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Emergency responders are teaming up with Rotary, YMCA and Walmart for holiday toy and clothing drive. Last year's event collected 1,000 donations.

North Adams Groups Holding Toy & Clothing Drive

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's emergency responders are teaming up with the Northern Berkshire Family YMCA and North Adams Rotary to conduct a Holiday Toy and Clothing Drive this Thursday, Dec. 8, from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Walmart on Curran Highway.

Members of the North Adams Ambulance Service and the Fire and Police departments will be on hand with their vehicles to collect the donations, along with Mayor Richard Alcombright. All donations received will be used to aid local families this holiday season.

Last  year's drive collected some 1,000 pieces for the statewide Toys for Tots, said organizer MaryAnn King of the Police Department. This year, she said, the goal was to make sure all the toys were distributed locally.

"We want to stay locally here," she said. "Our officers, they see a lot of families that don't have anything ...  I asked the Rotary if they were interested in participating and they hooked up with the Y. ...

"It's the young kids who believe in Santa who'll be upset if there's nothing under tree."

The Rotary and YMCA will host a party for invited families on Sunday, Dec. 11, at the YMCA with pizza, crafts, entertainment and possibly a confetti dunking booth. The donated gifts will be distributed by age and gender.



Thursday's event will include a police cruiser, fire truck and ambulance for the kids to check out, hot chocolate, coloring books, and giveaways as supplies last.

The drive is for new, unwrapped toys and clothing for children up to age 12. King said any new children's clothing will be accepted but the preference is for warm winter clothing — hats, coats, mittens, etc.  Please, no toy weapons: swords, knives, guns, etc.

Donations can also be dropped off at any of the public safety locations.

"I've had a lot of good responses," King said, and pointed to firefighter Robert Patenaude and ambulance manager John Meaney Jr. for their help in organizing the event. "Everybody's really getting psyched about it."

The event is being sponsored by the local Walmart, the North Adams Rotary Club, the YMCA, North Adams Ambulance Service, North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, North Adams Public Schools, and the mayor's office.


Tags: donations,   holiday event,   public safety,   Rotary,   toys,   

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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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