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The Board of Health is planning a public hearing next month on new tobacco regulations.

Adams Tobacco 21 Public Hearing to Be Held In October

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health has a few final questions and changes to make to its draft of Tobacco 21 regulations and plans to hold a public hearing in October.
 
The new regulations provided by Tri-Town Health were reviewed last week to eliminate redundancies already in the Adams regulations. The board also tweaked the draft regulations, and made a list of questions to ask Tri-Town. 
 
"We probably want to mirror this draft copy as much as possible so we can bring some uniformity throughout the county," board member Bruce Shepley said. 
 
Board member Allen Mendel suggested eliminating a regulation that would limit the number of establishments that can sell tobacco because it did not apply to Adams.
 
"I don’t feel we need that at this point in our town," Mendel said. "I can only think about six stores that are selling tobacco right now." 
 
The board also questioned setbacks in the Tri-Town regulations that state tobacco cannot be sold within 500 feet of a school.  
 
Stores already selling tobacco near schools will still be able to however, the board was unsure what would happen to a permit if a store was sold or moved.
 
Mendel suggested eliminating the regulation altogether because he felt it would give current stores a total monopoly on tobacco sales. He added that it could deter businesses from moving into town. Also, he said students in town are far under the age to buy tobacco. 
 
Shepley felt the board should keep the regulation because it gives them some control. He noted it is not the board's goal to hurt business but it is their goal to keep children away from tobacco. 
 
"I think there are certain issues this board needs to be aware of, and I think whether it is unpleasant or not unpleasant it is our responsibility," he said. "I am not going to worry if I am impacting a business that may want to come in a sell a product that may not be in the best interest of the town."
 
He added that there are plenty of other places in town where a new business can come in and sell tobacco and a business that purely relies on tobacco sales is not sustainable. 
 
The board also decided to change the severity of punishment for employees who violate the regulations and sell to people under the age of 21. 
 
Tri-Town regulations state that after the first offense the employee is fined and suspended.
 
"I would not want to do that because some of these places sometimes only have one person in there," Shepley said. "If someone gets suspended that could put a business out of business." 
 
The board decided to only suspend after a subsequent offense.
 
Shepley said he will contact Tri-Town so they can answer the board’s questions. After that, he will finalize the document so it adheres to what the board wants in Adams. Then legal counsel will review it. 
 
The board hopes to have the document finalized for an October public hearing.
 
"If people have a lot of input at the public hearing we can table the vote and digest it a bit, but if no one is there we can vote on it that night," Shepley said. 

Tags: board of health,   tobacco regulations,   

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Two T's Thrifting Moved to Park Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Owner Trisha Carlo said a persistent leak in her previous location forced her to close for 10 weeks. 

ADAMS, Mass. — A local thrift store has settled into its new location on Park Street. 

Two T's Thrifting was opened by Trisha Carlo in January. The name is a homage to her late partner, Tom Bradley, who died in 2022. She said they both loved thrifting together.

Carlo had opened at 64 Summer St. but in April had to close down for about 10 weeks because of a leak in the ceiling. Once the leak was thought to be fixed, she reopened only to have it happen again.

"I decided to vacate that area or location, and kind of put everything on hold for a little bit. I had moved everything out once it had started leaking, just because I didn't want anything to get moldy or ruined," she said. "And I was kind of a little discouraged when that happened, you know, because rent is so high in most places, and I was pretty established over there. I had repeat customers coming in. It was going really well. So then I didn't know what to do."

Then one day she was enjoying breakfast at the Daily Grind when the owner, Becky Duprat, said she should talk to Lea King, who had owned the Adams Boba Tea and Gift Shop but had decided to retire earlier this year.

"Leah is pro Adams, pro bringing businesses to the area, and she just wants everybody to do well with whatever they want to do business wise," Carlo said. "I did take over some of her inventory for her Adams merchandise. I figured I would keep that here for tourists or for the locals."

She was able reopen her shop in its new location in July.

"It's been fun, setting back up and getting to know a different crowd that's walking by," she said. "The foot traffic is a little better. Obviously, there's more traffic that passes by, but advertising is still a little bit of a challenge. But repeat customers have found us. I have people that come in on a Saturday that visit me every week." 

Carlo has also been trying to support the community, including letting local students get community service hours at her store, giving donations to Remedy Hall in Williamstown and other places across the county, holding a school supply drive for local families, and is currently doing a 50/50 raffle for Brewsters, a thrift shop in North Adams that was wrecked by a pickup truck last month.

She is still an emergency medical technician in Pittsfield and coaches soccer and basketball for Hoosac Valley High School.

She does take donations for the store but only during business hours. You can contact her through the business Facebook page on what you would like to donate to see if she can take it or walk in. She is accepting taking winter clothing.

Her new space at 57 Park St. is open Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to  6 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She hopes to extend these hours in the future.

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