BOSTON— The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), through its Office of Transportation Planning (OTP), announced the inaugural round of technical assistance for communities through the new Local Early and Actionable Planning (LEAP) Program.
In Berkshire County, Becket was awarded funds for the High Street Improvement Project.
The LEAP Program, launched earlier this year, is designed to help municipalities—particularly rural and underserved communities—initiate transportation projects by providing early-stage planning and design support.
"The LEAP Program is a critical investment in the future of our communities," said Governor Maura Healey. "When municipalities get the assistance they need early on, they can plan for more efficient and effective projects that improve our roads and bridges, reduce congestion and improve quality of life. We are committed to supporting these communities as they work to restore, repair and enhance key transportation projects while advancing local priorities across the state."
Through LEAP, participating municipalities receive direct planning and engineering assistance from MassDOT and its consultant partners. Typical activities include:
Conceptual design and alternatives analyses
Safety and traffic analyses
Cost estimation and mapping support
Early-stage design and engineering for smaller-scale projects
Federal grant application development
The program is funded through $1 million included in Governor Healey's FY 2026 Capital Investment Plan and administered as part of MassDOT's capital budget.
Municipal leaders interested in future rounds of LEAP assistance can find information about eligibility, application timelines, and upcoming outreach events on the MassDOT Municipal Planning and Support website: https://www.mass.gov/massdot-municipal-planning-and-support. For any additional questions, they can write to MuniSupport@dot.state.ma.us.
Requests from municipalities that were not selected to advance this round will be kept on file for consideration in state fiscal year 2027 beginning in July 2026. These communities are also encouraged to contact MassDOT's Municipal Planning and Support Team to express continued interest in assistance through the program.
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The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.
Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director.
Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.
The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.
"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.
Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.
"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."
One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.
Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.
"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.
They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.
"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.
The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.
Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.
"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said.
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