Letter: Supermarket Package License Would Affect Small Business

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to a recent article on iberkshires.com ("Pot Shop Proposes Moving Into Adams Oasis Property" June 8). While the headline would lead one to believe that the most significant information in this story would be the opening of a marijuana store in the Oasis building in Adams, the article covers a far more complex topic. In this article we learn that the Adam's Hometown Market has requested a license to carry beer and wine, in addition to the request from Holistic Health Inc. to obtain a permit for a pot shop.

I support a new business opening in Adams and believe that it would generate much-needed business and revenue for the town. What I do not support is the request from the Adam's supermarket chain to carry beer and wine. There is far too little entrepreneurship in Adams as it is and cannibalizing small business will only exacerbate this issue. It is true that a business must be profitable to sustain. I believe that chain stores and corporations have strict guidelines that limit their ability to be flexible and creatively provide products to customers to help them survive in smaller communities.

While there are many who support the Adam's Hometown Market, they also seek to keep their individual expenses down so having the Super Walmart just over the town line with North Adams has made it difficult for the store to compete. Being able to get groceries at later hours and lower cost has reduced the sales of the smaller store and I believe this was a major factor in why Big Y was unable to sustain its business in the town.

Adam's Hometown Market's request would essentially create for the small-business owners the same situation that Walmart has created for the supermarket. I care greatly for this town and I think it is important that the grocery store thrives but not at the expense of other established local businesses within the Adams community.

Elizabeth LeSage
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.