Maffuccio Looks to Amend Pittsfield Ordinance on Snowmobiles

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio would like the city's ordinance on snowmobiles to match Mass General Law.

Maffuccio's requested that the ordinance includes language from MGL Chapter 90B Section 25 stating that recreational or snow vehicles should not be operated on city ways, on the plowed snowbanks of such ways, or on any other public way, except to cross a way or to gain access to an area that allowed under state law.

Essentially, the councilor would like to mimic the state statute by adding snow vehicles to the city ordinance, which previously excluded that type of vehicle. For unknown reasons, snowmobiles have been locally exempt.

City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta confirmed that making these changes does not suddenly ban the use of snowmobiles as it was already illegal to use them in certain places under state law, from which the text is taken directly.

Local snowmobilers have expressed concern that the changes will limit or exclude the use of snowmobiles in the city. 

On Tuesday, the City Council will be presented with the proposed changes to the City Code Section 14-17 that defines restrictions and exemptions for recreational land vehicles.

Maffuccio's amendment also adds "snow vehicle" to the definition of vehicles that cannot be operated within 300 feet of an occupied residence within a residential zone without permission from the owner or occupant.

In addition, he requested that snow vehicles to be removed from the part of the ordinance that excludes them as recreation vehicles within the meaning of this section.

In March, Maffuccio requested a review of the chapter in dealing with illegal snowmobile use and off-terrain recreational nuisance. At the meeting, he said he wants to make sure the city is in line with Mass General Law Chapter 90B Section 20 and that the fine structures are in place.

He said there is a lot of misuse of snowmobiles and similar four-wheeled vehicles, especially in Ward 7.

"There is no enforcement in the city for snowmobiles driving up and down the street, so that is why I'm trying to incorporate snowmobile snowmobiles in this classification," He said.

This does not sit well with the local snowmobiling community.

During this meeting, Danielle Cartier from the Berkshire Snowseekers snowmobile club called to express concern about the petition.

• Pontoosac Lake area
• Kirvin Park (which is access to October Mountain from Pittsfield).
• you will no longer be able to ride a snowmobile on your own property within 300 ft of your neighbors' property.

"This ordinance will not just affect Pittsfield it will affect business and people in other towns, so this affects snowmobiling in Berkshire County as a whole! Please consider signing to tell Pittsfield City Council to vote no against the change in the ordinance. Thank you!"

About 100 people have written personal testimonies as reasons for signing the petition.

"I'm signing because snowmobiling is an incredible winter sport for families that has low environmental impact and brings business to the area," a supporter wrote.

"Shutting down the ability to ride will mean lost revenues for local businesses and the state."

Social Service Organizations Highlight Challenges, Successes at Poverty Talk

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:04AM / Sunday, April 05, 2026

Dr. Jennifer Michaels of the Brien Center demonstrates how to use Narcan. Easy access to the drug has cut overdose deaths in the county by nearly half. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Recent actions at the federal level are making it harder for people to climb out of poverty.

Brad Gordon, executive director of Upside413, said he felt like he was doing a disservice by not recognizing national challenges and how they draw a direct line from choices being made by the Trump administration and the challenges the United States is facing. 

"They more generally impact people's ability to work their way out of poverty, and that's really, that's really the overarching dynamic," he said. 

"Poverty is incredibly corrosive, and it impacts all the topics that we'll talk about today." 

His comments came during a conversation on poverty hosted by Berkshire Community Action Council. Eight local service agency leaders detailed how they are supporting people during the current housing and affordability crisis, and the Berkshire state delegation spoke to their own efforts.

The event held on March 27 at the Berkshire Athenaeum included a working lunch and encouraged public feedback. 

"All of this information that we're going to gather today from both you and the panelists is going to drive our next three-year strategic plan," explained Deborah Leonczyk, BCAC's executive director. 

The conversation ranged from health care and housing production to financial literacy and child care.  Participating agencies included Upside 413, The Brien Center, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, MassHire Berkshire Career Center, Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Child Care of the Berkshires. 

The federal choices Gordon spoke about included allocating $140 billion for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investing $38 billion to convert warehouses into detention centers, cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid over 10 years, a proposed 50 percent increase in the defense budget, and cutting federal funding for supportive housing programs. 

Gordon pointed to past comments about how the region can't build its way out of the housing crisis because of money. He withdrew that statement, explaining, "You know what? That's bullshit, actually."

"I'm going to be honest with you, that is absolute bullshit. I have just observed over the last year or so how we're spending our money and the amount of money that we're spending on the federal side, and I'm no longer saying in good conscience that we can't build our way out of this," he said. 

Upside 413 provided a "Housing Demand in Western Massachusetts" report that was done in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Donahue Institute of Economic and Public Policy Research. It states that around 23,400 units are needed to meet current housing demand in Western Mass; 1,900 in Berkshire County in 2025.