Pittsfield's to Host Public Meeting to Present the Draft Master Plan

07:29AM / Friday, August 21, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Department of Community Development, in collaboration with VHB, is hosting a public presentation and input session as part of the final steps in preparing the city's Master Plan, Pathway to 2036.

Over the past year, the Department has been engaged in a comprehensive planning process to develop a Master Plan designed to guide Pittsfield's future growth and change, while preserving its character and honoring the community's shared values. The revised Master Plan will serve as an essential policy document for the city's physical development, addressing important topics such as land use, infrastructure, and sustainability.

This meeting marks the third public gathering focused on the creation of the Master Plan for Pittsfield.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 6:00p.m. at City Hall, Council Chambers, located at 70 Allen Street.

During the meeting, the draft Master Plan will be presented to the public. Members of the public are encouraged to attend, review the plan, and share their feedback.

For additional details about the meeting, contact:

City Planner: Kevin Rayner at (413) 499-9368 or via email at krayner@pittsfieldma.gov
Luke Mitchell at lamitchell@vhb.com

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Berkshire Museum Explores Ancient Egypt With ‘Soulful Creatures’

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
11:33AM / Friday, October 09, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Following its multimillion-dollar renovation, the Berkshire Museum is welcoming an exhibition unlike any it has been able to host before.

Marking the museum's first major exhibition since its renovation, "Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt," opening Saturday, Oct. 10, thins the veil between the ever-evolving history of Egyptian culture and society and modern day people.

"The most important thing about history is recognizing people from the past as actual people. Ancient Egyptians are no different than us," said William Dore, the museum's chief curator. "They have different cultures and beliefs and different viewpoints, but you can say the same thing about people today."

When audiences experience the exhibit, they will see the humanity in the people of the past, which in turn helps them connect with different views and perspectives around the world today, he said.

Combining archeology with modern scientific imaging, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum curators Yekaterina Barbash and Edward Bleiberg designed an exhibit that works to uncover the mysteries behind these objects and the beliefs and rituals that surround them.

"I think something that people kind of misunderstand about history is none of it's ever settled. ... History is a science that is constantly questioned,” Dore said. "It only works if everyone's constantly rethinking things, learning new things ... which is for me super exciting because as much as we know a lot about the ancient Egyptians, there's a lot we don't know.”

The installation features dozens of artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum that explores the practice of animal mummification and the role animals played in ancient Egyptian religion.

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