BerkshireWorks Sets North Berkshire Hours

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — BerkshireWorks will begin offering career assistance and training once a week in North Adams and Adams beginning this Thursday, Aug. 4.

The office in North Adams was recently shut down and consolidated with Pittsfield as part of budget-cutting measures imposed because of state and federal cuts, and over the objections of local officials. Local labor officials say the decision to reduce staff in North County was also prompted by a decline in activity outside of unemployment claims and as a way to provide services more efficiently.

Instead, BerkshireWorks Career Center staff will be available on Thursday mornings at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau Center in Adams and in the afternoons at the North Adams Public Library.

"It is clear that by streamlining services we will be able to maintain the assortment and quality of programming our customers have come to expect throughout the region," said Albert A. Ingegni III, chairman of the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board Inc. "BerkshireWorks has worked closely with the library and Visitors Bureau to ensure that our Northern Berkshire residents have access to job search and career center services and we believe they have come up with a good solution."

Mayor Richard Alcombright of North Adams and Town Manager Jonathan Butler of Adams were strong advocates for services to remain in Northern Berkshire.

Thursday Hours
Berkshire Visitors Bureau
3 Hoosac St., Adams
9 to noon

North Adams Library (3rd Floor)

74 Church St., North Adams
1 to 4 p.m.

Workshops in North Adams
on every third Thursday.


"My office has worked closely with the BCREB and BerkshireWorks to ensure that our northern Berkshire residents still have access to quality workforce services," said Alcombright in a statement. "It is critical to continue to provide as many services to our residents as possible to help them access training and employment opportunities. I want to thank BCREB and Berkshire Works for their efforts and also Rick Moon, city librarian, for his role in making sure our public library could host these programs."

Career Center materials will be available at both sites, including job orders (to be dropped off every Monday and Thursday), brochures, and monthly activity calendars for both Pittsfield and North Adams. Group workshops will be held on the third Thursday of the month at the North Adams Library on employment topics or with recruitment and guest speakers.

Unemployment insurance claims must be filed by telephone, online or by visiting the Pittsfield location at 160 North St. The state will eliminate all claim filing from career centers beginning Jan. 1, 2012. However, BerkshireWorks has arranged to have someone from the Division of Career Services available to answer questions during the Thursday sessions.

"We are looking at ways to try to expand upon existing job seeker services including more online services," said Ingegni, "and will continuously revisit the hours and dates for Northern Berkshire to make sure we are meeting the needs of the community."

Information can always be accessed at www.BerkshireWorks.org or by calling 413-499-2220.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories