REACH creates fitness video for seniors

Print Story | Email Story
North Adams - The REACH Community Health Foundation has created a Senior Fitness cable television program called "Get Fit...Seniors!" The program will be shown on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel 15 and will run every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 10 to 10:30 a.m., starting April 5. The program is designed for beginners, seniors who are confined indoors, and anyone interested in starting a fitness program in the privacy of their home. The fitness program will take viewers through the basics of physical fitness. Participants will start with stretching, move on to light aerobic exercise, and end with strength training. The exercises can be done standing or sitting. Fitness for seniors is important because it helps the participant to gain strength, increase energy, control weight, and prevent many illnesses. Ron Hansen, Program Manager of the Get Fit Program of the REACH Community Health Foundation, and Denise Mattimore of the Northern Berkshire YMCA are the instructors. The Get Fit Program of the REACH Community Health Foundation seeks to reduce the rates of obesity by facilitating programs to promote nutrition and fitness in the schools and pre-schools; develop sustainable projects that promote wellness through improved nutrition and fitness by collaborating with schools and other community organizations; encourage and empower informal leadership, including peer educators, who can promote fitness and nutrition within their own sphere of influence; and enable key environmental changes throughout the northern Berkshires that make being healthier easier. The program was produced in cooperation with Northern Berkshire Community Television Corporation. NBCTC is a non-profit organization funded through franchise fees collected from the local cable provider. NBCTC provides public access television production facilities for the citizens of North Adams, Adams, Clarksburg, and Cheshire. Residents of the four service communities, as well as groups and organizations located in those communities or serving their residents, are welcome to take advantage of NBCTC equipment, production and editing facilities to produce programming for local viewing. The use of the equipment is free, and training is provided, also free of charge. Regular programs are cable-cast on Channel 15; educational programs go out on Channel 16, and political programs on Channel 17. The REACH Community Health Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of the Northern Berkshire community. A subsidiary of the Northern Berkshire Health System, REACH organizes an array of initiatives in health education, treatment services, disease prevention, research, and advocacy. In addition to Get Fit, REACH runs programs for breast cancer, caregiver support, tobacco cessation, dental health, children's health, and men's health. For more information on the Get Fit Program, please call Ron Hansen at 413-664-5284.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

View Full Story

More Stories