North Adams Ambulance Cuts Ribbon for New Addition

By Tammy Daniels
iBerkshires Staff
01:52AM / Friday, January 29, 2010

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Board President Robert Moulton Jr. tells how John Leu (in tan jacket) has been involved with the service for 55 years. Moulton's been with the service for  35. Below, Meaney gave a tour the week before.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It was nearly 55 years ago when John Leu got involved in the emergency response field.

He bought the old Mohawk Ambulance outfit — and ambulance and office — in 1957 because it came with Mohawk Garage.

"Medical response became more complicated," he said Thursday morning. "It didn't make sense as a private operation anymore so we formed the North Adams Ambulance."

Leu's still on the service's board of directors and had a hand in approving its latest update: A 2,000-square-foot addition on its 16-year-old River Street headquarters.

"From where we started, I couldn't ever have imagined this," he said, standing in the new spacious classroom on the second floor after a ribbon cutting formally opening the the new space. The event was a casual affair of mostly board members and employees.

The $248,970 addition includes a fourth bay to store a spare ambulance and do repairs and washing. Above, is a the classroom that can seat 44, a small fitness room, office and wall-length closet. The addition also opened up space for a mechanical room, larger locker room, storage and spare office that can be used for dispatch services.

Capt. Michael Tessier, the service's training officer, went from a closet to the largest office, said General Manager John Meaney Jr. during a tour of the facility recently. The classroom is already being utilized for training for other emergency responders, including local fire departments. The fitness room is still pretty bare but there's plans to beef it up over time.

The project was funded through Adams Co-operative Bank, designed by Westall Associates and constructed by Moresi & Associates. The majority of the construction was finished close to the projected 90-day timeline last fall and the service began using the space before the holidays.

"I've been involved for over 30 years and I remember when there was a van stucke in the corner of the Fire Department, said board President Robert Moulton Jr. on Thursday morning. "Now have four bays ... it shows well it's done."

Moulton was joined by Mayor Richard Alcombright and Adams Co-op President Joseph F. Truskowski Jr. in cutting a wide red ribbon held in front of the new ambulance bay.

David Moresi, the contractor for the project and a part-time EMT, talks with Mayor Alcombright.

He thanked Truskowski for helping fund the construction. "In these tough times it's not easy to find money for these kind of developments. ... But we've got a great project here."

The service is launching a capital campaign to help offset costs; Moulton said the annual subscription is already doing very well.

North Adams Ambulance responds to nearly 5,000 calls a year, from first-response to hospital transfers, and employes more than 40, a dozen of whom are full time.

Alcombright said he's had firsthand experience with the promptness and professionalism of its emergency medical technicians after his wife, Michele, fell outside their home last year.

"Really the point is that we have an ambulance service of this quality in this city," he said. "First response is so critical."

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