Clarksburg Boards Discuss School Renovation Needs

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — In a joint meeting with the Select Board and the Americans with Disabilities Act Commission, the School Committee discussed building renovation needs. 

The most significant upcoming renovation is the installation of a chair lift, for ADA compliance. The lift will allow access from the main floor to the lower level of the split-level school, including the cafeteria, gymnasium and playground. 

"We haven't sat down all together. So, before we go and spend this money, let's make sure we're all in agreement and it sounds like we all are, so that's great," said Superintendent John Franzoni. "Thank you very much, because that was a big problem for the school." 

Town Administrator Carl McKinney said there is already funding available, via American Rescue Plan Act funds, to almost entirely pay for the lift project. He said he is working on a draft request for proposals and will do whatever is needed to work around summer programs. 

"The company that does make [the lift] will install it. And they would like to come and see it, but ultimately, I need to know what your time window is going to be," he said. The project, he explained, is expected to cost about $110,000. "Financially, we're good with that. We're using ARPA funds for the fact that the money's in the bank, we already have it. So if you have the time, we got the money." 

McKinney also suggested possibly putting solar panels on the roof of the school. He said the payments from a lease for the roof space could help finance a more significant roof renovation. 

"We do understand it's rather vital," McKinney said of the school's roof. "If we were to do a request for proposals to lease the space on the roof for a solar panel company, you're looking probably about a quarter to a third of an acre of land on the roof and get a 20-year lease agreement where the lease payments would pay for the roof." 

The group also discussed the end-of-year report required by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Franzoni said communication has been better recently. 

"I think the fact that we're talking face to face, and we're talking on the phone, that's the only way this is gonna get solved and move forward so that we can get all the funding that we need for our school and get all the grants everything else that we need to keep the school going," he said. "We need to do that, we need to work together. Otherwise, it's not going to work."  

Newly installed committee member Mary Giron said creating a schedule of important events would be helpful for communication between the school and the town. 

"If we had a schedule, I would think that everyone would know the schedule. The Select Board would know the schedule, the School Committee would know the schedule," she said. "... We can check in to make sure things are being followed, and we would just have a clear approach for all of us. And I think it would be helpful." 

In other business: 

• Giron was recognized as the committee's newest member after her appointment at the last meeting. 

Giron is the third member on the board, replacing former member Eric Denette, who stepped down recently after moving out of Clarksburg. Denette had declined to run for a second term last spring but accepted after winning through write-in votes.

North Adams Airport Commissioners Discuss Next Steps for Restaurant

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
08:05AM / Thursday, February 19, 2026

The vacant restaurant space in the administration building has been waiting for an occupant for six years.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — With the donation of kitchen equipment for the proposed airport restaurant, the Airport Commission met Tuesday to discuss how to manage the incoming equipment and how to best advertise the space.

 

"I like putting the equipment in there but letting whoever is going to go in there figure out where they are going to put it," Chairman James Haskins said during the commission meeting. "Because it does cost a lot of money to do that."

 

The commission has envisioned a restaurant in the renovated administrative building for years; however, with multiple Requests for Proposals (RFPs) going unanswered, the space has remained a shell. It was previously believed that the primary obstacle was the lack of kitchen equipment.

 

Earlier this year, Williams College offered to donate used kitchen equipment that is no longer needed because of an upcoming renovation. That equipment is scheduled for delivery in May.

 

Haskins asked whether the city should pursue a new RFP within the next few months or begin building out the kitchen before advertising the space. He suggested that while installing the equipment could make the space more attractive, it might also dissuade potential restaurateurs who have a different vision for the layout.

 

"We have pretty much a full kitchen," he said. "But I just don't know where any of it goes. Where does the grill go? Where does the fryolator go?"

 

There were also concerns that installing the equipment prematurely could impact the property's insurance and increase liability.