Fireworks Light Up The Night Following SteepleCats Win

NORTH ADAMS, Mass —It was a night filled with baseball, a large crowd, and a grand fireworks display on Fourth of July in North Adams.

The SteepleCats faced off against the Sanford Mainers to start of the celebration on Wednesday. Backed by a crowd of more than 2,600, the SteepleCats rolled to a 4-1 victory that included a two-run double by Hoosac Valley High School graduate Matt Koperniak to help secure the win.

Following the game, a fireworks display of all sizes, shapes, and colors occurred that would not have been capable without the tremendous support of the community.

The North Adams SteepleCats and the City of North Adams would like to thank all the sponsors.

Thank you to our Grand Finale sponsors MountainOne Bank, Big Y Supermarket, and Tourists.

Thank you to our Roman Candle Sponsors: A1 Inc., The Maxymillian Companies, Mass MoCA, North Adams Chamber of Commerce, North Adams SteepleCats, and the Richard E. Neal for Congress Committee.

Thank you to our All American Sponsors: B & B Micro Manufacturing, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, Bright Ideas Brewing, Crane & Co., Desperado's Mexican Restaurant, iBerkshires.com, Moresi & Associates, Museum of Dog, Very Good Property Development Co., and West Oil.

And thank you to our Firecracker sponsors: Bedini & St. Pierre, Ellen Janis Mass Mutual, Jack's Hot Dog Stand, Installation Space, Security Plumbing & Heating Supply, and Village Pizza North Adams. And our Patriot Sponsors: AR Design Fine Art & Tattoo, A OK BBQ, At Home TLC, Inc, Bark N' Cat, Benchmark Kitchens, Ben Lamb & Emily Schiavoni, Becks Printing, Berkshire Community Action Council, Berkshire Emporium & Antiques, Bird Song Gallery, Boston Sea Foods Restaurant, Camp Miksic, Common Folk, CT Management Group, Dave's Package Store, DiLego Jewelry Store, Diane Cutillo and Bernie Pinnsonault, Edward Jones - Rob Adams - North Adams Branch, Empire Cafe, Gabe and Amber Besaw, Grazie, Greylock Community Club, The Hub, Integrated Eco Strategy, Jason M. LaForest, Jennifer Flynn Bernard & Mayor Tom Bernard, Klipper Kingz, Lever, Inc., Mia's Exchange, Michael Chapman & Amanda Turner, Moulton's Hearing & Spectacle Shoppe, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, outside, Persnickety Toys, The Porches Inn, Public Eat + Drink, Scizzor Sisterz, and Shear Madness Salon.

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...