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Updated March 25, 2021 09:09AM

MCLA Sees COVID-19 Rise Linked to Ashland Street Apartments

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is dealing with the fallout of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Flagg Townhouse apartments.
 
On Tuesday, MCLA's vice president for strategic initiatives informed the campus community that the residence halls had been the source of eight positive COVID-19 tests over the last 10 days.
 
On Wednesday, the school moved to a "temporary targeted lockdown" of the Flagg townhouse, ordering its 242 residents to stay in place. MCLA also closed its fitness center and suspended all intercollegiate athletics until further notice.
 
Residents of the Ashland Street apartments will be required to participate in classes remotely and only leave their residences to pick up food from MCLA's dining services, seek medical attention or participate in the college's COVID-19 testing protocols, according to Wednesday's announcement.
 
For non-Flagg residents, classes will continue to be in person.
 
"Students that violate the lockdown measures will be accountable to the MCLA Trailblazer Agreement to the fullest extent," read the memo, signed by Vice president for Strategic Initiatives Gina Puc.
 
On Tuesday, Gina Puc said that all students in the complex would be tested for the novel coronavirus, and she credited students' social behavior with causing the uptick in positive tests.
 
"It is clear from contact tracing that the classroom and our hybrid model is not the source of transmission," Puc wrote in memo on the college's website.
 
"The most common source of transmission we are seeing from contact tracing is close social contact in settings where masking, social distance, and other CDC mitigation measures are not being followed consistently. Students living together in apartments, not wearing masks, sharing food or drink, and gathering/socializing in areas that don’t allow for 6 feet of distance are the common denominator in the case patterns we are seeing."
 
Puc's message cautioned against "pandemic fatigue" and told the college community that it needed to remain vigilant in order to complete the spring semester.
 
"As mentioned in my message last week, an increase in cases has been seen across Berkshire County and in the state over the last couple of weeks as some COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted," Puc wrote. "We still need everyone's continued compliance in following social distancing and other CDC recommended mitigation efforts in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19."
 
Prior to Wednesday's tests in the Flagg Townhouse community, MCLA's positivity rate had been running at .14 percent for the spring semester -- five cases discovered in 3,614 tests.
 
On the other hand, with three positives in the college's test program (not counting at least five positive cases that were discovered outside the program), the seven-day positivity rate was .67 (three out of 477 tests).
 
Statewide, the seven-day positivity rate was 1.93 percent for the same period; North Adams' most recent 14-day positivity rate was .33 percent.
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Hoosic River Revival to Host Hybrid Fundraiser and Community Events

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Hoosic River Revival is scheduled to host a hybrid internet and event fundraiser from June 9 to June 21, 2025, which includes an online silent auction and an in-person walk and gathering at MASS MoCA.
 
The online "Confluence Of Two" Silent-Auction Fundraiser will run from June 9 to June 20 at 12 p.m. This auction provides an opportunity to bid on one-on-one time with various Berkshires-celebrated VIPs, with proceeds benefiting the non-profit Hoosic River Revival. The VIP experiences offer winning bidders the chance to walk up to one mile with a community leader as they lead registered walkers in the "Hoosic River Run" on the morning of June 21.
 
The "Hoosic River Run" is a mile walk and timed 5k race, hosted by Hoosic River Revival and the City of North Adams. The event begins and ends at MASS MoCA, following a route along a section of the Hoosic River that is lined with flood chutes. For those who do not win auction lots, in-person registration to walk or run will be available on June 21, starting at 7 a.m.
 
At 7 a.m. on June 21, the "Confluence Of Two" meetup and photo opportunity will take place at MASS MoCA Courtyard A. Winning bidders and their VIP walking partners will be introduced by Hoosic River Revival. Participants will receive Hoosic River Run T-shirts and swag bags, and each duo will be photographed for publication.
 
Also at 7 a.m., conceptual designs for a new architectural riverwalk will be premiered. These designs, recently commissioned by Hoosic River Revival, in collaboration with the City of North Adams and internationally-acclaimed architecture firm Group Work, aim to transform the river into a central asset for the city. The visualized concepts are intended to enhance flood safety, ecology, infrastructure for recreation, and riverside accessibility for residents and visitors. They include the option for a riverwalk loop that could connect diverse neighborhoods and potentially link to the Natural Bridge State Park, expanding on the vision of Hoosic River Revival Founder Judy Grinnell since 2008.
 
The one-mile walk will commence at 8 a.m., following the same route as the timed race. Participants will traverse the MASS MoCA campus, pass the Little Hoosac Tunnel, and circle back at Western Gateway Heritage State Park. At the park, students from the Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies (BAAMS), accompanied by founding musician Richard Boulger, faculty, and alumni, will premiere an original song titled "The Wise Old Hoosic," dedicated to the Hoosic River.
 
Following the outdoor gatherings and race awards presentation at Courtyard A, MASS MoCA Community Day will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering additional special events. Visitors can view the industrial-engineering perspective of the "Confluence Of Two" branches of the Hoosic River from The Prow balcony in Building 6, which was redesigned by Bruner/Cott Architects.
 
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