2nd Street Secures Additional Office Space in North Adams

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 2nd Street, an organization supporting formerly incarcerated men and women in Berkshire County, has partnered with Community Legal Aid (CLA) to open additional office space in North Adams. 
 
Located at 33 Main Street, North Adams, the office suite will be shared with CLA, which currently uses the space as a satellite office.
 
Beginning Feb. 1, 2023, 2nd Street will meet with clients by appointment only. Clients wishing to schedule an appointment may call (413) 443-7220, ext. 1275.
 
The intent behind offering space beyond the Pittsfield office is to bring services closer to where clients live, explained Jason Cuyler, 2nd Street Executive Director.
 
"Part of helping formerly incarcerated individuals succeed is being readily accessible to them," Cuyler said. "Ideally, that means being able to provide assistance to clients where they are. We're eager to make it easier for clients in the Northern Berkshires to access our services. Community Legal Aid has been a partner of 2nd Street since the beginning, and we deeply appreciate the space-sharing arrangement."
 
2nd Street staff works to develop an individualized reentry plan for each client. Services include medical and mental health referrals, substance use disorder services, financial and legal resources, transportation and housing resources, employment and job training, and legal services.
 
"The new office space is a natural extension of the close working relationship between Community Legal Aid and 2nd Street," said Jennifer Dieringer, CLA's Managing Attorney for Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin Counties. "We're so pleased to be able to offer our space to 2nd Street's clients, especially knowing it will be much easier for North County residents obtain services. We look forward to growing our working relationship and to the success of 2nd Street."
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Walnut Street Repair Project Expected to Begin This Fall

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved four temporary easements to accommodate the $2.2 million reconstruction of a collapsed section of Walnut Street over the next year. 
 
Walnut Street runs above and parallel to State Street and the section that collapsed is above a large gorge just north of the closed Oak Avenue. A pipe runs under the road and streams water into the gorge — a 20 or 30 foot drop. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said the easements are for two years and are required to move utilities from one side of the street. 
 
"As we get ready to do this project and make it come to life, we need to move the utilities," she said. "So, as you will understand in true City of North Adams fashion, all of the utilities run along the wall. So we have to temporarily remove the gas and the electric, telephone cable and whatever else is attached up there to the opposite side, and move the utilities onto properties."
 
Residents have been expressing concerns about the road's condition for 30 years. The more than century-old dry stone stack retaining wall on the steep grade began to significantly deteriorate four years ago and the roadway was blocked off to one lane along the wall. The east edge of the road gave way in April 2022 and collapsed during the night, reportedly loudly enough that it woke the occupants in the home across the way.
 
"We tried for several grant rounds, and we finally were successful last year, receiving a grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program in the amount of $2 million," the mayor said. "Part of that grant application was a required match, so the city is basically matching $200,000 that we have remaining from our flood recovery money that we received a few years ago. ...
 
"The project has been a long time coming."
 
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