Berkshire County — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced on Monday, August 26, that it has awarded $5.9 million in grants to 61 cultural and tourism projects through the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism’s Destination Development Capital (DDC) grant program, which supports projects that expand, construct, restore, or renovate Massachusetts tourism destinations and attractions.
According to a press release issued by the administration, awardees included several Berkshire County organizations.
“Massachusetts is a world-class destination thanks to our rich culture and iconic landmarks,” Governor Maura Healey (D) states in the press release. “With these grants, we are supporting small businesses, driving job creation, and investing in local and regional economies across the state. Many of the destinations we are supporting with these grants are tied to our revolutionary past and will have a critical role to play in our upcoming MA250 celebrations.”
“Tourism, the arts, and cultural institutions are important drivers of our economy here in Massachusetts, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the Berkshires and western Massachusetts,” Senator Paul Mark (D – Beckett) states in the press release. “The Destination Development Capital Grant program is an important partnership where the state government is able to directly support the local institutions that grow jobs, provide educational experiences, and enhance the lives and vibrancy of our communities.”
Berkshire County grant awardees:
- Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival of Becket, $200,000 to support landscape design and gardens surrounding the new Doris Duke Theatre and the green roof plantings for this facility.
- Embrace Boston, $150,000 for Great Barrington’s W.E.B. Du Bois memorial in front of the Mason Public Library.
- Lee Chamber of Commerce, $7,000 for updating the Lee Welcome Center both inside and outside the building.
- The Mount in Lenox, $200,000 for enhancing the entrance and parking field at The Mount.
- Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc. in Lenox, $125,000 for replacing 30-year-old HVAC equipment serving Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood’s 1,200-seat performance venue.
- Ventfort Hall Association in Lenox, $55,000 for excavating, rebuilding, resurfacing, and adding lighting to the driveway and visitor parking area.
- Community Images in Williamstown, $40,000 for Elevating Images Cinema’s profile as a cultural destination by initiating a project’s design and engineering phase to renovate its 150-seat auditorium.
- Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, $100,000 for planning and implementing a new ticketing, point-of-sale, and CRM system to better meet the institution’s current and future needs.
