New Ambulance for North Adams

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Board of directors members Louis Scalise, Thomas Rumbolt, John "Jack" Leu, President Robert Moulton Jr., Steven Brown, Michael LaVersa, Elizabeth Milanesi and Vice President Dorothy Ransford join Manager John Meaney Jr. at the unveiling of the new ambulance.
NORTH ADAMS - North Adams Ambulance Service Inc. unveiled the newest member of its fleet Monday night, giving seven members of the board of directors tours of the brand-new ambulance. In operation since Oct. 4, the new ambulance - Unit 3 - replaces a van-style one that was too small for the service's needs. "It gives us a lot more room, it's more comfortable for the patient and for [emergency medical services] workers and it's able to carry more equipment," said John Meaney Jr., paramedic and manager of NAAS. Meaney said the ambulance service replaces its trucks every "three or four years, depending on wear and tear and mileage." The final mileage on the company's old Unit 3 was 120,000 miles. "It was time for an upgrade," said Meaney. The ambulance boasts a roomier exterior that allows emergency medical technicians to work on both sides of the patient. "It helps us to provide better patient care because we can be operating more efficiently," Meaney said. The cost for the unit was $80,000 (including a trade for the former ambulance) and was made possible through membership donations from Northern Berkshire residents. "We're so thankful for everyone's support," said Meaney. Last year’s membership drive raised approximately $43,000. This month, the ambulance service launched its 2007 drive, which aims to raise funds for a move to electronic reporting, which will save it time, money and paper. A nonprofit organization, the ambulance service relies on the generosity of those in the community and the tax-deductible donations goes toward helping to pay for operating expenses, education courses and equipment. The cost of a membership is $35 per household or $20 for individuals. NAAS employs eight full-time employees and 32 part-timers. In 2006, they responded to approximately 3,600 emergency calls.
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Art Donation Brightens Bracewell Youth Project

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

Above, a watercolor landscape on the second floor.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Residents entering transitional housing at 111 Bracewell Ave. can look to the left to see a light at the end of the tunnel. 
 
The dark painting with its pathway toward lighted element brought to mind the Hoosac Tunnel, said Kathy Keeser, executive director of Louison House, on Friday.
 
"Somebody who was going through something could think, well, this is a way out — or a way in," she said, of why she selected that piece.
 
Plus, she added, the colors really worked in the front hallway of the Bracewell Youth Housing Project
 
The work was one of three donated by artist Sarah Sutro, whose paintings also hang in the Flood House and in Terry's House in Adams. A regional and international artist who makes her home in North Adams, her artworks have been in collections and exhibitions in the United States and abroad, including at the State House
 
Sutro's recently been going through her works of acrylics, inks and watercolors she's created over her career.  
 
"I just have enjoyed giving some of my paintings that are in storage in my studio, not doing anything with them, and having them out in the community instead, and having other people enjoy them and relate to them," she said.
 
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