Letter: First Berkshire District Needs John Barrett

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To the Editor:

A recent article in The Boston Globe titled "Tourism booms but locals struggle: Behind the two worlds of the Berkshires" simply confirmed what most of us already knew; while tourism and the second home market are growing substantially in the Berkshires, the poverty rate has risen by almost a third since the year 2000.

Livable wage jobs are few and far between and our population continues to decline. And probably the most frightening statistic was provided by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, which recently conducted a survey to learn more about the pressing issues facing our region. As mentioned in The Boston Globe column, Berkshire Taconic states that more than 40 percent of residents under age 46 surveyed said they are considering moving in the next three years, largely due to a lack of jobs and career advancement.

This is a statistic that every resident in Berkshire County should be concerned with as it will most definitely affect all of us who are proud to call Berkshire County our home. A smaller population combined with what seems like ever increasing municipal budgets will surely result in higher property taxes and fees no matter where you live in the county.

There's an important election coming up on Oct. 10. Democratic and independent voters will go to the polls to elect their choice for the Democratic candidate for state representative of the 1st Berkshire District to replace the late Gail Cariddi.

While many may not be following this race too closely, I would ask that you give strong consideration to John Barrett who has the knowledge and experience to produce effective results for the 1st Berkshire District. As mayor of North Adams for many years, John witnessed first hand what happens when only one industry dominates an area. When Sprague Electric left North Adams, John was faced with growing the economy again and was instrumental in bringing Mass MoCA to fruition.

While tourism in our county seems to be on autopilot, our other economies are struggling. John has stated many times that a one-industry town or county can have negative effects on its residents. John Barrett has a plan to diversify our economy again and help the hard working people in his district but he needs your help. This election is probably the most important we've seen in quite some time as our area is in dire need of a qualified candidate who will work to lower the poverty rate, stem the population losses and increase opportunities for all.

This is a critical time in the history of Berkshire County and I believe John Barrett is the only candidate who possesses the knowledge and skills to re energize our local economy. When you go to the polls on October 10th, I ask that you strongly consider the best candidate for the job. Please vote John Barrett for your state representative for 1st Berkshire District.

Dan Peters
North Adams, Mass.

 

 

 


Tags: election 2017,   


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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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