Letter: Vote for Shugrue and Bowler

To the Editor:

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, or before with early voting or mail-in voting, I will vote for attorney Timothy J. Shugrue for Berkshire County district attorney and Berkshire County Sheriff Thomas N. Bowler for re-election.

As creator and producer of [public access show] "Solutions Rising," I hope you will go to webcast.nbctc.org to learn more about their extensive background and significant experience. Attorney Shugrue just taped two "Solutions Rising" programs with me, and Sheriff Bowler recently taped his fourth program. Integrity means everything in our elected officials, and both have demonstrated that quality and admirable community involvement and commitment in their lives.

Your vote matters, and Tuesday, Sept. 6, is the definitive election for both Berkshire County district attorney and Berkshire County sheriff. I believe attorney Shugrue and Sheriff Bowler have earned your vote, and Berkshire County will be well served when they are elected.

Rachel I. Branch
North Adams, Mass.

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...