Letter: MCLA Homeless Shelter Should Have Had Public Input

To the Editor:

I question MCLA's President Birge's commitment to education and to our North Berkshire community.

"… the historic public purpose of American higher education is to respond to the needs and demands of society." President Jamie Birge, WAMC 5/10/2023

The problem of the poor and unhoused is a symptom of a decline in democratic values and income inequality. A simple change in the earned income tax credit was able to cut child poverty by about 46 percent in just a few months.

Massachusetts needs more than 200,000 new homes in order to start addressing the housing crisis. What is stopping Massachusetts from building these homes? Powerful interests who do not have a modicum of decency prevent democratic actions to address our problems. Democracy means participation and engagement. It requires leaders to inspire open and respectful dialogue to address the needs of the people.

In 2014, North Adams Regional Hospital was closed with three days notice with no public hearing. Shortly after the hospital closing, the state closed our North Adams welfare office and our North Adams employment office with no public hearing.

Richard Dassatti
North Adams, Mass. 

North Adams' Walnut Street Work to Start Next Spring

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:43AM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

The city is in the process of taking 12 Oak Ave., with the hope of the contractor can use the property for staging equipment. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Work on the Walnut Street retaining wall is expected to begin next spring.

 

However, preparations for the project are starting now with the removal of trees, placement of utility poles and installation of drainage down Oak Street this fall — dependent on weather.

 

"We talked a lot about what we thought the schedule was going to be, and the contractor preferred to work on the stormwater management piece, and then move the utilities so we're not worrying about you in the winter," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told Walnut residents during a project update on Monday.

 

"The contractors will still be working up there, weather dependent. But originally, when we spoke, we talked about moving the utilities first. But we thought that it was a better plan to wait until the spring, so you won't have any disruption to your driveways."

 

She said there were concerns about depending on temporary utilities during the winter.  

 

"I think this is the best course of action to do it and do it right. It's safety, we have to think of safety not only of all of you, but safety of our contractors," she said. 

 

The city received a $2 million MassWorks grant, together with $200,000 left from flood recovery money, to rebuild the massive block wall holding Walnut Street 50-feet above a long abandoned quarry.