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This year's Christmas tree, donated by Tony Gazzaniga of North Adams, is installed at Monument Square on Monday morning.
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North Adams Christmas Trees Delivered for the 2023 Season

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Atlantis Corp. crane prepares to lift the 30-foot fir into place. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city installed its two Christmas trees on Monday.
 
"The weather is perfect and we hope it holds up," Wire and Alarm Inspector Mitchell Meranti said. "We always enjoy this and are always ready for it."
 
The first of the trees was paraded down Main Street on Monday morning.
 
The 30-foot balsam fir was placed on the monument end of Main Street. It was donated by Tony Gazzaniga of North Adams.
 
Meranti said the tree is a bit wider than past trees.
 
"It will be a challenge, but it is a little shorter so that helps," he said. "We have had trees in the past that were spilling out into the road. If it is a problem I will just put some cones around it. But usually, people are pretty careful."
 
The second tree that was placed on the City Hall end of Main Street is a blue spruce. It is 25 feet tall and was donated by Jake, Betsey and Lucas Elder of Clarksburg.
 
According to a statement from the Elder family.
 
"We want to acknowledge Betsey's parents, Bill and Louise Sherman, who lived here for 45 years and planted this tree. We are happy the City of North Adams can utilize this majestic tree for Christmas and the Tree Lighting."
 
The annual tree lighting takes place the night before Thanksgiving. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Drury High School band and band front will leading the way with festive songs and the North Adams Fire Department's vintage fire engine will arrive with Santa Claus. Santa and his helpers will hand out gifts to the first 500 children.

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Clarksburg Applies for Home Rehab Program, Continues Budget Talks

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is applying with New Ashford for $1.1 million that would allow for 14 homes to be rehabilitated. 
 
Brett Roberts, a senior planner with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, updated the Select Board on Monday about the application for the federal Community Development Block Grant. 
 
"The home rehab program has been going on in Berkshire County for around 15 years," he said. "We do all sorts of housing rehab trying to bring homes up to code. And so we do new roofs, new septic, new wells, lots of new windows, basically anything that a homeowner might need to bring their home up to code."
 
He estimated that there would be about $70,000 available per home to cover 10 homes in Clarksburg and four in New Ashford.
 
The loans would mean a 15-year lien on the property, which would depreciate each year until it falls off. Anyone selling the property before the 15-year term would have to repay the balance at that time. 
 
"This is a really important way to keep low- to moderate-income households in their homes and to stay in community that they love," he said.
 
The board also reviewed budget issues with the Finance Committee. The town budget draft is just under $1.9 million, up about 2.3-2.4 percent. 
 
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