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Building Inspector William Meranti discusses zoning ordinance reorganization with the board.
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Makers' Mill Chairwoman Kate Barber appears at the Planning Board.
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BFAIR is opening a new day habilitation and training facility on Roberts Drive.

North Adams Planners Approve Shared Artisan Space

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The former I Got Goodies (and the long-gone Saddleback) will become Maker's Mill, a shared creative working space for paper and fiber artists.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A new collaborative artist venture is expected to open on Main Street by the end of June.

The Maker's Mill, a textile and paper shared-creative space, was approved on Monday night by the Planning Board to open at 73 Main St., in the former I've Got Goodies chocolate shop, owned by Scarafoni & Associates.

"This will be the first maker space of its kind in North Berkshire County," Kate Barber, chairman of the nonprofit's board and a paper maker and printer, told planners. "It will be reserved for artist and makers to collaborate, share their ideas, learn ...

"We hope that its location on Main Street will help bring vibrancy to downtown."

The maker space is similar in concept to Cloud85, a shared professional office space at 85 Main St. Both initiatives are the product of Lever, a non-profit startup incubator. The maker space will be operate along the same lines as Cloud85 with participants buying membership based on usage.

Board member Barbara Vera explained at a different event that the space would operate six days a week, with a seventh day set aside for community use such as for classes or local groups like quilting guilds.

Maker's Mill recently completed a successful IndieGoGo campaign, raising $12,530 — 123 percent of its goal. The drive is ongoing and donations are still being accepted; extra funds will go toward education and/or equipment.

The maker space will include printing and paper making, silk screening, book binding, weaving, sewing, quilting, crocheting and knitting, and other fiber or paper-based arts. The hope is to expand disciplines in the future. Discussions on space and equipment needs for local artists and crafters began last year with paper and fiber selected to launch the space.

The Planning Board also approved the first steps in reorganizing the city's zoning ordinances, with a recommendation to the City Council.

"This is sort of cleaning the house before the remodeling is done," said Chairman Michael Leary.



Building Inspector William Meranti said a group has been reviewing the ordinances to first look at the way they are laid out.

"We looked line by line and chapter by chapter to reorganize - not to make substantial change - but to reorganize the way the table contents is done, how it lines up in the book," he said. "At this stage, much of it is clerical, make sure everything is spelled right, make sure the charts line up with the text. ... ."

Once the board and City Council jointly approve that, the next phases will be actual modifications.

"We'll pick the low hanging fruit first ... the stuff that seems to comes up all the time, that we need to change," Meranti said.

In other business, the board also approved Berkshire Family and Individual Resources' plans to develop a day habilitation program at 26 Roberts Drive, owned by Kenneth Sullivan-Bol.

Executive Director Rich Weisenflue said the 5,000 square foot building would house about 10-15 people in the day program and about 20-25 in the support program receiving life skills training.

Randall Ross, owner of Thrifty Bundle with locations on State Road and on Spring Street in Adams, was approved to take over the former After Hours Laundry at 195 Ashland St. The laundry closed last week; on Saturday, equipment was being moved out and handwritten signs on the doors said "Closed Out of Business."

Ross said he was looking reopen the facility as a satellite to Thrifty Bundle. "We're starting to revamp the store, it needs a lot of work," he said.

Thrifty Bundle was also approved for signage at the new location; also receiving signage approval were  Motor Park Sports (The Range), Bond Auto and Cordmaster on Curran Highway.


Tags: artisans & crafters,   BFAIR,   makerspace,   Planning Board,   printing,   zoning,   

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MassDOT Warns of Toll-fee Smishing Scam

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was alerted that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country. The scammers are claiming to represent the tolling agency and requesting payment for unpaid tolls.

The targeted phone numbers seem to be chosen at random and are not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads.

Customers who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from EZDriveMA or another toll agency should not click on the link.

EZDriveMA customers can verify a valid text notification in several ways:

  • EZDriveMA will never request payment by text
  • All links associated with EZDriveMA will include www.EZDriveMA.com

The FBI says it has received more than 2,000 complaints related to toll smishing scams since early March and recommends individuals who receive fraudulent messages do the following:

1. File a complaint with the  Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov; be sure to include:

The phone number from where the text originated.
The website listed within the text

2. Check your account using the toll service's legitimate website.

3. Contact the toll service's customer service phone number.

4. Delete any smishing texts received.

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