North Adams to Williamstown Bike Path Public Meeting Set

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Plans are moving forward for a new bike path section between North Adams' center and the Williamstown town line.

The city of North Adams and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will host a public meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from from 6 to 8 p.m. at Greylock Elementary School to discuss a draft route.

There will be a brief presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Mohawk Bicycle Pedestrian Trail will be designed by BRPC; a community outreach committee will be established to keep affected property owners and other interested parties informed.

The eventual goal is to link the Berkshires from border to border. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams is being extended north first to Lime Street and then to Hodges Cross Road in North Adams. Further out, the trail is expected to run to Western Gateway Heritage State Park in North Adams, connecting it the Mohawk bike trail, and south from Lanesborough into Pittsfield.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.