ADAMS, Mass. —The Original Seed Cigar Lounge owners want better communication from the Board of Health.
John Sheerin, who plans to open up a cigar lounge at the former Rascals on North Summer Street, met with the Board of Health last week to register his frustration.
"With all due respect to the board, I have already sunk thousands of dollars into this project," Sheerin said. "So to find out my business’ name is coming up at a meeting that I'm not present at is pretty disheartening and pretty unprofessional."
Late last year, John and Tracy Sheerin, owners of Original Seed, asked the board for an extension of the permit process. A former code enforcement officer wrongly awarded the business a permit before the Sheerins had completed various state requirements, causing some confusion in the process.
The board extended the permit process 90 days into March, giving the Sheerins more time to wrap up the state permitting process.
Original Seed was on the Jan. 8 agenda as "Original Seed Cigar & Lounge application update."
Chairman Peter Hoyt told Sheerin there were some questions amongst members of the board but because Code Enforcement Officer Mark Blaisdell was not present at the meeting, they didn't get an update on the application process.
Board member David Rhoads had other questions in January and told Sheerin he was only concerned about potential questions the state may ask of Original Seed.
"The main issue was there's a lot of discussion about the makeup of cigar bars in [the Department of Public Health] and it is totally up in the air," he said. "So I brought that question up so we would be aware of the issue whether cigars can be smoked and as a retail outlet."
Sheerin said he did not see his business on the agenda but wished the board would contact him if they plan to discuss Original Seed.
"We thought we were all in the clear until we finalized the purchase of the building and that is going through sooner than later at this point," he said. "Before I buy a building, I am hearing that there is another monkey wrench in the works."
He said if the board sees a potential deal breaker and elects to discuss it at a public meeting, he needs to be kept in the loop.
"If I have to walk away from this with a couple of thousand spent I am not worried, my lawyer can take care of that," he said. "But if I am going to spend $200,000 this is going to be no bueno. That is the best way I can say it."
Sheerin did ask for the minutes from the January meeting and the board members said they would make sure he received them.
Rhoads did begin to bring up another concern he had but Hoyt cut him short and said they would discuss it later.
Selectman James Bush also had some issues from the January minutes and felt he was misrepresented.
"It says that I bemoaned repercussions of cannabis coming in and I never said that," he said. "I never said such a thing. I for one was totally for cannabis coming into this community ... this is not accurate."
In January, the board discussed a proposed tobacco permit cap. Bush, who was against the cap because he thought it would hurt businesses, did make a comment about cannabis when responding to Rhoads who said the board's goal was to limit exposure of cigarettes to youth.
Bush made this comment about 20 minutes into the meeting:
"We are bringing cannabis shops into town. To me, that is a step above cigarettes so you have minors floating around with that now," he said. "Just because you have a personal vendetta against cigarette smoking doesn't mean we have to stop it."
Bush also took issue that his verbiage was described as colorful.
"This whole thing makes me look like some sort of town idiot in here talking," Bush said. "I made a statement I didn't do anything colorfully ... I think it is malarkey."
Rhoads, who took the minutes in January, apologized and said he must have misunderstood Bush.
"I do apologize," he said. "I try my best."
The board voted to strike the sentence from the minutes.
In other business, Blaisdell explained a new fee structure he plans to bring forth to the selectmen and instead of only issuing 21D tickets he would like to start issuing 40U tickets.
He said when fines against a property go unpaid the town usually files with court. A 40U would allow the town to roll unpaid fines into a person's property taxes if they go unpaid for a determined amount of time.
"We don't always get good results with that," he said. "This would be a more affirmative way to recover fines."
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Adams Mill Fire Investigation Continues, Violations Found
Staff Reports
ADAMS, Mass. — According to local and state fire officials, while the investigation into April's Harmony Street mill fire is still open, there is no evidence that the fire was intentionally set.
Following their examination of the scene, Chief Pansecchi and code compliance officers from the Department of Fire Services identified several violations of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. Specifically, they found that the property owner had violated several terms of a permit issued in 2019 by:
Failing to install an approved lock box at the gate for fire department emergency access;
Failing to seek a new permit when the building became occupied during unsanctioned work; and
Failing to obtain a hot work permit for cutting and grinding metal operations within the structure.
Failing to abide by a permit issued by the local fire chief constitutes a violation of the Fire Code. In consultation with Pansecchi, DFS code compliance officers issued three citations to Harmony Street LLC, each for $100. Having a state compliance officer issue the citations ensures that they will be available to testify at a hearing and/or appeal on the citations, Pansecchi said.
The property has been vacant since MacDermid Graphics closed in 2002, and was purchased by 10 Harmony Street LLC for $53,500 in 2019, according the online assessor's records. Principal of the LLC is listed as John D. Duquette Jr.
The origin and cause of the fire are being investigated by the Adams Fire Department, Adams Police Department, and State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office. They determined that the fire began somewhere in the center of the structure, and while they have not yet reached a determination as to its cause they found no evidence that it was intentionally set.
In the course of their efforts, investigators learned of unsanctioned, unpermitted hot work being performed inside the building. This involved using oxy-acetylene torches to cut metal for scrap. Cutting, grinding, welding, and other hot work requires training, certification, and a permit from the local fire department because of the inherent fire hazard posed by sparks and slag.
The Adams Fire Department was dispatched to 10 Harmony St. shortly after 7:30 a.m. on April 16 for a report of smoke coming from the building. The first responding personnel confirmed smoke and flames at the 237,000-square foot mill building and began requesting mutual aid and Northern Berkshire EMS to support local resources. In the minutes and hours that followed, the fire went to two alarms plus, drawing firefighters and apparatus from Pittsfield, Cheshire, North Adams, Lanesborough, Hinsdale, Dalton, Savoy, and Williamstown.
As the volume of smoke produced by the growing fire in a former industrial building prompted concerns about air quality in the area, two nearby schools were closed in an abundance of caution and residents with respiratory vulnerabilities were advised to shelter in place. Pansecchi requested a DFS Hazmat team to monitor the air at various locations. Chemicals that had previously been stored at the site had been removed years ago, however, and technicians found no imminent hazards to first responders or the community.
Following their examination of the scene, Chief Pansecchi and code compliance officers from the Department of Fire Services identified several violations of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. click for more
Corey Charron, a senior at Hoosac Valley High School, gave the Selectmen on Wednesday a presentation of data he'd pulled from the center's log books.
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Reflecting national trends, schools in the Berkshires and across Western Massachusetts have experienced a decrease in student-athletes playing football. Previously, Drury fielded a cooperative team with Mount Greylock, while Hoosac Valley and McCann Tech operated independent football programs. click for more
The three candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen — Joseph Nowak, Jay Meczywor and Jerome Socolof — answered questions during the 90-minute forum at the former Firehouse Cafe.
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