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North Adams Third in Small Business Revolution Voting

The crowd made snow angels on Main Street adn the lawn at First Congregational. #MyNorthAdams

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A third of the way through voting for a $500,000 downtown boost, North Adams is sitting right in the middle of the five final communities.

The city was selected as a finalist last Thursday morning for a chance at the second season of Deluxe Corp.'s Small Business Revolution — Main Street. Voting started immediately for the contestants for a chance at a prize that would bring funding, technical aid and physical improvements — along with the national exposure — to their downtowns.

Last year, some 180,000 votes were cast for the two finalists. With five this time around, the total number of votes three days into the competition has already surpassed that number.

Deluxe is not releasing the ongoing tallies, but on Sunday night posted the standings for the first three days with this tease: "Hint: the race is tight and it's still anyone's game."

After three days, Bristol Borough, Pa., was in the lead, followed by Red Wing, Mn., North Adams, Georgetown, S.C., and Kingsburg, Calif.

The city is working to get the attention of New England icons including The New England Patriots organization and players, actress and nearby Pittsfield, Mass.-native Elizabeth Banks,  and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, with hopes that they will do the same. Former Gov. Jane Swift, a North Adams native, has shared the voting call with her Facebook friends.

Television stations in the Albany, N.Y., market, however, apparently have been hesitant to provide coverage for the effort, unlike those in the Philadelphia area.

In the midst of Sunday's blizzard, a few dozen hardy supporters made their way to Main Street to stage a "snow angel" flash mob to get people talking about the contest.

"We reached out to Wabash, Ind., who won the contest last year," said Mayor Richard Alcombright in a statement. "We know they came from behind to win it on the last day of the contest — fueled largely by social media asks of major Indiana politicians and athletes. ...  

"We may be in third place today, but don't count us out yet.  If there's anything we know how to do in New England, it's make a historic comeback."

You can cast your vote here every 24 hours on every device on every browser. That means your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop or office computer. Clearing cookies to vote multiple times will void votes.

The local team is encouraging the voting link be shared with family, friends, former residents and other interested in North Adams' success. Share stories using #MyNorthAdams.

Voting ends at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16.

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.