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The Selectmen are responding to complaints of activity and roll-offs loaded with trash at the former Curtis Fine Papers mill.

Adams Investigating Operations at Former Curtis Paper

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Town officials asked that residents come to them with complaints before making accusations on Facebook.  
ADAMS, Mass. — After complaints erupted about the former Curtis Fine Papers mill reached the Selectmen, town officials decided to send multiple departments to inspect alleged unpermitted operation.
 
Chairman John Duval said both the health and building inspector will visit the property after hearing complaints Wednesday from residents who demanded town action on alleged zoning and board of health violations at the 115 Howland Ave. mill.
 
"There are town entities that can deal with this and I will call them tomorrow so they can address your concerns," Duval said. "I am not saying I don't agree but I need proof. Again, this is the way to do it and now you have our attention." 
 
The controversy was sparked last week when residents took to social media with concerns that some sort of business was still active at the mill. Residents noticed trash containers full of debris and some even suggested that the town was leasing the property.
 
The Board of Health on Tuesday had already determined it would look into the debris that was pictured on social media.
 
Last year, the town pulled the operating permits for MJD Real Estate's permit and began the process of taking the property for back taxes. Owners Norman Dellaghelfa Jr. and Roberta Dellaghelfa, who used the facility for their trucking business, owe the town more than $450,000 in taxes. MJD purchased the property for $15,000 from the defunct paper company in 2009.
 
Resident Linda Cernik said it appears as though the property is still being used for business purposes and she has seen freight trucks on and off the property.
 
"The property is still being used for freight transportation and that special permit was revoked ... so how is that property still being used without a special permit?" Cernik asked. 
 
She said her second concern was the storage of large trash roll-offs on the property that she considered a health hazard and possibly a violation of the town's zoning bylaws.
 
"The property is a disaster ... what I saw was horrific," she said. "There are over 12 containers filled with mattresses and couches those are combustible materials. They have been there since August and it seems like a landfill which I don't think they are permitted for." 
 
Resident Scott Cernik said there also seemed to be an automotive garage operating on the property without a permit. He asked why the town has not enforced its zoning bylaws since the activity at the mill has been known.
 
"It blew up on social media because there is such a concern in this community," he said. "Past board members just passed it off but everyone knows about this."   
 
Linda Cernik thought it was unfair to taxpayers if the owners could deny the town taxes for years and still operate without repercussions even though their permit has been revoked. 
 
The Cerniks also asked to get the state Department of Environmental Protection involved with the belief that possible contamination could lead to health hazards or fires.
 
Selectman Joseph Nowak said the board has acted on what has made known to them and that he, personally, has referred complaints to the building inspector in the past.
 
Linda Cernik admitted to trespassing on the property and said much of the activity is in the back of the building. 
 
Nowak said he was unaware of activity in the back and thought sounded like the owner may be trying to keep something secret.
 
Duval said when things come before the town they are acted upon and that any concerns should have been brought up with the health and building departments.
 
He said he was disappointed the situation took off on social media before it was brought to the town. 
 
"I think it got out of hand ... and if you want something changed in this town, this is the way to put it on our agenda," Duval said. "Saying things on social media won't get you too far, and your questions can be answered here ... that is why you elect us."
 
Duval thanked the Cerniks for coming forward. He also asked that they produce written statements to be passed off to the health and building departments
 
In other business, Adams-Cheshire Regional School District Superintendent Robert Putnam updated the board on the school year so far. 
 
Putnam said the district's turnaround plan was yielding results and he was optimistic about its future. However, he said the district is fighting against a sharp decline in population — it has 98 fewer students than it did last year.   
 
"The numbers have gone down ... the decline in enrollment is more pronounced than in previous years and it is no doubt due to the closure of Cheshire School," Putnam said. "The only response we can have as a district is to improve our educational outcomes and introduce new programs so we can win students back."
 
Nowak said the enrollment decrease is worrisome and hopes the tension between the two towns and the district dissipates. 
 
"I can see the situation in Cheshire and they are left with some bad feelings," he said. "I hope this wound heals and that Cheshire will become an integral part of our school system that it always has been."
 
Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, who attended a recent School Committee at which enrollment was discussed, said larger trends were at work and the entire county is decreasing in population.
 
"When you look back at the last four years, there are 30 less kids in each of the grades because of population loss throughout the county," she said. "So it is a countywide issue."
 
Nowak, who substitute teaches in the district, said he was optimistic about the school district's trajectory and that everyone in the district was giving 100 percent.   
 
"I can feel the energy in the school," he said. "All in all, I have a positive feeling about the way the district is going."  
 
Putnam also told the Selectmen that the committee forming to amend the district agreement would hold a joint meeting with the School Committee in early November. 
 
"This is one of the things I noticed when I first got here," he said. "I noticed the agreement was typed on an actual typewriter. It was perhaps a little old."   
 
Hoyt will serve on the agreement committee along with a Finance Committee member. The town is in need of two at-large members and Duval asked whoever interested to contact the town administrator's office. 

Tags: back taxes,   complaints,   permitting,   

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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