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Work Under Way on Clarksburg's East Road Bridge

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Maxymillian construction has started work on the East Road Bridge. It is expected to be completed next month.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The long-anticipated reconstruction of the East Road bridge is under way more than a year after it was closed to traffic.

J.H. Maxymillian construction has removed the roadway and earth was being dug out on Thursday from around the failing culvert through which Kenyon Brook empties into the North Branch.

The work is a welcome site for homeowners on upper East Road and Daniels Road, who've had to take the long way around to get to Route 8 (River Road).

The bridge had been targeted for replacement after being damaged several years ago but fell victim to Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. Undermining of the roadway forced its closure while town officials pursued state and federal help for the $275,000 project.

Not until August, after all appeals for aid was rejected, did the town award the contract using Chapter 90 funds.

Town Administrator Thomas Webb said on Wednesday the work should be extended to replace a sewer line under the brook that had been damaged by a previous storm.

"We've got a gabion in there to protect the sewer line," he said. "We're going to try to get a price from Maxymillian for that, too, because if that's something we can do while they're here, it makes sense."

Selectman Carl McKinney said the gabions — chicken-wired squares filled with rocks — had been put in place because of "the initial assault on the bridge." The cost to repair and protect the line had been $30,000.

"The gabions did their work, during Hurricane Irene," he said. "Although [Irene] did extensive damage to the bridge itself, the gabions did their job and the sewer line is intact."

But that had always been considered a temporary repair, he said, until the bridge was ready to be replaced.

"We don't want to be coming back and revisiting this in a year or two or three or five," said McKinney. "So we'll see where the costs go on that."

The bridge itself is expected to be reopened next month. Work has also started on Gates Avenue, where a culvert was washed out by Irene.

Tags: bridge,   Irene,   road project,   road work,   

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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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