?
Given Mr. Goggia’s enthusiasm for this destructive project, I’m certain he won’t have any objections to building it in his own spacious backyard on Churchill Street. He can host fundraisers, e.g., barbecues, candlelight suppers, hootenannies, jamborees, keg parties, donkey rides and death-defying bicycle stunts off the roof of his own home, to pay for this project in own spacious backyard, on Churchill Street. Considering the wellspring of support for this project, Mr. Goggia and Pittsfield’s elected officials should have no problem raising the necessary funds needed for this project from the 1000’s of bicyclists who will be the only ones to benefit from this project. An added benefit to the whole of city of Pittsfield by locating this project right in Mr. Goggia’s own backyard will be that these enhancements to his own spacious backyard, will no doubt significantly increase his own property taxes. What’s not to like about that. Have at it bicyclists!
Thanks, Dan, for helping expose the corruption and insider BS going on in the Flat administration. Hopefully we the taxpayers can stop it.
A few points I gleaned from your article. (1) the city gives away tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for BS non-existent “companies” (BBEC) and special interest groups (NEMBA), like it’s Monopoly money, (2) what is wrong with the softball complex for this? It has ample parking and plenty of land to further destroy for their bicycles, (3) any chance you could lock Marchetti and Krol into their opinion on this project? A yes or a no. We, the taxpayers, want an opinion from these two. We don’t want to hear “I don’t have enough information,” “I’m still looking into it,” etc. It’s been going on for over a year now.
If these guys want to show us their mayoral makeup, then Marchetti and Krol better have a true answer to their feelings on this. An undecided answer is a yes answer and will show the taxpayers how weak the potential incoming mayor will be. It will also show the taxpayers that it will be a continuation of the Flat Tyer’s spending policy of helping special interest groups and blowing off the taxpayers.
Nice idea. Hopefully neither of these guys is a fibber that might change his mind after he was lock in and nobody could touch him for four years.
They will say. “I have questions about the plan. The plan had not been finalized. I think it only fair to both sides that I wait to decide. ”
In other words, let’s get it done and behind us.
One has to remember that the two candidates for mayor are on the same side as both supported Tyer and Harrington.
Choice of bad and terrible will get the voters out.
Out of town.
Rest In Peace Willis Reed.
One of the greats. Who can forget Game 7, NBA Finals vs. Lakers, at the old Garden. Reed got hurt (thigh) in Game 5. Sat out Game 6 as Wilt Chamberlain scored 45 points and a million rebounds to tie the series. Knicks are warming up pre-game, and Reed comes hobbling out. The Garden crowd goes NUTZ!!! Gave the team a huge lift. Clyde Frazier goes off for 36 points and the Knicks get their fist World Championship. Probable the only time this in-the-blood Celtics fan ever rooted hard for the Knickerbockers.
I forgot to add in my last post Thomas Goggia’s email seemed to leave out one of the biggest factors why Pittsfield truly needs Springside Park torn up for mountain bikers- “it’s for the children of color.”
I believe Dina Horton-Smithers-Chang-Hernandez-Edgerton-Lipschitz-Guiel and Alison “Conflict of Interest” McGee even stated this fact at a previous meeting.
“It’s for the children of color.” That saying as it pertains to mountain biking has to go right up there with “It’s Happening” and/or “vibrant and dynamic.”
Correct, MARK. In their previous go-around, McGee and others touted the benefits for “children of color.” What a crock of BS.
Why can’t cars be accessible to bike lanes.. seems like the bike lanes have precident over car lanes….. how about a bike lane for a car on the Ashuwillticook Trail?
…or a people walking lane…lots of those bike folk don’t want no walkers in their way as they zoom up and down the trail. If they had their way, the walkers would be banned and you know it.
Be a great opportunity for POCs (and white trash too) to steal expensive MTBs to finance their vices and habits.
How can the city pay for the pump track if they can’t even pay for pickleball courts?
Someone is getting pumped by the pickle and I think it’s the taxpayer.
When I see decent roads and streets not covered with trash I might be able to think about special interest stuff. But if you can’t even do the basic stuff you should not even be thinking about elitist projects while using Joe taxpayers money for it.
I would love to see the actual numbers for money spent on parks and recreation in the last ten years along side the number for money spent on upkeep of the roads in Pittsfield. My guess is ten dollars for parks to every dollar for roads, maybe more.
They couldn’t waited till April 1st, this is the most foolish thing I’ve heard.
Agree. But the water p.ant waste is the worst.
Aecom slash whatever need to contact the G man make a truce and get this water problem corrected.
What we can do is vote these current city councilors out in November.
The consultants will never try to talk to the Gman because they know the first thing G will do is reduce the project by 40 million by incorporating Krofta supracells into the updates and eliminating the need for 84 million dollars worth of useless, giant, metal storage tanks.. If things go as G predicts the consultants will loose 4 000 000dollars in fees as their cut is 10% of total project cost. Thats the main reason they will not talk to the Gman. Of course if the Gman is put against the wall he might do what he did in the 80’s and steal the entire project away from them saving the ratepayers over a 100 000 000. If that doesn’t work and the wizzard wins the mayor’s race the city will save over 140 000000 dollars
then he will fire the consultants outright. He did this to these same consultants in the 80’s and he can do that again. This out come will cost the consultants in excess of 18 000 000 dollars. This is what we should all pray for. This is what the Gman is praying for. Biggest winners if he wins the mayoral race equals 140 000000 to the kapanskis
Ricardo knows best. If he says we have to throw money in the ocean that’s what we have to do.
How about rope tows in the parks with hills so folks can take their kids sliding?
Uganda just passed a law ten years in prison fo4r anyone associating with LGBTQI platform.
Fear not! It’s not drag queen story hour. It’s just the VIEW.
A simple, low-tech way to fun.
Hasn’t the rope tow at OSCEOLA park been out of order for years?
The rope tow was a nice thing. It was operated by volunteers; in many cases they were the parents of children sledding and skiing at Osceola. Osceola, like Clapp Park use to be full of children in the winter.
All BS aside, that was something that was really for the children. I know they were probably just white children, but still. The city of Pittsfield has for decades and continues to neglect that city park, probably because it’s more likely to be used only by WHITE kids. There is a passionate grassroots support for the rehabilitation of Osceola Park grounding in nostalgia. But until the disadvantaged negros take over the neighborhood, this park will never be on the city’s priority list.
Rope tows inspire fat lazy children.
And they keep kids from sweating and getting cold and going home to warch TV
Kids need to learn how to dress for outside activities. Layers that can be removed as activity warms them up, or replaced as they cool.
Also wool or polypro which does not hold moisture to the skin.
We used to build snow forts and would be warm and happy in below zero weather with a howling wind.
Most of today’s children are befuddled with how to enjoy the outdoors, warm hot or cold. But they can stare into their tablets, transfixed, for hours on end…….
Entirely true, TRAP.
It seems that the members of the Parks Commission, just like the City Clownsil, all ruled by Liar Tyer just sit on their almighty egotistical butts and spend taxpayer’s money. City of Pittsfield can’t take care of the parks they already have! Examples of this is look how they let the softball complex on East Street rot away, anyone hear how and when Wahconah Park is going to be repaired? They built Dorothy Amos park on West Street with no available parking, Little League and Babe Ruth fields have to be maintained by parents, both public areas by the lakes, along with the Common are littered with needles. Belanger Field track is rotting, the public park bathrooms are unusable. Drove by the park on Springside Avenue today and parents were there shoveling out the area by the swing sets and slides so the little toddlers could play. Take a look at the skate park compared to the one in North Adams, why is Pittsfield’s park neglected? Has the Mayor or City Clownsil ever confronted Jim McGrath to ask him why there is no maintenance. Basically, this Administration just wants to spend money. The City can’t even maintain North Street. Remember the days when within a day after a snowstorm the City would clear the snow banks on the whole North Street so people could easily shop at the stores. Now you have to climb over huge snowbanks to reach the sidewalk. Look how this Administration got rid of both bowling alleys, one because the building was going to be renovated, yet to happen and one for pot growing which has yet to happen. Between the closing of the Softball Complex and both bowling alleys, Pittsfield lost entertainment for many residents. The sad thing is, no matter how much the taxpayers try to voice their opinions, the opinions fall onto deaf ears. The only thing that matters is what LINDA and her PALS want!
