WILLIAMSTOWN — Frail, ill and disabled residents of The Spruces mobile home park, many of them elderly, will be spared the ordeal of walking up to a quarter mile to retrieve their mail, thanks to an agreement worked out late last week.
Richard T. Delmasto, congressional aide to U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, confirmed the agreement yesterday, and Spruces Tenants Association President Susan Fabregas said she was pleased with the outcome.
“Based on the fact that we’ll never get home delivery back for everyone, the agreement seems to provide for the needs of those handicapped and disabled residents, but it is yet to be seen if they follow through on that,†Fabregas said.
The agreement specifies that Fabregas will determine which tenants qualify for medical “hardship’ waivers, which will allow them to have mail delivered to their doors rather than to a central mailbox bank in the community center. Tenants will submit their applications to her, she will make the determination on who qualifies, then pass on the list to the Postal Service, she and Delmasto said.
“I already have a list of those people who are qualified for home delivery,†Fabregas said, “and I know who can manage without danger to themselves. We’re being very judicious about the way we do it.â€
Tenants had appealed to Olver, saying the U.S. Postal Service’s discontinuance of home delivery and its denial of hardship waivers to some seriously infirm residents, placed those residents in danger and imposed a severe hardship on them.
Some residents recounted their health issues which clearly restricted and, in some cases, prevented them from ordinary mobility, much less a hike to the bank of communal mailboxes.
Olver’s Sept. 30 letter to Postmaster General John E. Potter described the conditions of several Spruces residents who, despite manifest handicaps and illness, were denied waivers.
Yesterday, Fabregas said all those tenants “who are still alive and living at The Spruces, will get waivers.â€
Of the anticipated three dozen who originally applied for waivers over the past year, she said, “about eight have passed away or are in nursing homes now.â€
She said disabled residents who have able-bodied relatives living with them will not be granted waivers, because the relatives can get their mail. And for some, she said briskly, “Walking is healthy.â€
Fabregas said some residents will be on the list only during the winter months, and those recuperating from an injury will have temporary delivery.
Last Thursday Michael Powers, Postal Service district manager based in Reading met with Williamstown Postmaster John Bourdon and Fabregas in Williamstown, meeting later with Delmasto at Olver’s Pittsfield office. According to Delmasto, Powers said Fabregas would have “complete discretion†in compiling the list. Efforts to reach Bourdon for comment were unsuccessful.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.
Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.
According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.
When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.
A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.
The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.
In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:
4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
Ring door cameras
A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants
Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.
The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant.
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Bella Kotek Sunday completed a Berkshire County sweep at the State Bowling Championships at Bowlero.
click for more
Emily Holian’s strike to open the 10th frame of the Wildcats’ second game against Worcester Tech all but assured Lee a team title at Bowlero Chicopee.
click for more
Hoosac struggled to get into rhythm on the offensive end until Joey McGovern got the 3-ball working. McGovern finished the game with 21 points including a triple in the fourth quarter that cemented him in the record books. It took him nearly the whole game but he was able to join the 1,000-point... click for more
Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
click for more
