Berkshire County Transportation Enhanced by Over $400 K in State Grants

08:17AM / Thursday, March 06, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded funding to the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority and Great Barrington (BRTA) to enhance transportation access within Berkshire County.

BRTA and the Town of Great Barrington have received a combined total of over $400,000 through the Community Transit Grant Program (CTGP).

"Every investment we make in public transportation is an investment to connect more individuals and households to opportunities and to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts," said Governor Maura Healey. "We commend everyone who competed for funding available through this program and made a strong case for the importance of connectivity and transportation education in their respective communities."

The BRTA has been granted $160,312. Specifically, $9,300 will support the continuation of its travel training program, empowering individuals to use public transportation confidently. Additionally, $151,012 will expand paratransit services for seniors in underserved rural towns, building on the BRTA's previous medical transit pilot.

Furthermore, the Town of Great Barrington has been awarded $252,000 to provide demand-response transportation services across seven rural towns within the county. This initiative will address critical transportation gaps in these areas, ensuring residents have access to essential services and destinations.

These grants are part of a broader $5.8 million investment by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to improve mobility for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals throughout Massachusetts.

MassDOT received 79 applications from 59 organizations with a total request of over $14 million. Community Transit Grant Program awards are funded using $4 million from the Education and Transportation Fund through the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget, as well as $1.8 million in Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 funding

Tags: BRTA, MassDOT,

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ServiceNet Hopes to Open Pittsfield Warming Center in Nov.

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:48AM / Thursday, October 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A warming center is again planned in the First United Methodist Church for the cold months.

During last week's Homelessness Advisory Committee meeting, Erin Forbush, director of shelter and housing at ServiceNet, reported that they hope to begin operating the nighttime center in mid-November.

It would operate from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the church, which abuts The Pearl shelter. Forbush said the warming center would be the same program as in the past.

"Again it's a warming center, so there's no cots or beds, but it is certainly a place to come in, and we'll have a hot coffee or cocoa ready for folks," she explained.

"It will be a place to be inside and warm."

This year, ServiceNet hopes to secure full funding from the state so the warming center can open on Sundays at 5 p.m. In years past, they found that Sunday is the most challenging day for unhoused individuals because many community spaces aren't open.

The First Housing Resource Center, managed by Hearthway, opened earlier this year as a low-barrier option for people to rest and access amenities. It is open seven days a week, and Forbush said if people could come to the warming center on Sundays at 5, there would be a fuller day of coverage.

"It does still leave a little gap for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, as spaces like the library close at five, but we know that Sundays were something that people were looking for," she said.

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