Clarksburg Looking at Pricey Replacement for Culvert

The state has told the town it has to put in a temporary bridge to replace cast iron boiler being used a culvert on Gates Avenue.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials are hoping its state representatives can run interference with the state Department of Environmental Protection on a costly culvert replacement on Gates Avenue.

The state is calling for a temporary bridge on the dead-end road that could cost two to three times what the town has budgeted for repairs.

"We don't have that kind of money," said Selectmen Chairman Carl McKinney last week. "We've got about $106,000, $114,000, which is just barely enough to repair the culvert in place."

McKinney said the town has spoken with state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi and was expected to meet with state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing on Tuesday to see if they could help the town find alternatives

The culvert is actually an old cast-iron boiler from a factory that's been holding up the road for decades. It has been failing for some time and was further exacerbated by Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. The town had hoped to receive some federal or state funding for storm damage but that did not come through.

The plan had been to replace it with a new slip culvert and repair headwalls last year. But the state DEP is calling for a temporary bridge for now because the planned culvert would be too small for the fish, said McKinney.

An engineer who reviewed the site has given a low-end estimate of $280,000 for the installation of a temporary bridge, with $400,000 on the high side.

The cost to repair the East Road bridge last year was $275,000.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.