Cities Seek Donation of Official Holiday Trees

Pittsfield typically hosts its tree-lighting
ceremony the first Friday of December.

Do you have a tree that would be perfect to donate and serve as an official holiday tree for the city of Pittsfield or the city of North Adams?

Both cities are seeking residents to donate their official holiday trees for the upcoming season. Pittsfield's tree will be on display in Park Square; North Adams needs two trees to place on each end of Main Street.

In Pittsfield, criteria used to select the city's official holiday tree includes minimum height of approximately 30 feet; superior shape; ease of access to the tree for cutting; adequate room to safely fall the tree; and ease of transporting the tree.

Screening and selection of trees will take place the week of Oct. 28. Cutting and installation of the tree at Park Square will be scheduled shortly after the selection. Interested parties should contact Becky Manship, Pittsfield's recreation activities coordinator, no later than Oct. 25 at 413-499-9371 or via email.

In North Adams, trees 25 to 30 feet in height are sought from residents of the Northern Berkshire area before the first week of November.

Anyone wishing to donate trees is asked to contact the North Adams Fire Department at 413-662-3103. If calling after hours, please leave a message and someone will return the call as soon as possible.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

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.