MassDOT Third Annual Name A Snowplow Contest

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing the third annual "Name A Snowplow" contest for statewide elementary school students in Massachusetts. 
 
The contest seeks to solicit names for 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service for the upcoming 2024/2025 winter season. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season.  Winning selections will be announced by Monday, Dec. 23. 
 
"With the winter soon approaching, we are excited to announce that the third annual ‘Name a Snowplow Contest’ is now accepting submissions from elementary school students statewide," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "Each year, this is a fun opportunity for students to show off their creativity, and we look forward to seeing which names will end up on our snowplows this winter season." 
 
Applications for the Snowplow Naming Contest are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, and can be submitted by using an online portal:  https://www.mass.gov/forms/name-a-snowplow-contest-submission. There is no limit to the number of applications that can be submitted per school. The contest winners will be invited to participate in a scheduled snowplow unveiling event. 
 
A selection panel composed of MassDOT employees will choose two elementary school classroom winners that are located within each of the six Highway Division districts.  The winning submissions will be evaluated based on two grade-level categories: 1) kindergarten through fourth grade; and 2) fifth grade through eighth grade.  
 
During the second annual snowplow naming contest last winter, the winning names were: Flower Plower, Edward Blizzardhands, Glacier Gobbler, Polar Pathmaker, Snow B Wan Kenobi, The Snolar Express, Sleetwood Mac, Snow Place Like Home, Snow-hemian Rhapsody, The Mayplower, Snow Monstah, Fast and Flurryous.  These names, which were placed on the sides of plow trucks a year ago, remain on those vehicles. 
 
For more information on the contest, visit https://www.mass.gov/name-a-snowplow-contest-2024-25

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Holiday Inn Remains Closed from Broken Elevator

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It has been almost three weeks since broken elevators temporarily closed the Holiday Inn & Suites, and the hotel is still working to meet code compliance. 

The hotel at 1 West Street has been closed since Sept. 25, after its last working elevator of three broke down. The 101 Restaurant & Bar, located within the Holiday Inn, also has temporarily shut its doors while repairs are ongoing. 

The day of the shutdown had emergency personnel carrying people who use mobility devices down stairs. 

“We were called there a couple of Fridays ago. There was no working elevator. There were EMTs and the fire department there, and they were getting over half a dozen people down the stairs that were in wheelchairs and walkers,” Building Commissioner Rian Dowd told iBerkshires on Wednesday. 

“So with the no working elevators, we shut the building down.”

The central downtown, 12-story hotel has nearly 180 guest rooms. Massachusetts requires public multi-level buildings and facilities to have elevator access. 

Dowd said the Holiday Inn is still working with the elevator company and state inspectors to be certified and reopen. They were told to provide the City of Pittsfield with a timeline, work orders, and contracts from repairs so that everyone can be on the same page and the hotel can open as quickly as possible, she said. 

“We have not heard anything from them yet this week,” she reported. 

iBerkshires’ attempts to reach a representative from the Holiday Inn were unsuccessful. 

There were no passengers in the elevator when it stopped working; how it broke was not disclosed. 

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