Pittsfield Council Preview: Firework Funds and Morningside Public Safety Request
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday will accept donations used to fund a belated Fourth of July fireworks display and see a councilor's request to consider reusing Morningside Community School as a police station.
On the agenda for July 14 is a $22,000 gift from various individuals and organizations to support the fireworks, which went off on July 8 in the area of Wahconah Park. Pittsfield Cooperative Bank contributed $10,000, and George Haddad and Berkshire Property Managers each contributed $6,000.
Pittsfield could not secure a vendor for the Fourth of July, but one was available a few days later because of a cancellation in another state. While there was no city-sponsored fireworks show on the Fourth of July this year, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, a fireworks display was held on Wednesday evening.
Community members gathered around the Wahconah Park area to watch the show; the property is under construction while the grandstand is being demolished.
"The city would like to extend a special thank you to the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, George Haddad, and Berkshire Property Managers for their support and sponsorship to make this year's fireworks display possible," Mayor Peter Marchetti wrote.
The 2026 parade on July 4, "America 250 — Pittsfield Celebrates the Generations," celebrated 250 years of the nation and Pittsfield. People, floats, cars, balloons, and more proceeded down South, North, and Wahconah streets to thousands of spectators.
Morningside recently retired as an elementary school after the School Committee determined that its lack of classroom walls created a difficult, noisy learning environment and impacted student success. Students are reassigned to Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools.
Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham wants the city to explore turning the school into a "public safety and community resource hub."
Cunningham's petition, which was referred to the mayor under Rule 27, asks that Pittsfield conduct a feasibility study on the proposal, considering at minimum the building's physical condition and cost of necessary rehabilitation, an estimated cost of relocating the Pittsfield Police Department to the site, opportunities for the co-location of complementary community services, available funding mechanisms to offset costs, and a recommended timeline.
He announced the effort last month and said Morningside families deserve to feel comfortable and safe in their neighborhood.
Cunningham believes converting 100 Burbank St. into a police headquarters could put an integrated, visible public safety presence in the heart of a neighborhood "That has asked for an end to this pattern of violence." The Ward 2 councilor sees youth programming, violence prevention resources, and community services in the same building.
Last month, 29-year-old Pittsfield resident Justin Crawford was fatally shot a couple of hundred feet from the school.
Pittsfield, along with many other Berkshire communities, has cited issues with outdated public safety facilities, namely, the police station on Allen Street. During conversations about the closure of Morningside, there was support for turning it into a community center rather than a police station, which Mayor Peter Marchetti confirmed is one of the options for the building.
The 1939 station's condition has been a talking point for years, and a feasibility study done in 2014 recommended a facility three times its current size and noted the lack of meeting and classroom space, appropriate processing facilities, and holding cells.
A $55 million price tag was estimated for the proposed project in 2022.
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