Tom’s Top 3 for 1/18: Coffee In The Park Anyone?

A local business owner wants to open a coffee kiosk at the First Street Common in Pittsfield. The Parks Commission however is not sure if it wants to commercialize the park system. IBerkshires.com reports that Todd Fiorentino is proposing opening Poseidon Coffee, which would be a small kiosk selling coffee and hot cocoa drinks during the morning hours at the park. Fiorentino said there is a lack of coffee options during the morning, citing that Market Place Café for example doesn't open until 10 a.m. He would be supporting the company Shelbourne Falls Roasters and believes coffee options would be a good addition to the park. The Parks Commission remains somewhat torn by the concept. Commissioner Anthony DeMartino says that it could open the door for a number of entities looking to use the public space for business.

Company Eyes Recreational Pot Sales In Pittsfield

Berkshire Roots is positioning itself to be a medicinal and a recreational marijuana dispensary when permits are issued later this year. IBerkshires.com reports that the company is closing in on finishing a massive renovation of 501 Dalton Avenue in Pittsfield, which formerly housed Jay's Custom Muffler & Auto, Casey's Billiards, and the Salvation Army store. The three businesses had vacated the building to make way for a medical marijuana dispensary and renovations for that are nearly complete. The company received its approval to open the facility back in July 2016 and just a few months later voters approved the legalization of recreational sales. In representing the company, former State Senator and Attorney Andrea Nuciforo Jr. said that they secured the people and the equipment – and have effectively turned what used to be Casey's Billiards and the Salvation Army into a really unique facility.

Mall Power Restored After Outage As Questions Remain About The Cause

Power has been restored at the Berkshire Mall following a daylong partial power outage that began on Tuesday. The Berkshire Eagle reports however that the reason for the interruption remains unclear. By 1:30 p.m. yesterday, many of the hallway and overhead lights were back on in the 720,000-square-foot shopping complex in Lanesborough. The mall was closed yesterday due to the snow storm but it is open today, according to owner Mike Kohan, the principal of Berkshire Mall Realty Holding LLC. When asked, Kohan told The Eagle that he didn't know what caused the outage. He shot down some questions about whether it was due to a failure to pay electric bills.