Brian Boudreau, left, Evan Canales and Brenden Piaggi stand with Cathy O'Connor of the Department of Public Health at Clarksburg School. The boys were recognized for their work starting Bike to School Days.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Clarksburg School's healthy initiatives started with a seventh-grader wanting to ride his bicycle to school.
Principal Linda Reardon told Brian Boudreau that it was against the school's policy to do so and he responded with and "well, let's change it."
Boudreau and his friends Evan Canales and Brenden Piaggi created presentations to the school, School Committee and Selectmen and by May of their eight-grade year, the school celebrated its first Bike to School Day.
On Tuesday morning, the three ninth-grade McCann Technical School students returned to Clarksburg for the presentation of the Peter R. Lee Healthy Communities Award to the school - largely because of those student's efforts.
"They did a wonderful job, and they were very persistent and it paid off," Reardon told the packed gymnasium filled with students, staff, parents, representatives from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Selectmen and School Committee members.
The state's Department of Public Health's Director of the Offices of Healthy Communities Cathy O'Connor explained that the award, named after the late Peter R. Lee, recognizes "all the hard work people do to make communities healthy."
The nomination paper submitted to the Ounce of Prevention Conference, who issued six awards statewide this year, read: "Clarksburg is on the road to establishing itself as an exemplary rural community for other small communities to emulate."
The three students worked with Mass In Motion Project Coordinator Amanda Chilson after the state-funded healthy initiatives program's kickoff breakfast.
"These three boys wanted to be able to bike to school and wanted other students to have the same opportunity," Chilson said. "So, when you want something bad enough you do whatever it takes to make it happen."
Chilson said community became more committed to healthier living in additional ways. The school serves vegetables from its own garden and Many Forks Farm, and added trails around the school with the help of Amanda L'Etoile, trails and outreach coordinator for Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Just recently, McCann students installed a gaga ball pit outside of the school.
"This not only got students biking, but it also got students thinking, 'We need to start thinking healthy.' When you are active you feel better, you are more alert and you focus better and learn," Chilson said.
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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime.
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather.
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5.
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure.
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
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Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather.
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