Adams Fire District Signs $600K Lawsuit Settlement

ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire District's Prudential Committee has officially signed a $600,000 settlement agreement for a class-action lawsuit over its fire protection and street lighting fees. 

The committee discussed the agreement after a final briefing from district Counsel Stephen Pagnotta. Pagnotta said this is one of the final requirements before the district can move on from the lawsuit. 

"This settlement agreement outlines the process of the settlement, who is going to get what funds and outlines a timeframe for doing that," he said at Thursday's Prudential Committee meeting. 

Pagnotta said, per the agreement, residents of the district who paid fire protection and street lighting charges between September 2019 and June 2022 will receive a proportional share of the $600,000 settlement. The district approved the appropriation of surplus revenue for the settlement at its annual meeting in May. 

Pagnotta explained that the agreement can be filed with the court once both sides officially sign it. 

"We will also be engaging a settlement administrator to assist in the distribution of the funds to the recipients," he said. "... There will be court hearings that the court will schedule, and it will be required to approve this because it is a class settlement action. We anticipate the court will do so. This is one of the last steps in putting this matter behind us." 

The lawsuit resulted in a change to the district's collection of fire protection and street lighting. A Superior Court judge found that the district did not have the authority to charge for anything other than water, according to an 1873 act by the Legislature.

Adams Firehouse Shored Up While District Seeks Options

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:51AM / Monday, April 13, 2026

Officials say the 60-year-old fire station is obsolete in terms of space and conditions to house the Fire and Water Departments. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Like many public safety organizations in the Berkshires, the Adams Fire District is looking for ways to address its building's deteriorating condition. 

 

The 65-year-old firehouse on Columbia Street houses both the fire station and Water Department and has myriad issues including leaking and rotting windows, improper ventilation, outdated and obsolete electrical panels, minimal storage, two undersized bays, no sprinkler system or carbon monoxide detectors, and no space for training. 

 

Last year, the Fire Department worried its new engine would fall through the floor of the firehouse so the district invested in renting a shoring system to hold the structure up. 

 

Prior to installing the system, the 2026 ladder truck could not be housed inside the station; with the temporary fix in place, it can now be stored indoors and is fully in service. 

 

Voters can expect warrant articles addressing the situation, including $8,000 for a space needs assessment and $44,000 from free cash to purchase the station's shoring support system.

 

Renting the system costs about $2,000 per month, and with long-term solutions — such as repairing the deteriorating building or relocating departments — expected to take several years, officials believe purchasing it may be the more feasible option.

 

Although the system holds up the structure, it also exacerbates another issue — space.