BCC Assistant Professor Awarded $5K Grant from Mass Cultural Council

11:41AM / Tuesday, March 17, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced that Assistant Professor of English Liesl Schwabe has been awarded a Mass Cultural Council Grant for Creative Individuals for $5,000.

The funding will support Schwabe as she works to complete a collection of essays, largely pulling from the research and reporting she conducted while serving as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in Kolkata, India, during the 2024-2025 academic year. Schwabe's previous writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, World Literature Today, Words Without Borders and LitHub, among other publications.

"While essential federal funding for the arts is cut or eliminated entirely, it is all the more important to recognize Massachusetts for its ongoing support of and advocacy for individual artists and our communities," Schwabe said. "I am tremendously honored to receive this Mass Cultural Council grant, which provides both material support and vital professional encouragement."

Mass Cultural Council adopted a $34 million spending plan for the current fiscal year, allowing the agency to award at least 2,200 grants totaling approximately $26.2 million to the Commonwealth's creative and cultural sector. This funding derives primarily from public dollars, including the agency's $26.9 million state budget appropriation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.

Mass Cultural Council funds reach every community in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to advance the Commonwealth's creative and cultural sector by celebrating traditions and talents, championing its collective needs, and equitably investing public resources.

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Allendale Pines North Affordable Manufactured Homes Sell Fast

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:17PM / Saturday, August 22, 2026

Developer Teton Management cut the ribbon on the first six hopes in the manufactured housing community earlier this year.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Just a few months after Allendale Pines North cut the ribbon on its first six homes in the new manufactured home community, units in the planned development are selling fast with both first and second phases all but sold out.

For several years, Teton Management Corp. has been planning to expand its existing Allendale Pines Mobile Community with the development of 22 planned manufactured housing units. The new development has its own entrance at 395 Cheshire Road.

The need for attainable housing has never been higher, Teton President George Whaling said.

"And where we sought the opportunity to help with that demand is, we can get folks into a home at Allendale Pines North for essentially a couple of $100 less than what it would cost for someone to rent a three-bedroom of the same quality," he said.

The corporation took over Allendale Pines, now referred to as Allendale Pines South, about 6 1/2 years ago, Whaling said.

Since then, the corporation has invested $1,000,001 in infrastructure improvements, including replacing all water and sewer lines, paving the community and installing the infrastructure needed for 10 additional units, he said.

Additionally, it has been working to clean up and improve the community, which was lacking during previous ownership, said Jason Nocher, owner of Nocher Realty, which has been hired to help sell the units.

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