Well stated, M&B.
“Has the Mayor or City Clownsil ever confronted Jim McGrath to ask him why there is no maintenance. ”
Yes. I submitted a petition on this question. It’s reception was less than ideal, but I did root out an illegal encampment intruding on a Morningside neighborhood.
There are some people who are city employees who might lose their jobs if they actually did them the way they are supposed to be done. “Keep you mouth shut” is often a criteria for remaining employed.
Charles, I know you try, but the problem is thankfully you are not one of “Linda’s Pals”. One of your wards has the absolute worse park at Allendale School. All the children that play at that park while breathing in the air from Hill 78. Both you and Morandi have tried to rectify that mess, once again falling on the deaf ears of the Tyer Administration.
Worse mistake that was made was changing the term of the Mayor. Taxpayers are stuck watching the City fall apart and there is not a damn thing they can do about it. We only have a couple of voices in you and Karen K. which is not enough to help. We also need to change the number of terms that the CC President serves, Pee Pee Petie has served as a coconspirator with Tyer through this whole decline of the City.
Nailed it!
Disband the Park Commission and replace them with people who care about maintaining our park treasures!
Pittsfield politics doesn’t mind charging state and local taxpayers top dollar in exchange for rock bottom municipal services. I have followed Pittsfield politics for over 3 decades now, and I am still unable to understand why the city government passes record setting budgets in return for Level 5 public schools, always being a top 10 city in Massachusetts for violent crime, the heavily indebted and polluted PEDA debacle that will turn 25 years old this upcoming Summer 2023, one-party dominance with political insiders who are notoriously corrupt and secretive, and 5 decades of significant population loss – a shrinking middle-class tax base – in a postindustrial distressed economy whereby one is better off receiving government assistance and social services than working in a full-time living wage job that is about as real as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Pigs with wings that fly around Unicorns, and that goddamned Rolodex that sits on an old fashioned barstool in the Berkshire Museum!
The City used to use custodians from the school dept. in the summer to cut grass in the parks and ballfields instead of laying them off. They did a great job.
What about putting adult or juvenile probationers to work?
Plenty of fields to be mowed. Used needles and liquor bottles to be picked up. Graffiti to be cleaned up. Plenty of work to help pay their debt to society.
Make committing crimes not fun again. If you attach manual labor behind a criminal punishment, hopefully it’ll make some think twice.
We are aware certain people prefer to grift and collect government assistance, rather than work. It’s time to give them a taste of how things work in the real world. You know, like most of us know.
Make them do the thing they dread the most: work and be accountable.
Why stop at chain gangs and prison labor, why not workhouses and debtors’ prisons. Oh, wait, like baby farming aka Department of Children and Families/DCF/Child Protective Services, debtors’ prisons never went away.
If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard a hundred times, Pittsfield has a long running habit of creating unnecessary city positions for the sole purpose of providing paychecks to connected people who are unemployable in the real world. Even one of the mayoral candidates was a recipient of this taxpayer funded chicanery. Two of your favorites are on this fraud list, Pittsfield Cultural Proficiency Coach, Shirley Sharpton Edgerton, and Pittsfield’s first ever chief diversity officer, Michael Sharpton Obasohan. A legitimate use of the tax dollars pissed away on these two would be better spent on park upkeep/cleaning up dog/human schitt, used needles, empty nips and condoms, cleaning gutters, or even burning these tax dollars wasted on those two would be preferable to pissing it away on those two.
to be continued……
Chain gangs are not the same thing as community service work. I’m not even sure you know what a chain gang is and how they are regarded by those working them.
But uncompensated labor is a fair punishment. The state takes from the convict one or more of three: Time, Life, and/or Money.
