Black Bears Hockey Team Pledge Community Outreach

	Above, President Phil DeFranco, left, introduces head coach and general manager Dave Monteiro at Saturday's press conference. At left, VP of Operations Jerry Deno said the team's reception in the city has been positive.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Officials with the Berkshire Black Bears professional hockey team pledged their commitment to the community at a press conference Saturday.

"I am overwhelmed by the reception that the league has been given here in North Adams," Vice President of Operations Jerry Deno said at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink. "This place is fantastic from the mayor down to the last parent, and everyone has been so supportive of the league."

The Black Bears, which have been accepted into the North Atlantic Professional Hockey League, are hoping to make the arena their home rink.

Mayor Richard Alcombright, in a statement Friday, said the city and state Department of Conservation and Recreation are continuing talks with the team and league.

"While both parties are supportive of the concept, the details of how this league will operate and whether it will be allowed in this facility have yet to be finalized," he said. "The city and DCR continue to support this effort and are hopeful it will happen."

President Phil DeFranco stressed the importance the team will place on its community involvement and in youth hockey.

The Black Bears plan to approach local schools with an incentive program for students to read: free game tickets for those who read a specific amount of books a month.

DeFranco added that the team would also like to get involved in the school's physical education programs and introduce a floor hockey league.

"We want to be part of the community, and we want to be in the schools where we will see the kids most of the time," DeFranco said.

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.