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The Selectmen want the Memorial Building tested for mold to determine whether it's in shape to rent out.

Adams to Test Memorial Building for Mold

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Adams Arts Advisory Board Member Francie Anne Riley informed the board that the Great Chair Auction has kicked off.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Memorial Building will be closed to all use until the town can test it for mold and other health concerns.

The Selectmen tabled a request Wednesday from the Berkshire Arts and Technology Public Charter School to use the former middle school building, which has seen limited use the past few years, because of concerns over mold.

"I don't know why we are even considering this tonight ... either everyone can use it and fill out a form or no one can use it," Selectman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said. "What are we doing? Opening up ourselves for a lawsuit. We have been told there is problem there and now we are going to let BArT go in there with young kids and run around the gym where there may or may not be mold?"

Selectman Richard Blanchard said the board was told the mold issue was remediated a while ago.

Resident George Haddad said this is not the case and it has been well known in town for a while now that there is a mold issue in the building.

Chairman Jeffrey Snoonian said he would rather have it tested than make a decision guided by rumor.

"I hear a lot of things and a lot of the time there is no truth to it but I do agree if we are going to start using it, we should get it tested," he said. "Let's forget all the 'I hear' and 'she hears' and 'he hears' and starting from this point, we will find out if that building can be used."

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said he thought it was a good idea and the board can hold a workshop meeting in the near future.

In other business, the Selectmen voted to hire a patrol officer to fill in the now vacant dispatcher seat.

Longtime dispatcher Anthony Piscioneri, who was retained after the town transferred its dispatch service to the Berkshire County sheriff's office, has left his post to take a job in Pittsfield.

Mazzucco said instead of hiring a new dispatcher, the town can bring on another patrol officer to man the desk and handle walk-ins, administrative duties, the phones and the many emergency calls that still come through the station's number.

That officer could also handle more responsibilities

"The day shift in particular gets very busy and there are a lot of walk-ins and administration items so we still want to keep a body there," Mazzucco said. "We just get more out of having an officer there. There is a lot more they can do."

Police Chief Richard Tarsa said an officer would be far more versatile at the front desk and he is always glad to hire more officers.

Mazzucco said there is money in the budget to handle a small increase and the difference between a dispatcher and a patrolman is less than $10,000.

Tarsa said Piscioneri was an important part of the force and he wishes him well.

"Tony was one of the very first dispatchers Adams had when they moved to that concept ... I wish him well and I have known him a very long time and consider him a close friend," Tarsa said.

Selectman Joseph Nowak agreed.



"I know he has done a lot for this community not only as a dispatcher but for other functions and other safety components of our community," he said.  

The board shot down a plan to create a three-week window in November during which the Department of Public Works would pick up leaves that residents rake into the road.

Mazzucco said the DPW provides a "Cadillac service" by picking up leaves all during fall that most communities do not offer. He said it would be more efficient to only have pick up from Nov. 1 to Nov. 23.

"Before we would just start in October and the DPW would just constantly have few guys driving around doing leaves until the snow picked up," he said. "So we just want a more efficient way to use our time."

Harrington voted against the change because he wanted to move to a bag system right away. Instead of residents just raking leaves into the road, they would have to bag themselves.

Mazzucco said the DPW is not ready to process the bags and this would take some time to set up.

Nowak voted against the plan because he felt the town should invest in a leaf compactor instead of just loading them all on a truck where they could blow away.

Mazzucco said this kind of machine would be incredibly expensive.

Blanchard voted against the motion because he felt it was not the DPW's job to rake up peoples' leaves at all.

"I remember last year we talked about not allowing the sweeping into the streets now we are telling people to sweep into the street," Blanchard said. "I remember I wanted to buy a big jet truck to blow the leaves back onto their lawns."

Snoonian and Duval voted for the program.

Mazzucco said the DPW will just operate the way it has in the past or figure something else out.

The state has informed the town it can use Chapter 90 funds to purchase a hot box and recycler to patch potholes using recycled asphalt. Mazzucco said the state also will allow the town to use Chapter 90 road funds on the Jordan Street culvert project.

The board officially voted to change Town hall Hours to 8 to 5 Monday through Thursday. This will start Monday, Oct. 3.

The board voted to allow the transfer of CJ's Sports Pub's liquor license to new owners Amy McCarthy and Ben Hanson, who will operate the Pleasant Street bar and restaurant as AJ's Trailside Pub.

"We are moving here from Chelsea with our new baby and we would love nothing more than to raise our baby here in Adams," Hanson said. "So here we are, and we are very excited."

McCarthy, a Cheshire native, and Hanson said they both have restaurant and bar experience and plan to keep the pub mostly the same.


Tags: Adams Memorial Middle School,   dispatchers,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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