Letter: Lynette Bond for Mayor

To the Editor:

I am writing to encourage you to cast your vote for Lynette Bond as the next mayor of North Adams. I've known Lynette for more than 10 years and can't think of a better person to represent the City. Lynette is everything you'd want in a mayor. She is honest, a great leader, has the tenacity to make tough decisions, and an amazing ability to inspire others to reach their goals.

I have been lucky to have Lynette as my assistant coach for the past four years. She has brought many of these same qualities to the court. She inspires the players and is disciplined in her coaching. Lynette has a passion for youth sports and understands how important it is for young people to be part of a team, to learn the fundamentals of sports, and most importantly, to have fun with their friends. For me and my family, this is the heart of a community, on the courts and on the ballfields. This is where communities are formed and Lynette is there-as a coach or as a fan cheering on the youth of this community.

Lynette has proven that she can work well in stressful situations while maintaining a professional and respectful composure. Her ability to lift people up is something we could all learn from. Lynette is compassionate and real. She understands the stressors of being a working parent with kids involved in many activities and coordinates rides between families and often provided rides to those without transportation. She gets it. Lynette is someone who gives her all and does not tire easily. She will champion youth sports and ensure our young people have access to recreation. She will make North Adams proud. I am asking you to vote for Lynette Bond. I can't imagine it will be anything less than a slam dunk!

Al Arnold
Selectman, Clarksburg, Mass.

North Adams Planners OK New Event Space for Tourists Resort

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Tourists' owners say they've been in need of a gathering space for years, based on the number of requests they get. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tourists Welcome resort was approved on Monday for construction of a building to serve gatherings and the Airport Rooms.

 

"This is our first opportunity to like fix the biggest thing we screwed up in building Tourists, which was not making a big room," said representative Eric Kerns. "The first year we opened, we got 1,200 event requests the first year, and we've continued to have almost 1,000 event requests every year."

 

The 140-seat event building will be constructed adjacent to the Airport Rooms on the east end of the State Road property, which operates at Blackinton Operating LLC. The 91-foot-long structure will include a kitchen to serve both the event space and the Airport Room, which will be connected via an enclosed corridor. Overflow parking will be at the Blackinton Mill, also owned by the partnership, with shuttle service for events. 

 

The new building will be set on piers to minimize excavation and will include a deck that will extend behind the Airport Rooms. The building also will utilize an all-electric mechanical system with high-efficiency heat pumps and energy recovery ventilation.

 

Kerns noted the resort has been erecting tents on that space for events — this will just make the use of the space permanent. He described the trailer being used as a "kitchen" for the Airport Rooms "a very clever two-year solution that has lasted seven years."

 

"It's just been a a real struggle to find a building that we can build that makes that the math makes sense given current, you know, construction costs we have come across," he said. "We've come upon a design that works for us, and it's really a continuation of the business that we've been doing. This site is where you've probably seen us put up a tent before, so we already have events of this size on the site."

 

Tourists was built as a minimalist resort, with the rooms facing the Hoosac River; the new structure will continue that aesthetic with a blank wall facing the road and large windows looking out on the river.