PITTSFIELD â The spate of gun violence that rattled the city this spring tracked with a larger, national trend in cities across the country, Police Chief Michael Wynn said Tuesday, during the City Councilâs first in-person meeting since March 2020.
âThe city of Pittsfield is a destination for trafficking criminal guns; thatâs not a myth,â Wynn said, adding that data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives supports his statement. âGuns are being purchased and stolen in other states and sold in other states, and theyâre ending up on the streets of Pittsfield.â
But, the Pittsfield Police Department alone has a âlimited ability to combatâ gun trafficking, he said, and given its location on the outer reaches of the westernmost part of the state, it struggles to gain assistance from federal agencies.
PITTSFIELD â A City Council subcommittee has signed off on a request from Mayor Linda Tyer to spend $960,000 to install public water and sewer along Dan Fox Drive.
The councilâs Community and Economic Development Committee unanimously approved Tyerâs order seeking the allocation from the General Electric Economic Development Fund, sending the matter back to the full council for consideration.
The money would be used to expand the cityâs sewer and water service on Dan Fox Drive to the Bousquet Ski Area, allowing Mill Town Capital to proceed with development plans, including construction of a new lodge and setting the stage for future development in the area, said Community Development Director Deanna Ruffer.
PITTSFIELD â More than a week after the deadline to evict homeless people from Springside Park, city leaders say they stand opposed to dismantling a homeless encampment there.
Mayor Linda Tyer told the City Council on Tuesday said the situation presents a âvery difficult dilemma,â and that case workers continue to âengageâ those at the park with hopes they move to the cityâs winter shelter or accept âhousing optionsâ made available by Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority.
She said her administration would not âforce anybody into the shelter, weâre not forcing anyone into housing that they donât want to take advantage of.â