NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Police Department expects to be moving into its temporary quarters next month.
Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday that the renovations at the former juvenile are "about 95 percent complete" and that the furniture will be arriving this week.
"Our hope is to have all the communications and everything run by March 1, but I will say that's a soft date," she said. "We're doing a little bit of a dance with Verizon right now. But we're hoping very soon that we could at least take all of you through."
The relocation is a short-term solution to the deficiencies of the 68-year-old public safety building, including lack of space and access, and general deterioration.
The structure is also under a U.S. Department of Justice order dating back to a 2010 audit of the city's compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act that rose from a complaint about the police station. The city spent more than $1.2 million making upgrades but little of that went to the public safety building, which city officials have expected to completely replace.
The police union had advocated for the Berkshire Plaza space two years ago as a meeting their needs. The location is central to downtown, on one level and accessible, has holding cells and a sally port to allow safe and discrete transfer of those being detained.
Macksey had informed the council in December that she had signed a two-year lease with owner Scarafoni & Associates with an option for a third.
What won't be moving over for now is dispatch services.
"We are in the process of applying for a 911 equipment grant, which not only includes equipment but also the infrastructure improvements that we really need to be done no matter where we are," the mayor said. "Our equipment will not survive a move. So our thought is more to keep dispatching where it is for the moment."
She said the grant application is due in the next month or so and the city will be notified of any awards in July. The hope is to have dispatch set up in the new location with all new equipment by August.
Once the temporary headquarters are cleaned up, she said the councilors will be invited on a tour.
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MassDOT Warns of Toll-fee Smishing Scam
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was alerted that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country. The scammers are claiming to represent the tolling agency and requesting payment for unpaid tolls.
The targeted phone numbers seem to be chosen at random and are not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads.
Customers who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from EZDriveMA or another toll agency should not click on the link.
EZDriveMA customers can verify a valid text notification in several ways:
The FBI says it has received more than 2,000 complaints related to toll smishing scams since early March and recommends individuals who receive fraudulent messages do the following:
1. File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov; be sure to include:
The phone number from where the text originated.
The website listed within the text
2. Check your account using the toll service's legitimate website.
3. Contact the toll service's customer service phone number.
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