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Mary Lou Accetta, Lawrence Taft and David Lamarre take a piece of the old Drury High as a memory of their time on the School Committee.

North Adams School Committee Says Goodbye to 3 Members

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city bid farewell to three School Committee members last week who had a combined quarter-century of service.

Mary Lou Acetta, Lawrence Taft and David Lamarre were treated to a small party and tokens of appreciation at what was likely their last meeting.

Mayor Richard Alcombright, chairman of the committee, praised their dedication as "strong leaders and strong professionals" during their tenures.

Accetta, the committee secretary, had been on the committee the longest, being elected in 2003. Taft joined the committee in 2005 and Lamarre in 2011.

Taft said he had been talked into running a decade ago by fellow committee member Mark Moulton, seeing it as an opportunity to give back to the community after his two daughters had graduated from the school system.

"The 10 years have been very rewarding, made some great friendships, we've come a long way, made some tough decisions," he said, referring to the closing of Conte Middle School and the decision to renovate it into an elementary school.

Alcombright all three as both colleagues and friends. Lamarre brought "a practical touch to everything you do" and Taft a fair and intelligent approach to the table and negotiations, "I've learned a lot from you."

"I learned so much from you and the passion you bring to the committee on behalf of students," he said to Acetta.  

Each was presented with a piece of black granite inscribed with their names and terms, taken from an old stair during the renovations at Colegrove Park Elementary School.


"I want you to know that the city will not be just letting you run away," the mayor joked, saying the city might need them in the future. "On behalf of the entire city of North Adams, I want to thank you for your dedication to the children of North Adams."

Superintendent of Schools James Montepare said the committee has been able to voice strong opinions and disagree, and still be able to work effectively together.

"We have a such a good School Committee and I've learned so much from all of you," he said. "I hope our new members coming in can understand how an important position you have held."

Lamarre said he had been unsure what to expect four years ago but had been impressed by the depth of knowledge he discovered.

"I think this committee is underestimated and underappreciated, I think in the community," he said.

Both he and Accetta had words of wisdom for their recently elected replacements Karen Bond, Tara Jacobs and Nicholas Fahey, who will be joining the committee after the first of the year.

"Don't tiptoe coming in, don't be timid," Lamarre said.

Accetta, turning to Jacobs who attended the meeting, gave the same advice given her when she took Ronald Superneau's seat more than a decade ago.

"Always think about what's best for the kids," she said. "If you can answer that question, 'what's best for the kids?' everything will fall in place."


Tags: North Adams School Committee,   recognition event,   

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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