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Fire Director Stephan Meranti took this aerial photo of the brush fire in Clarksburg State Forest.

Local Pilots Provided Aid During Clarksburg Brush Fire

By Jack GuerinoPrint Story | Email Story
The Airport Commission is considering investing in aviation radios for better aerial/ground communication after the use of planes during the brush fire in Clarksburg State Forest.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Airport Manager Willard Greenwald said because of the helpfulness of local pilots during the recent brush fire, the city may purchase aviation handheld radios.

Greenwald told the airport commissioners recently that many pilots were able to fly police, firefighters and Mayor Richard Alcombright over last month's brush fire to give them a vantage point.

"The city police and fire directors were given a lot of rides to view and orchestrated fighting the fire," Greenwald said. "They were amazed and really impressed by the vantage point those flights provided."

He said aviation radios would cut down on disturbances and background noise and allow the planes to better communicate to ground crews.

Greenwald said there are many pilots who be more than willing to donate their time and fuel to aid the city whether it be an emergency or just observation.

"The airport got great press and those guys are really excited about utilizing the airport in the future," he said. "Pilots will volunteer their time and their gas to do whatever is necessary for the city."

Greenwald said the airport's aviation fuel price of $3.98 is the lowest in New England and has attracted more business at the airport. He said it has already sold 2,000 gallons of gas.

"We are pounding through the 4,000 gallons like crazy so we really are bringing folks in and getting a lot of good responses," he said.

Commissioner Trevor Gilman said the fuel has a set markup along with the credit card fees incurred, so when the purchase price changes the sale price changes.

"We are usually pretty low compared to any of our competition in the area, but we don't try to be competitive," Gilman said. 

Editor's note: minor changes made to clarify how the fuel is priced at 1:24 p.m., May 28, 2015.


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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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