On Tuesday November 28th, the North Adams City Council met at the City Council Chambers for a meeting. The meeting started off at 7 pm with a communication from the Mayor about the Tax Classifications for the 2024 Fiscal Year. Other Mayoral Communications were also made throughout the meeting including one regarding the reappointment of Eric Wilson to serve as a member of the Commissions on Disabilities for a term which will expire December 1, 2026, and another communication regarding Blackinton Mill LLC and Blackinton Backwoods LLC. Overall, the meeting covered a variety of topics from amendments of zoning laws to the enforcement of the City’s local gun range. At the end of the meeting, the residents in attendance were given the chance to speak to the Council for two minutes on issues they feel are significant to the city. No one went up to the podium to speak.
A representative of Tourist came to this meeting to discuss a deal that would give Tourist exclusive access to city land that lays in the middle of tourist’s property. Tourist is a hotel and riverside retreat inspired by the classic American roadside motor lodge, set on the banks of the Hoosic River in the Berkshires city of North Adams. According to their website, “Our 46-room property is a union of design and nature, home to woodland trails, riverbank vistas, sculptural installations, and more. Using common, organic materials, your room is both haven and trailhead, connecting you with your vacation self and serving as a basecamp for adventure.” A North Adams attorney has expressed concerns over giving Tourist exclusive access to the land. The representative, when up at the podium, expressed that the exclusive access to the land was non-negotiable for Tourist. The Mayor had stated that a potential addition to the deal could be that the land could be given to Tourist, but that North Adams would be able to build a bike trail through that land. The City Council agreed to allow for the communications of this deal to continue.
The topic surrounding the local gun range was postponed until the first meeting in March. But according to Mayor Jennifer Macksey the issue revolving around the gun range has to do with numerous complaints stating that there are people shooting guns there after hours. The range is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 am to 7 pm or sunset, whichever comes first. On Saturdays they are open from 10 am to 2 pm. They are closed on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Holidays. Their rules state that that unauthorized or non-permitted use of the range may result in criminal charges and that use of range outside of rules will result in the complete revocation of one’s permit. However, according to an anonymous source, the range, in terms of how it is run, it is “pretty bare bones”. The mayor stated that there would need to be further discussion about potential solutions to this problem, but that a possible suggestion could be requiring that there be locks on guns so that people would be required to get the key in order to shoot there. At the moment, the range is considered a “carry in/carry out” facility.
