Cheshire Selectmen, Finance Committee Want to Fix Poor Road Conditons

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — The poor condition of several town roads was a topic of discussion for the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee in the ongoing town budget discussion. 

Board Chair Michelle Francesconi said she had recently heard complaints about Notch Road, Pleasantview Drive and more. She said she would prefer to use $125,000 that is currently budgeted for a new backhoe on road work, noting that Adams Ambulance may not always be able to respond. 
 
"The reality is, we're mandating fire trucks be patched togethe. And that is a public safety issue. The roads are a public safety issue ... We're in this critical juncture, and I cannot support buying a brand-new backhoe when we might not have a medical staff to respond to medical calls," Francesconi said at Tuesdays Board of Selectmen meeting.
 
The two boards decided to wait for more information on the backhoe purchase before changing its position on the budget. Town Administrator Jennifer Morse said she is also working on other road-safety solutions, such as more consistent police enforcement and better signage.
 
Francesconi said the town needs to find a funding method for roads, even if it means raising taxes. 
 
"Almost every single person I've talked to said our taxes need to go up or we're not going to be able to fix this stuff," She said. 
 
The boards also discussed the condition of town buildings, such as Town Hall, the fire station and the former Cheshire Elementary School. Selectman Ron DeAngelis said the town should create a plan for renovating the elementary school, noting they formed a committee to do so in his previous term as selectman. 
 
"What I worry about is we go by another year and it's some more money, another year some more money and at the end of the day, 10 years from now we're going to be sitting here and pumped a ton of money into this building and got nothing," he said. 
 
The building is one of several properties in Cheshire on the national register of historic places. 
 
In other business, the board reorganized following the May 2 town election and unanimously elected Francesconi to remain chair. The board voted for Shawn McGrath as the vice chair.
 
The board voted that the building commissioner send a cease-and-desist for construction on 612 West Mountain Road as construction is ongoing without a permit. 

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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