Letter: New Name for Apkin

Letter to the Editor12:00PM / Thursday, August 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

George Apkin & Sons Inc., would like to share with you some exciting news about our company. We have been working on a strategic plan to ensure that we will be able to continue servicing all our industrial and dealer customers seamlessly for the long term. To ensure that success, we have recently partnered with the Joseph Freedman Co. in Springfield and its affiliates, Perlman Recycling in Pittsfield and Eastern Vehicle Recycling in Westfield.

We are very excited for the depth that this partnership brings. They have a long history dating back 132 years, a great reputation, a professional and friendly team, and a full suite of metal recycling services to further complement our operations.

The only real change will be a small name change to: Apkin Inc. All of our employees in Adams are staying onboard in their current positions, and both of us (Joe Apkin and Bill Apkin) will be staying on as well. Joe Apkin will be leading the company as president, and Bill Apkin will be staying onboard in an advisory role. Sally Cable and Cindi McLain will remain in the office for anything you need.

We appreciate the community that we work with, and it is important to us that we sustain the reputaton and the standing that we have built. To ensure that, we have worked trelessly to make sure that we have partnered with a company that shares our values. We are confident that you will not be disappointed by the transiton.

Thank you to all who have supported us through the years, we look forward to a new chapter.

Joe & Bill Apkin, the Apkin Team
Adams,Mass.

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Adams Eyes 2031 Construction for Howland Avenue Safety Improvements

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:44AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — For several years, the town has been working on plans to improve safety along Howland Avenue, with the reconstruction project now anticipated for inclusion in the 2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

The overhaul to Howland Avenue is aimed at reducing speeding, improving roadway safety and expanding pedestrian and bicycle access. The project also seeks to address aging infrastructure and deteriorating roadway conditions along the Route 8 corridor.

Howland Avenue currently consists of four travel lanes, with two lanes in each direction, creating a wide roadway that allows vehicles to travel at higher speeds.

According to VHB, the town's engineering consultant, Howland Avenue carries an average of 14,223 vehicles daily. Although the posted speed limit is 45 mph, traffic studies found that the roadway's 85th-percentile operating speed is 56 mph.

"This four-lane cross section was constructed in 1997 with the goal of providing roadway capacity for traffic anticipated to be generated by redevelopment in the area, which never occurred," VHB's Pre-25 percent design submission said.

"The improvement project was initiated to enhance safety, accessibility, and multimodal connectivity while addressing deteriorated pavement, drainage, and utility needs."

The proposed redesign includes reducing the existing four-lane roadway to one 11-foot travel lane in each direction from the Specialty Minerals Facility to just South of the North Adams City Line.

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