The club gave a sled to every child at the elementary school.
FLORIDA, Mass. — This past weekend's snowstorm was the perfect accompaniment to the Florida Mountain Snowmobile club's gift to local schoolchildren: sleds.
Some 90 to be exact.
The snowmobile club handed out a sled or saucer to every child at Gabriel Abbott Memorial School on Thursday from preschool to Grade 8.
"I used to go to school here, I grew up here, and I remember the snowmobile club, when I was a kid ,used to do pumpkins," Therrien said. "They would donate them to the school and all the kids would carve them. And this year, we couldn't get pumpkins and we thought it would be a good idea to try something different for Christmas."
The sleds were a complete surprise — along with the fact that Friday was about to be a snow day (more than a foot of snow would fall over the weekend). That part was kept under wraps as club President Joseph Therrien and members Darlene Waitt and Timothy Keating followed teacher Monica Wissman to the classrooms.
She knocked on one classroom door to say the club was there with a present for the students. One student yelled back, "A snowmobile?"
The reception ranged from giddy to wary. While the kindergartners rocked away in the saucers, the sleepy pre-K crowd wasn't quite sure what to make of the gift-giving.
Waitt said her daughter had attended the elementary school and Keating had a granddaughter in the school.
"It's nice to do something for the kids and I sure needed this," Waitt said, with Keating adding, "especially after COVID."
Keating also noted there was a snowstorm coming so the "kids will get to enjoy them on the snow day tomorrow."
The sleds were donated by club members — everyone who came to the club's Christmas party brought a sled or three. It was enough to ensure that every child at the school got one.
"I like to see the smiles. And we got the little one who thought we had a snowmobile for him," Waitt laughed.
The children held up their sleds for photos with the club members and thanked them. "Merry Christmas," said one class, "and Happy Birthday."
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Steel Structure Completed, Roof Taking Shape at New Greylock School
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The steel work is completed and the roof is taking shape at the new Greylock School.
"Nearly all of the steel is complete. They've essentially demobilized from the site," Todd Ashford, representative with owner's project manager Colliers International, told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "A couple of big trades that have started their construction are the masonry block on the exterior walls, the exterior metal framing has started, and roofing is anticipated to start in the next, I would say, two weeks."
He said a lot of the masonry block and steel framing on the exteriors should be close to completion by the next meeting. Also, a binder course of asphalt should be down by the first week in October, which should help reduce the dirt and mud coming off the site.
A large slab actually was scheduled to be poured Wednesday to house the HVAC equipment and was expected to take until 7 p.m. Mayor Jennifer Macksey said those residents signed up on the email list were apprised of the after hours work.
The committee also approved invoices for the month and Ashford noted that about $17.8 million in invoices have been paid to date, of which $6.4 million was eligible for reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The MSBA is reimbursing the city for 80 percent of eligible costs, or about $42 million.
Committee member Lisa Blackmer asked if the reimbursements were keeping pace with expenditures.
Macksey said it's been about 30 to 45 days for reimbursement, and so far they've had no problems with reimbursements. Colliers and Nancy Rauscher, director of school finance and operations, have been working well together, she said.
He said a lot of the masonry block and steel framing on the exteriors should be close to completion by the next meeting. Also, a binder course of asphalt should be down by the first week in October, which should help reduce the dirt and mud coming off the site. click for more
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