Pittsfield Councilor Unsucessfully Tries to Block New Cannabis Store

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick unsuccessfully tried to have a recent cannabis establishment's permit appealed.

On Tuesday, the City Council shot down his attempt to reverse the Zoning Board of Appeals September granting of a special permit to Cloud 9 for a retail store at Allendale Shopping Center.

The councilor said Cloud 9 will "adversely impact businesses and shoppers experience." He expressed concerns about children being exposed to the legalized substance because it is in a shopping mall, not a standalone building.

"A marijuana store, even though the children don't go in, there it is and it's normalizing," Kronick said.

City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta explained that the appeal would require a legal suit that would have to be submitted by Oct. 18.

"It is a use allowed by special permit in that particular district," he explained. "So it's not that the district is not permitted, that the location is not permitted. It's a permitted use subject to the special permit issued by the Zoning Board of Appeals."

Mayor Linda Tyer said the city has a very specific ordinance that regulates where cannabis establishments can be situated and if the council would not like them in shopping malls, it will have to amend the ordinance.

"I really, really respectfully request that the City Council does not appeal this special permit for this cannabis establishment. It is the first establishment in the city of Pittsfield that meets the social equity requirements of the Cannabis Control Commission's regulations and so I feel really strongly that this be supported," she urged.

"The applicant went through the process that is established by the city and by the Cannabis Control Commission. They were successful, they held their community meetings, we received no opposition, and so I am here to respectfully request that you support this the establishment of this new business, which is meeting the social equity requirements of the Cannabis Control Commission regulations."

The provision requires communities to seek out social equity applicants who have been hit the hardest by past drug laws that have unfairly affected people of color. This is the only application the city has received that complies with the provision.

The ZBA unanimously approved the special permit but board member Esther Anderson, though she voted in favor, expressed concern for the location between Wood Bros. music store and Lucky Nails.

"There could also be a bar there, which there are children walking by," board member John Fitzgerald said at the ZBA meeting.

"This is not an establishment where a kid is gonna go walking in. Most of them, the clientele is screened or scanned before they go in so it's not that. Most of them have the windows blocked so the kids can't see what's going on and in this day and age, I think the kids are more informed than we are."

Pittsfield Man Creates Device to Clear Lakes of Algae Blooms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
08:07AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

Marc Bellora holds a jar of lake water, left, to compare to water cleaned by his Aqua Clarifier Water System.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Marc Bellora has high hopes for a device he's created to treat lakes from harmful algae blooms.

His patented water clarifier can physically remove captured material rather than letting the nutrient-rich material settle back into the lake, which occurs when herbicides are used.

"It's a long-term lake management tool that can be used to reduce legacy nutrients in lakes and ponds over time," he explained. "We built the prototype, this is a prototype. It does approximately 65 to 70 gallons per minute. It's very environmentally friendly. Can be used with air only, or we can use a low-dose potable polyaluminum chloride (PACL) or chemical on board that can help improve results."

The water clarifier barge is based on well-proven technology for water treatment, he said. "It's a self-contained, portable, mobile unit that removes algae blooms, nitrogen, phosphorus, and the associated nitrogen and phosphorus within lakes."

Bellora founded Clear Waterways Group with business partner Mark Simon. They built a prototype mobile unit and are still working out the kinks. It's taken Bellora about five years to bring the project to fruition as he is also a full-time Realtor.

He says the repurposed barge they use has a device that uses air to filter the water to separate harmful bacteria or uses a chemical at low doses. They are testing both to see how well each does at cleaning the water.

"They would do the same thing here, except they would spray it, and it blocks all that stuff together," Bellora said of the use of herbicides. "But then it drops to the bottom. So now all the nutrients that are attached in that plot go to the bottom and contribute to the legacy nutrients only to fuel next year's bloom. Ours removes it."

He said just using air alone has removed 70 to 90 percent of harmful algae where he has been operating on the south end of Pontoosuc Lake.

"Essentially, we take in the bad stuff, we take in the lake water. We separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. Clean water goes back into the lake, and the bad stuff can either be composted, or it can be taken to the wastewater treatment plant, which is what we're doing here," he said. 

Bellora explained that tiny air bubbles attach to particles in the water, making them buoyant so they rise and can be removed. The unit can operate with air alone, or with a low dose of potable polyaluminum chloride.

PACL helps through flocculation: it gathers small particles into larger clumps that are easier for air bubbles to capture. He said this can help remove dissolved nutrients that air alone may not capture as effectively. 

Bellora said he was inspired to build something like this after noticing the lakes he enjoys being shut down because of algae blooms. 

The city issued a health advisory for Pontoosuc in August, warning residents not to swim or come in contact with the lake water because of an algae bloom. The cyanobacteria can cause skin irritations, vomiting and diarrhea and nerve or liver problems. 

Bellora previously worked for a company that used traditional dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems to treat water. In that role, he traveled around the country to work at paper mills and food-processing plants.

That experience gave him a practical understanding of DAF, and while flying between jobs, he would see green ponds and wonder whether the technology could be adapted to treat lakes.