PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Despite pushback from neighbors, the Licensing Board on Monday approved a liquor license transfer from a long-shuttered restaurant to Camp Arrow Wood located on Cloverdale Street.

The unanimous vote changed the location, manager, and management/operating agreement from The Elbow Room to the camp, which is a venture of Mill Town Capital. The Elbow Room has been closed for about five years. It was approved in October 2021 but was kicked back by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission because the transfer also required a change of location and public notice to abutters, which was provided in mid-June. Residents of Cloverdale Street expressed safety concerns pertaining to the property having a liquor license, saying the neighborhood is a quiet place that they don't want to be disrupted by unruly patrons. "Cloverdale Street is a quiet, peaceful, rural neighborhood. Allowing alcohol to be sold in this camp would decrease our property values, would increase traffic, and more importantly, destroy the character of the neighborhood," a resident said. "For this board to approve this license transfer, in my opinion, would be a disservice to all of us, you as stewards of the city, and for us as taxpayers in this city." Others said they fear people will drive drunk down their street after leaving the venue. Mill Town acquired the camp, the former Berkshire West, and Bousquet Ski Area in 2020 to enhance outdoor and indoor recreation offerings in the area. Camp Arrow Wood opened as a sports-centric program this summer and in the off-season, it will be available to rent for events or "retreats." There are four spaces that have been identified for such use: a quad right by the water, a rustic barn, the dining room, and a four-season auxiliary lodge. The property has been used as a camp for more than 100 years and for the last 40 years operated as the Lakeside Christian Camp. The camp was closed in 2020 and 2021. "The use that's proposed is the same use that was made by the Christian camp, it was known since way back in 1985 and received a special permit as the Baptist Christian Camp and Retreat Center. And so the use is the same," attorney Michael MacDonald said, representing the applicant. "The nature of the retreats will be private, whether they are corporate, family reunion, those sorts of things. There's a practical limitation on the times of year that you can make use of it. Most of those buildings are not winterized, there are three buildings on campus that are winterized." Chairman Thomas Campoli reported that the ABCC has asked the camp to clarify its floor plans and identify points of alcohol service. This was beyond the scope of the board's duties for that day, as it was voting on the transfer. In other news, the board also approved a package store license transfer from K&K Liquors located at 1220 North St. to Frankys, which will be a new package store in its place and managed by Jose Goncalves. The board was also notified that the owner of La Fogata on Tyler Street Miguel Gomez is staged to purchase Titos Mexican Grille.  He assured the board that he will be operating the two restaurants and will not be moving La Fogata there.  

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council got a second chance to vote on its fiscal 2023 budget recommendations after a charter objection by Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick halted the discussion at its last meeting.

$116,000 in recommended increases were sent to Mayor Linda Tyer on Tuesday in a 7-4 vote with Councilor At Large Karen Kalinowsky, Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, Kronick, and Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio opposing.  

Last week, Tyer confirmed that she would apply the recommendations to the $188,589,144 that was adopted by default.

This includes an additional $1,000 to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP,) $65,000 for school maintenance, $50,000 to the building inspector's department, and a recommendation for the Pittsfield Police Department to earmark up to $250,000 in grant money to have additional clinicians as co-responders.

A correction to the finance department that increased the budget by nearly $117,000 was also included.

With the amendments, the budget totals $188,822,018.

Maffuccio said that Pittsfield is a poor community with many elderly residents, low-income families, struggling working-class people with families, and homeless people that cannot afford the budget increases that fall back on taxpayers.

"The mayor is out of touch with the average citizen of this community," he said. "I think she forgot what kind of community she's dealing with here."

After some back and forth with City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta questioning the legality of this vote —which Pagnotta confirmed was legal— Kronick said that the budget did not prepare the city for a recession and high inflation.

He told the story of a constituent, on a fixed income, who could not pay his bills because the city reportedly continues to tax him on a pool he has not used in 30 years.

"He grew up in his house, he owns it now, and now the city basically is on the verge of owning it, and there it goes. His American dream, right down the trash toilet," Kronick said. 

"...And that's because we are asking too much money of these people. We are building our grid, growing our government beyond the means of our people who support it, and are not getting what they need back in order for them to be able to pay their bills back to the city to get this done.  I think that's immoral."

Kalinowsky pointed out that she recommended adding $65,000 to the school building maintenance department but wanted to see reductions in other line items.

"I was disappointed to see that there was no reduction in any of the line items. That should have been reduced because we are not being fiscally responsible in this budget," she said.

"We are not putting the money where it needs to be and where the economy's going.  I just can't encourage this budget."

Councilor At Large Earl Persip III highlighted the accomplishments of the budget and advocated for the panel's right to vote on it.  Persip said that all 11 councilors were elected and almost had their ability to make a mark on the budget taken away, which he did not think was appropriate.

"You can sit up here and tell us that you felt more things should be subtracted, but you would have to convince six other people that's the case," he said. "We're also elected by the citizens of Pittsfield."

Councilor At-Large Pete White said that starving the budget is not the solution to issues within the city.

"I'll admit we have issues in the city that need to be solved. The way to solve those is to continue to improve the city," he said.

"It's not to underfund the budget or to pass budgets that don't have the resources in them to do what we need to do."

Kronick took the stand during open microphone to address the media's reporting of his charter objection.  He spoke of being called "transphobic and homophobic" by a city official after he said trans people go against his religious beliefs during a budget deliberation on the office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion in May.

During open microphone Tuesday, Kronick cited parts of the bible that he thought the use of "pronoun training" violated.  He said that it discriminated against those of the Judeo and Christian faith.

"I recently witnessed modeling gender identity language to the first graders and older at Morningside Elementary School and that's a regular, ongoing thing," Kronick added. "So now the faithful have to teach their children to violate the fifth commandment."

He said the criticism of his comments was religious anti-semitism.

The Parks Commission received the lifesaving device last Tuesday after it was offered to the city several months ago. An AED is used to treat cardiac arrest by sending an electric shock to the heart and restoring a normal rhythm. click for more

The event titled "Innovating for The Future" sought to expand the company's supply chain in the state and further GD's relationship with the community by strengthening the local industrial sector. click for more

Nearly 200 people gathered at Park Square on Sunday in solidary with reproductive rights and to mourn the Supreme Court's overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. click for more

After working in many different positions at Pittsfield High School for more than 16 years, Maggie Harrington-Esko has been tapped as the new principal. click for more

The 8-foot work was created by the Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington and is titled "Rooted in Connection." It was unveiled over the weekend at the city's first Juneteenth festival in Durant Park, where the project's other murals are displayed. click for more

Though the motion made by Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick "on behalf of Ward 2" adopted the originally presented budget by default, the council will be able to vote on the $116,000 of recommended increases on Tuesday. click for more

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