NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Lifeguards will be on duty this holiday weekend at Windsor Lake.
The city has contracted with Northern Berkshire Family YMCA to provide lifeguards for the public beach three days a week this summer and on the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays.
Lifeguards will be on duty from noon to 5 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning on Thursday's holiday.
"It will be a guarded beach during those hours and unguarded at the other times, when it will be swim at your own risk," said Administrative Officer Michael Canales on Wednesday.
The administration had decided against using lifeguards this summer in part because of the difficulty in scheduling them and the general trend of states and municipalities making facilities "use at your own risk." State parks haven't had lifeguards in years and neither do many other local waters, including the city's own Historic Valley Campground at the lake, often known as Fish Pond. Pittsfield, however, still staffs Onota Lake's popular Burbank Park from 10 to 5 on Wednesdays through Sundays through Aug. 18.
While the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission had not lodged opposition to the move, the City Council was decidedly hostile to the idea. The information had come up at a Finance Committee meeting and the committee's chairman, Marie T. Harpin, attempted a financial maneuver during the approval of the fiscal 2020 budget to restore funds for the lifeguards.
Harpin's attempts to cut funds out of two line items for the airport to pressure the Mayor Thomas Bernard to restore the lifeguards succeeded: the mayor agreed to reconsider the idea and look at reserve funds as a possible funding source.
Canales said the local camps that use the public beach bring their own lifeguards — there are more rigorous requirements for camps in this regard. They usually swim during the early part of the week but Canales cautioned that while the camp lifeguards may be on site, the beach is still considered "unguarded" during those times.
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Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.
More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.
Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."
Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.
Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
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