Adams Gets Another Shipment of COVID Tests, PPE

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The town has received another shipment of COVID tests and personal protective equipment.

The Board of Health discussed the shipment, which arrived at the Council on Aging for storage prior to distribution, at its meeting on Tuesday. Board Chair David Rhoads said the town received 23 boxes with 90 test kits each, which will be distributed and made available throughout town by the board, the Council on Aging, town emergency responders and others.  

"[COA Director] Sarah [Fontaine] was in the process of divvying them up and organizing. She anticipated being able to distribute them throughout town how some point this week," said Code Enforcement Officer Sarah Lesure.

Rhoads and Vice Chair Board Amy Oberlin said they distributed some tests at Ramblefest over the weekend. Several event-goers, they said, were interested.

"Amy and I passed out several dozen at Ramblefest," he said. "... They gave us a few more boxes this time around. So that's why I felt I could grab one myself that we just passed out and have for the Board of Health."  

The board also briefly discussed its coronavirus messaging on the town website. Rhoads said he added the Berkshire Public Health Alliance's vaccination clinic list.


Oberlin suggested adding the CDC vaccination location website as well.

"There is a CDC link on here but it just links to their website, so I was thinking, if you can if we can put a link up there that goes directly to their vaccine search, their vaccine provider search," she said, noting she had trouble herself finding a vaccine appointment.

In other business, Rhoads updated the board on ongoing work by the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District for mattress recycling program agreement with Dalton. He said changes to mattress recycling regulations, which require specific disposal methods, necessitated the change.

"They dispose of it in the appropriate way. So more to come on that," he said.  

Rhoads said he is in the process of sending the board's sanitary code regulations to the central Department Environmental Protection Registry.

"I investigated and, indeed yes, the DEP does have a registry. So all of our regulations regarding the environmental code, sanitary code, are supposed to be sent to the central register," he said, noting he was waiting on the approved minutes from that night to send the letter to the registry.


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Adams Town Meeting OKs Budget, Nixes Citizens' Petitions

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires.com

The annual town report was dedicated to retired Police Chief Richard Tarsa, above. 
ADAMS, Mass. — Town meeting members approved 23 of the 25 articles on the annual town meeting warrant. 
 
The gymnasium in the Memorial Building was filled with 104 town meeting members who voted to approve the authorization for a number of spending articles making up a budget of approximately $21 million during a meeting that lasted 50 minutes. 
 
Of that, members approved, Article 5, an operations budget of $10,650,057, of which $8,074,370 is made up of personnel and $2,642,107 for operating expenses. 
 
"This is a level of services budget from one year ago," Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo said. 
 
The amounts budgeted are reflective of what it takes for an organization, pay employees, provide health insurance, and all the ancillary costs, he said. 
 
The town has not yet finalized union contract negotiations with the police and clerical unions and still has open positions. So, there will be a special town meeting in late September or early October to adjust the budget based on the salaries and health insurance.
 
The positions have been conservatively budgeted at previous rates, maintaining each staff member's prior step or grade, as if the roles were filled full time. 
 
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