Community service is the taking of time & money (unpaid work) in compensation for criminal activity, much of which is cause for the chain gang to clean up after.
I suspect that more than a few clean up crew may prefer the ‘out of prison’ on a sunny day.
Well spoken, PFH.
Does anyone know the reason these people cannot contribute? I think it is a legal thing but what exactly? Some of those jail folk might love to get out from behind the bars for a few hours a day. If they run, shoot em and use em fer organ donors. Pass a law and make it all legal.
yuck. That’s what they do in China.
Even worse in China: they have gulags.
They even look like Auschwitz. I’m with you on this.
It is tricky. A few wrong moves or a few misunderstandings and it looks like slavery or workhouses reconstituted.
That is – gulags. Gulags are slave facilities and holding pens where the imprisoned have no rights, no name, and are places used to make people disappear.
We are close to adopting them.
BERKSHIRE EAGLE STORY
GREAT BARRINGTON — A company that transforms old, small-town movie theaters into more varied entertainment venues is short on the funds it needs to overhaul the Triplex Cinema.
Cinema Lab representatives say they’ve only raised about half of the $1.2 million it needs to seal the deal. So the company and Triplex owner Richard Stanley are looking to the community — and likely the town — to find a way to raise the rest of it.
And the stakes couldn’t be higher, Stanley says. If the money isn’t raised by early June, the downtown theater at risk of closing, leaving the town with a large void — physically and culturally.
This story is too funny. Could the taxpayers please pony up and help this poor man? Again? How did that work out in Pittsfield? de ja vu all over again. Public money for private ventures anyone? Are Pittsfield taxpayers allowed to help this guy out cuz I am sure they would like to. This project just cries out for another GoFundMe solicitation. It is for the kids…and the community…and the LGBT folk and the American People and the disadvantaged all over the globe.
Thanks for sharing this farce, SNARK. Flat Tyer and the council let Mr. Stanley out of a $2.3 million obligation to Pittsfield taxpayers. THE PLANET respectfully suggest Mr. S use $600K of that for the Triplex in toney GB. Otherwise, let it fail. Who needs to pay $100 a couple for a night out at the movies, anyway?
If you can Dan do a follow up on this.
Not to mention Dan, the movies today are either woke copies of a movie from yester year with their main characters changed to reflect such. Or the theme of the movie checks left-leaning boxes: executive/CEO of legitimate company black guy w/a non-black female and children who value education over thug life and gang banging. White male cops are always dirty cops and hate and beat black guys for driving by them, like what happened to Helen ‘Handgun” Moon in Boston, years ago. White males in movie are either gay or so clumsy, they need a POC character to help them operate a simple thing like a microwave oven.
You can get all this eye-candy (no pun) for a $15+ (per) adult ticket, $8+ for a small bag of popcorn, and a $7+ small fountain drink. That’s only $30 for one person and not a lot from the concession stand.
What a deal!! Pony up for Richard. He’s broke. Or better yet, how about the Black Berkshire Economic Council (BBEC) go into business with Richard and pony up the remaining $600K? They certainly have it….or had it.
Correct, MARK. Speaking of Woked-Up remakes, Hulu will be showing a 6-part adaptation of my favorite all-time novel, Dickens’ Great Expectations. The previews show that Estella, yes, is a back girl. … Of course.
Dan, that objection speaks to the literalness seen in today’s movie audience. In prior years, a gun would be fired on stage and you would not see a fountain of blood and brains explode. Today, it is necessary to pull in extras and blow the hell out of them to make it real. Ask Baldwin! It is perverse! I’m totally with Plato on actors these days – they should be apprehended, charged, and duly hanged.
An African American can play any role just as well as any caucasian. You know the Elizabethans did not scrounge for moorish actors to play Othello.
And in the Bard’s days, many female roles were played by men. Billy Shakes was ahead of his times!
Women did not act. Dirty work and morally corrupting not fit for them.
Yes indeed.
Thank you!
