Letter: New Name for Apkin

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. 

Cheshire Officials Question Structural Integrity of Fire Station

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:55AM / Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The cracks have appeared in the concrete block wall raising issues of movement. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The fire station's meeting/training room is closed off because of concerns of a potential structural collapse.

 

Over the years, the fire station has had one problem after another and now officials are concerned about the room's structural integrity, deciding to close it last Thursday until it can be evaluated by a structural engineer. 

 

The training space hadn't been painted in more than two decades so officials decided to give it a bit of a "facelift," Fire Chief Thomas Francesconi said. 

 

However, this small project exposed something much more critical — the north wall appeared to be shifting away from the large steel I-beam. 

 

Upon further examination of the area, several larger issues stood out — including a large crack running up the concrete block wall above the bay door, a roughly 2-inch dip in the floor, and a shift in the exterior wall that has left it uneven.

 

There were too many things happening to not err on the side of caution, said Francesconi. Now that the area is exposed, this is the time to get it assessed to ensure that the wall's not moving or buckling, said Corey McGrath, department of public works director.

 

Around 2010, a company dug up around the station's foundation and installed support for the building. During that time, the contractors observed the north side of the building, the area believed to be shifting, was sinking into the ground, Francesconi said.