Powder Hounds Reopens Two Years After Fire

Fred Kruger and Ashlee Zanconato have reopened Powder Hounds after a fire destroyed nearly all of the building in 2012.

HANCOCK, Mass. — In 2012, everything was looking good for Fred Kruger and Ashlee Zanconato. Their restaurant had carved itself out a nice niche and they were on track to do their best year yet.

Then a power strip plugged into an office wall malfunctioned and soon seven fire departments surrounded their business, dousing it with water to snuff out of the flames.

During that October day, they watched as nearly everything was damaged.

Now, nearly two years later, they're back. Powder Hounds, located right at the foot of the entrance to Jiminy Peak, reopened this month after a $1.1 million rebuild.

"Finally, we're done with the building. The rebuild was completed in the middle of April," Zanconato said last week.

Powder Hounds dates back to 1947 — then known as Hansons — and was started by Kruger's family. He inherited the business in 1999 and reopened it as Powder Hounds. Bentley Brook and Vacation Village expanded and with that, the restaurant grew a core clientele of condo owners.

"The tourists that come here are our locals," said Zanconato. "We were really building a great clientele."

Not only had they built a base of condo owners, they had also been growing in popularity among the neighboring towns. Every year they would see the same faces and after the fire, they were asked over and over again when they would reopen.

Rumors had started to swirl that the restaurant wouldn't be back or that another owner would take over.

"Right after the fire happened, we got into a battle with the insurance company," Zanconato said of why it took nearly two years to reopen.

The dining room was redesigned to give a cozy atmosphere.

The restaurant and bar have a menu with a mix of offerings — mostly based around American comfort food.

The menu is sure to include their customers' favorites, and the two owners made sure to bring back items for particular patrons they had before the fire. But, they still allow the chef to experiment a bit.

"Everything is made with love," Zanconato said to sum up the menu, grasping to find the right words to describe it.

They quietly opened their doors on May 15, as they worked out the bugs in the new systems.

They spread the word through their Facebook page and updated their listing on TripAdvisor and other websites.

"Our numbers have been fantastic since we opened," Zanconato said.

The bar opens at 3 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and dinner is served beginning at 4. During the week, the restaurant closes at 9:30 and on the weekends at 10.

"If I have a great bar crowd in here, I'll stay open," Zanconato added of last call.

Pittsfield Schools See 'Very Modest' Chapter 70 Increase

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:01AM / Friday, January 30, 2026

The School Committee is expected to vote on a budget in April. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools will see a "very modest" increase in Chapter 70 funding for fiscal year 2027, and administrators are working to calculate exactly what that will mean. 

Gov. Maura Healey filed a nearly $63 billion budget on Wednesday that increases the city's school funding by $404,000. The Pittsfield schools dropped into a lower Chapter 70 funding category because it has fewer students considered low income. 

This year's expected Chapter 70 aid is just over $68.8 million. In FY26, the district received $68,450,361.

"While the FY27 budget reflects a modest increase over last year's budget, anticipated rising costs such as any current and potential contractual obligations, insurance increases, fuel increases, etc., will result in a budgetary shortfall," Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported on Wednesday. 

"The foundation budget also reflects that decrease in overall student enrollment, and this shapes the critical next phase of our work." 

In 2024, the discovery of 11 students meeting those income guidelines put the district in the higher funding category and added $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds to the school budget. 

The district will review prior year spending trends and confirm district priorities before drafting the budget, which is about 80 percent contractual obligations for teachers, aides, administrators, and support staff. Embedded into the process is engagement with staff, the community, and the City Council. 

Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said that in some cases, the district may be able to reduce a current vacancy, but in other cases, there will be a significant effort to hire. 

"For example, for core subject classrooms, we have to fill those positions, and so we are taking a look at every position, every role, how it's being utilized to make recommendations for how we will balance this budget," she explained.