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Bishop to View St. Francis' Church Demolition

St. Francis' height was low enough to allow the reoccupation of the Flatiron building and the reopening of Village Pizza.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Eagle Street was fully opened to pedestrian traffic on Thursday afternoon as another section of the steeple on St. Francis' Church was removed.

Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will be in the city on Friday to review progress on the demolition and thank members of both the diocesan and city teams that have worked together responding to this emergency situation. The bishop will meet members of both teams starting at noon at the site of the demolition on Eagle Street.

The extent of the deterioration of the 150-year-old church became apparent late last week when brick facing on the south side of the bell tower fell on the lawn and North Church Street. Engineers hired by the Diocese of Springfield determined that the structural integrity of the building was failing and was in danger of collapse.

Late Saturday night, after discussions with public safety officials, the church property was cordoned off and North Church and Eagle streets closed. The Flatiron Building and the Village Pizza building were evacuated because they were in collapse zone of the 182-foot steeple.

The street and buildings were reopened at 3 p.m. on Thursday and pedestrians were able to cross from the Veterans Memorial to Eagle; the jersey barriers on North Church were moved further north on the street. Village Pizza, which was allowed to operate for delivery only on Tuesday, reopened its dining section almost immediately. Residents of the Flatiron building, some of whom were being put by the diocese at the Holiday Inn, were allowed to return home.

Charlie Arment Trucking Co. of Springfield has been using two cranes to carefully remove the steeple. Work began on Monday, with a two-man crew in a bucket peeling off the exterior sheathing with hammers and pry bars. A top section of the denuded steeple was lifted off by crane on Wednesday, and a smaller section on Thursday, reducing the collapse zone. All that was left of the steeple was a pile of old wood on the church's north lawn.

The company recently demolished the 1857 Holy Name of Jesus Church

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.