Pittsfield CPA Public Hearing Set for Nov. 3

07:44AM / Tuesday, October 28, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Preservation Committee will be holding a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 related to the use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds and the City of Pittsfield's priorities in relation to the Community Preservation Plan.

The hearing will be held in Room 203 on the second floor of City Hall, 70 Allen Street.

Also, the Committee announces that the project eligibility application process for a new year of CPA funding is open through Nov. 15. The Committee will provide an overview of previous allocations of CPA funds and welcomes public participation to understand community priorities as it begins a new year of soliciting potential projects for funding.

Eligibility project applications are due by 3 p.m. on Nov. 15. The application process involves two

steps:

The first is a determination of whether a project is eligible for CPA funds under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44B. A digital version of the application for this first step is available through the Community Preservation Committee webpage: https://www.pittsfieldma.gov/251/Community-Preservation-Committee
Upon confirmed eligibility, projects will then be invited to submit applications for funding in early 2026.

A link to the Community Preservation Plan and eligibility application is available on the Community

Preservation Committee page: https://www.pittsfieldma.gov/251/Community-Preservation-Committee

For more information, call Kevin Rayner, City Planner, at 413-499-9366 or email at krayner@cityofpittsfield.org.

Tags: CPA,

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Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Friday, October 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.