The banking system nearing a complete collapse and the bikers, Stanley, EMA, etc. all want taxpayer dollars. Stop the spending! Pittsfield is in debt up to their eyeballs, Lenox the tony town is cutting their school budget, and GB is being asked for money to OVERHAUL a movie theater! Priorities, people. Let the Triplex fail, let any business or endeavor fail if they cannot make ends meet on their own. The bailouts must stop.
Name 1 grant they didnt
https://youtu.be/GlPlfCy1urI
If the owner is unable to extort the needed funds from GB, he’ll run right back to Pittsfield where he knows, for a fact, that Pittsfield taxpayers’ pockets are ripe for easy pickings. But he better hurry before tyer, marchetti, krol, persip, white, dina squeal, sherman, ruffer, kirwood, kavey, conut, moralASS, goggia, warren, nilan, wynn, and the yet to be officially named new chief of police who refuses to even live within the violent drug infested city limits of Pittsfield, et al, piss all away all the taxpayer’s $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on the decrepit Springside house money pit, bike lanes, welfare scooters, PUMP BALLS and PICKLE PARKS, officers of inequality, reverse discrimination enforcers, multimillion accommodations for the transient houseless flocking to Pittsfield’s beggars’ corners, shooting galleries and Narcan for junkies, a rotary on every corner, so the houseless can double and triple dip, and perverse LGBTQQIP2SAAFUCKU celebrations in the Common right next to the toddler splash pad.
While I can’t swear to it, on Tuesday at about 3:30ish I thought I saw rumpass MoralASS riding his bicycle in the middle of moving traffic on Tyler Street because the bike lanes had never been plodded out from the last storm, probably because those bump outs make proper plowing impossible.
Lindsay Graham was grilling a Biden official about all the Americans dying each day from fentanyl. In fact fentanyl is now the number one cause of death in this country. The Biden official countered Graham’s claim by saying that Mexicans are dying from fentanyl too like this justifies all the deaths in this country. It also shows that they are trying to save the world and putting Americans last. Americans dying from fentanyl is acceptable when these people are on a save the world mission even though they aren’t saving anyone because the cartels are running wild with all the drugs and China is involved in pushing the fentanyl across our borders. Nobody is being saved.
“Nobody is being saved.”
“Big guy” and family is getting his 10%
Right. The Biden Family make countless millions in crooked deals with shady foreigners (10% going to “The Big Guy”). Nothing done. No indictments. Trump pays a porn star $130K eight years ago to sign a NDA (which is legal, by the way) and it’s a federal case. Up is Down. In is Out. Love is Hate.
Isaiah 5:20
Trump didn’t pay the porn star.
They say not paying a porn star, is the surest way to make her moan.
Dina just introduced a petition to rename Daniels Avenue to Stormy Daniels Avenie.
I heard there’s another right behind Daniels renaming Robbins, Robbing you blind.
Also what was she recommending a book at city Council the other night, by Nudge? which one? We have rules Dina,we don’t need a book. This had nothing to do with the conversation last meeting. Your social platform wreaks of nepotism.
One more comment Dan. If these candidates were so inclined to announce in January then let’s here some rhetoric. What’s on your minds candidates? So we can make decisions!
What meeting was this? I want to see it for myself!
Any ideas for renaming the renovated sewage treatment plant Dina?
How about Big Dig.
Don’t give her ideas. The next thing you know, Dina Thompkins-Washington-Xu-Fernadez-Lipschitz-Guiel and Tricia Farley-Country Buffet (D-illegal immigrants and prostitutes) will cosponsor a bill to rename Cheshire Road, from Cheshire Road to the ‘Climate Change Corridor.’
It does nothing to address any of the issues going on in the city and it gives the low IQ people a chance to mask up and get a picture in the paper supporting “climate change.”
What does the state do with all the deposit money collected and cans and/or bottles are never returned? I was told plastic bottles were the Earth’s demise years ago, but yet here we are.
Dina has filed a petition asking that Allen St. be renamed “Global Warming Way.” Council will approve, 7-3 (Maffuccio absent).