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The Airport Commission was updated about the progress of multiple ongoing improvement projects.

North Adams Hangar Project To Be Extended

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Shamrock Hangar renovation project, although moving along, will be completed later than expected.
 
Peter Enzien of Stantec, the engineering firm overseeing the airport improvement projects, told the Airport Commission Tuesday that instead of completing the Shamrock Hangar by December 4, as agreed upon, the project will be pushed out towards the end of the month.
 
"They are hoping by the end of this week to have the windows in and do some of the electrical work," Enzien said.
 
"The ultimate goal here is to get the space wrapped up by Christmas to a point where there may be a few miscellaneous things that need to be addressed but the space is mostly complete."
 
The city purchased the hangar this summer and through Non-Primary Entitlement Funds from the Federal Aviation Authority, the city is renovating the space.
 
Enzien said the project is being held up by materials that have not yet arrived such as the windows. He said much of the plumbing is complete and the interior walls have been framed.
 
Enzien said while removing old sheetrock, they found that a portion of the lower wall was rotting but they were able to correct the issue.
 
"The bottom portion of the wall was rotted right out about 8 inches from the floor so water coming in from the outside over the years had caused a lot of the wood to rot," he said. 
 
Enzien said although the hangar is anticipated to be largely complete by Christmas, the hangar door installation will likely be complete sometime in the early new year because the contractor must work in tandem with the door manufacturers. 
 
Chairman Jeff Naughton asked that the contractor submit an official request for an extension.
 
Enzien said not much work has been done on the administrative building project, which is also planned to be renovated, however, the gate improvements are mostly complete.
 
Enzien said gate eight and gate ten have been motorized and although both gates seem to be functioning, there is a slight issue with the remote-control operation of gate ten. The remote should be able to operate within a 500-foot radius of the gate.
 
"They don’t know if it is the plantings that are causing a line of sight issue, but I spoke with Berkshire Fence and they are looking at other options," he said. "Hopefully in the next week or so we will have a solution and then we can close out the project." 

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'Into Light': Addressing Addiction One Portrait at a Time

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The "Into Light" exhibit is sketching a new path toward transforming the conversation around addiction — one portrait and story at a time. 
 
Since 2019, the nonprofit's founder Theresa Clower has put on close to 21 exhibitions around the country, sharing the stories of more than 600 people who have lost their lives to addiction. 
 
Now, the installation will be on view at Hotel Downstreet from Friday, March 13, through June 30, featuring 10 portraits of local community members who died from addiction and 20 portraits from the eastern Massachusetts exhibit. 
 
This collaborative effort combines municipal opioid settlement funds and lead sponsor Berkshire Health Systems, in collaboration with the Northern Berkshire Opioid Abatement Collaborative, HEAL Coalition, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and North Adams Regional Hospital.
 
In addition to the installation, the team has developed programs and forums to be held throughout the three months to start a conversation and improve education on the disease. 
 
"The core to our efforts around 'Into Light' is the community education, especially building on people's awareness of addiction as a disease and as a disease that is curable," said Andy Ottoson, BRPC senior public health planner. 
 
Ottoson stressed the importance of treating substance use disorder like any other disease, reducing stigma, and normalizing open conversations around addiction and the resources out there to help recover.
 
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