ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health has a few final questions and changes to make to its draft of Tobacco 21 regulations and plans to hold a public hearing in October.
The new regulations provided by Tri-Town Health were reviewed last week to eliminate redundancies already in the Adams regulations. The board also tweaked the draft regulations, and made a list of questions to ask Tri-Town.
"We probably want to mirror this draft copy as much as possible so we can bring some uniformity throughout the county," board member Bruce Shepley said.
Board member Allen Mendel suggested eliminating a regulation that would limit the number of establishments that can sell tobacco because it did not apply to Adams.
"I don’t feel we need that at this point in our town," Mendel said. "I can only think about six stores that are selling tobacco right now."
The board also questioned setbacks in the Tri-Town regulations that state tobacco cannot be sold within 500 feet of a school.
Stores already selling tobacco near schools will still be able to however, the board was unsure what would happen to a permit if a store was sold or moved.
Mendel suggested eliminating the regulation altogether because he felt it would give current stores a total monopoly on tobacco sales. He added that it could deter businesses from moving into town. Also, he said students in town are far under the age to buy tobacco.
Shepley felt the board should keep the regulation because it gives them some control. He noted it is not the board's goal to hurt business but it is their goal to keep children away from tobacco.
"I think there are certain issues this board needs to be aware of, and I think whether it is unpleasant or not unpleasant it is our responsibility," he said. "I am not going to worry if I am impacting a business that may want to come in a sell a product that may not be in the best interest of the town."
He added that there are plenty of other places in town where a new business can come in and sell tobacco and a business that purely relies on tobacco sales is not sustainable.
The board also decided to change the severity of punishment for employees who violate the regulations and sell to people under the age of 21.
Tri-Town regulations state that after the first offense the employee is fined and suspended.
"I would not want to do that because some of these places sometimes only have one person in there," Shepley said. "If someone gets suspended that could put a business out of business."
The board decided to only suspend after a subsequent offense.
Shepley said he will contact Tri-Town so they can answer the board’s questions. After that, he will finalize the document so it adheres to what the board wants in Adams. Then legal counsel will review it.
The board hopes to have the document finalized for an October public hearing.
"If people have a lot of input at the public hearing we can table the vote and digest it a bit, but if no one is there we can vote on it that night," Shepley said.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Scholarship Offered to BArT Graduates
ADAMS, Mass. — Graduates of Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT) who have completed their first year of college are invited to apply for the Julia Bowen Bridge to College Scholarship.
The scholarship fund was established in 2017 to honor Julia Bowen, BArT's founding executive director. Through her service to the school, Bowen demonstrated her commitment to supporting all students' successful path to and through college. In this spirit, the scholarship was created by and is managed by the BArT Foundation to provide financial assistance to select BArT alumni through their college career.
A scholarship of up to $1,250 will be awarded to a BArT alumnus or alumna who has successfully completed year 1 of college. Assuming successful completion of the school year, the award will be continued through years 2, 3, and 4 and, if need be, 5. The award does NOT need to be used for tuition.
Applications may be accessed at https://bit.ly/Bowen2024. The application process includes a narrative about the applicant, how the successful applicant plans to use the Bowen Scholarship to increase the likelihood of college success, and how the applicant has or will support the BArT alumni network or college office.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
click for more
Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
click for more
Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more