BCC Invites Community to Participate in Baking Contest

07:44AM / Monday, July 28, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) invites all amateur bakers to participate in the sixth annual Burke's Baking Contest, a community-wide bakeoff judged by "celebrity judges" from around Berkshire County.

The event will be held in conjunction with BCC's Community Fest on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on BCC's main campus, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. The bakeoff begins at noon on the first floor of the Susan B. Anthony Center.

Entries may be submitted in a number of sweet or savory categories, from cakes, cupcakes and cookies to breads, donuts and muffins. Each person may enter in up to two categories. To submit an entry and view a complete list of categories and rules, visit https://www.berkshirecc.edu/communityfest. Entries must be submitted by Friday, Aug. 8.

The top winner in each category will receive a $25 King Arthur Flour gift certificate. Grand Prize winners will receive a trivet created by BCC's STEM department.

Burke's Baking Contest is the culmination of a series of baking events BCC has held over the past year. Recipes gathered from all contests will be compiled into a cookbook, and proceeds will support the Campus Cupboard, which supports students, faculty and staff in need.

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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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