Berkshire Carousel Reopening June 14

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:43AM / Wednesday, May 07, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Carousel will spin again this summer, powered by a nonprofit organization.

Last week, Berkshire Carousel Inc. announced the ride's grand opening on June 14th at noon. The carousel, located at 50 Center St., has not operated since 2018 was picked up by volunteers earlier this year.

Aside from carousel rides, the grand opening will feature games, food, and the unveiling of some renovations.

"Operating hours for the 2025 season are 12-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays," Janet Crawford of Berkshire Carousel Inc. wrote in a press release.

"A newly renovated patio will be open featuring food vendors, picnic tables and yard games. The
Carousel Cart will feature brand new t-shirt designs for children and adults."

On May 24, sponsors and supporters can get early access during a preview party.

The Berkshire Carousel opened to enthusiastic fans in 2016 but has not operated since 2018 after leadership and funding fell apart.

For more than a decade, hundreds of volunteers hand-carved and painted each element of the carousel. The horses and carriages feature images of people from the community as well as areas and scenery of the county, and other unique designs.

Late last year, James Shulman and his wife, Jackie, started an effort to gift it back to his hometown. It was offered to the city through a conveyance and donation of property, estimated to cost about $61,000 annually to run and bring in the same amount of money.

The City Council decided that the proposal needed more community input, with mixed reviews from officials and residents. Concerns included possible financial liabilities if the city took it on and the carousel's location but supporters argued that the city needs more recreational activities to bring people in.

Based on a recommendation from the finance subcommittee, the council then voted to form a committee to study the proposal, but that became null when the offer was withdrawn early this year.

Shulman worked with the friends of the carousel group on other operational plans, as when volunteers learned that the ride could be revived, they began working with the Berkshire Carousel Inc., a 501c3 not for profit organization., to offer an opportunity for it to be run "By the people who love it most.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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