ADAMS, Mass. — The basketball court at Renfrew Field got a makeover last week thanks to a local painting company.
The condition of the court has been on the mind of Kenneth Loynes Jr., owner of Red, White & Blue Painting, for some time now but perhaps what bothered him the most was the color of the court – blue.
"It was blue — all the red was blue," he said. "I am not favoring Drury or Hoosac here, but the Adams home court should be red."
The longtime rival high schools are known for the vibrant colors of their mascots: the Drury Blue Devil and the Hoosac Valley Hurricane, which is often drawn in red.
So Loynes gathered some paint and headed to the court to correct the coloring.
"It has been in rough shape ... being down here and seeing it real close it needed something," he said. "It was bothering me."
Loynes said Benjamin Moore/Aubuchon in North Adams donated the white paint to repaint the lines and heavily discounted the red paint used to paint center court and the 3-second areas. His company donated all the labor.
Loynes is a sponsor and coach with the Dana Labbee Summer Basketball League and wanted the court to be more presentable when the players arrived for the start of the season.
"For me to do this project on my weekend, the payment when I see the kids come back down would be more than whatever dollar amount," he said. "I am all about keeping the kids on the court and off of the street and if you have a cleaner environment it is a deterrent to the wrong crowd ... you want to play somewhere that is taken care of."
So when a parks commissioner asked if he could help, he said, yes.
Loynes said he would be willing to do some more "pro bono" work throughout the region because it is important to his company to give back.
"My company motto is: we served our country now we serve our community," the military veteran said. "It's just important to show that you support local stuff and you give back to local programs ... if we don't give back to the community who will?"
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Friday Afternoon Fire Destroys Cheshire Barn
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
CHESHIRE, Mass. — A fire on Friday afternoon destroyed a barn at 920 Sand Mill Road.
The building is a total loss but firefighters were able to prevent the flames from reaching another nearby barn and the house at Stoney Brook Farm.
Fire Chief Thomas Francesconi said the fire was called in 12:39 p.m. by the homeowners "but it already had a foothold before they noticed it."
Responding firefighters found the L-shaped structure fully involved. Adams, Lanesborough, Savoy and Windsor fire companies responded and Williamstown Fire covered the station.
The tankers were used to transport water from a nearby brook until a pool could be set up near the scene and water pumped into it.
Northern Berkshire EMS responded and one firefighter was treated at the scene and then taken to Berkshire Medical Center.
Francesconi said there were no other injuries but the owners told him there were 18 chickens in the barn. The structure also had equipment and other materials in it, including a Jeep.
The building is a total loss but firefighters were able to prevent the flames from reaching another nearby barn and the house at Stoney Brook Farm. click for more
The town is preparing to submit an application for Community Block Grant Funds following the designation of its blighted area on Route 8. click for more
The Board of Selectmen last week approved the closures of the street between Pleasant and Dean Streets from Wednesday through Saturday, April 1 to 4, to allow for the Crewdson's production company to set up for his complex and intricate shots. click for more
The national media and marketing company spotlights independent eateries around the country and was back in the Berkshires to try two more local favorites: M&J's Taste of Home Diner and the Shire Tavern.
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