Court Grants Receivership For Dug-Out Motel

ADAMS, Mass. — The town will be able to closely monitor the Dug-Out Motel now that a Springfield court has taken control out of the manager's hands.

Albany, N.Y.-based attorney Douglas Rose was appointed in housing court on Friday to take over the motel's management while the town looks to find alternative housing for families and individuals who have been living there for years.

The town previously placed a vacate order on the motel after a teacher reported that a rat had bitten a child living there.

The motel has been operating as more of a long-term boarding house, which it is not permitted, and health officials are concerned about overcrowding — including a family of eight living in one room.

The Fire Department found that residents were given hot plates to cook on and there are multiple non-functioning carbon-monoxide detectors. Police have reported a high volume of calls to there.

Town officials are working with the Tenancy Preservation Project, an arm of the Berkshire County Housing Authority in Pittsfield, to find alternative housing and hopes that soon the motel can be brought into compliance and operated as a motel instead of a boarding house.

"We got what we were looking for with the receivership so we're heading in the right direction right now," Code Enforcement Officer Scott Koczela said on Wednesday, adding that working with Rose on other properties in the past was successful.

Koczela said five families have found new housing including the family of eight. Some of those families are still at the motel but will be moving soon. There is a total of 15 units at the Howland Street motel and the focus is on finding housing for the families and later moving to individuals.

Cheshire Town Meeting Oks Budgets, Debates Potential Prop 2 1/2 Override

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:12PM / Monday, June 08, 2026

Moderator Carol Francesconi, left, and Anne Marie Furey were presented flowers in memory of the Rev. William Furey, their brother and husband, respectively. The town report was dedicated to him. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town meeting on Monday approved all 35 articles on the annual meeting warrant, including a total spending for fiscal 2027 of more than $8.5 million. 

 

Some 77 of the town's more than 2,500 registered voters filled the Cheshire Community House meeting room, debating on a number of articles during the meeting that lasted nearly three hours

 

The town dedicated its annual report to the Rev. William David Furey, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church and more recently Berkshire Union Chapel in Lanesborough. Furey died last year at age 77.

 

His wife, Anne Marie Furey, and his sister, Town Moderator Carol Francesconi, were presented with a bouquet of flowers in tribute to him. 

 

He was an exemplary member of the community who left a lasting impression in each and every life that he touched, said Town Clerk Whitney Flynn. 

 

Voters approved several warrant articles that make up an operating budget of $3,840,314 for fiscal 2027. Of this amount, $1,642,481 is allocated for the general government budget, which was approved after clarification of a few questions.

 

One item was the administrative assistant's salary. Prior to the annual meeting, the town eliminated the executive assistant salary of $54,309 in favor of a part-time administrative assistant salary of $27,155, to reduce costs considering the financial constraint the town is in.