Wheeler & Taylor Adds Insurance Agencies

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Mirick Insurance Agency of Shelburne Falls and Albert B. Allen Insurance Agency of Greenfield each recently entered a partnership with Wheeler & Taylor Insurance, a large insurance agency in Berkshire County.

 
The two long-established insurance agencies joined Wheeler & Taylor, Great Barrington, to broaden their insurance offerings locally, regionally and nationally. Both firms retain their name, staff, location, and management.    
 
"With this new arrangement, we can provide additional insurance products, offer specialized expertise and represent more insurance companies," Mirick president Patrick Shippee said.
 
Brock A. Hines, president of Albert B. Allen, said, "The partnership gives us a national reach and lets us write home, auto and business insurance throughout the country. We will always offer the same personal hometown service."
 
The move is a win for all parties, said Wheeler & Taylor President J. Scott Rote. 
 
"By partnering with Wheeler & Taylor, both agencies can do even more for their personal and business customers," he said. "Local decision-making combined with national resources creates a unique opportunity for agencies like them to preserve their heritage and commitment to the local community while at the same time significantly expanding their access to a broadened marketplace of insurance carriers, knowledge to insure nationwide, and commercial expertise allowing for expanded product offerings."
 
Albert B. Allen Insurance Agency has been serving Franklin County since 1925. 
 
It is located at 277 Federal Street, Greenfield, and online at albertallen.com.
 
Founded in 1980, Mirick Insurance Agency uses the latest in technology to maintain a constant link between its customers and insurance companies. 
 
Mirick is located at 28 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, and is online at www.mirickins.com.
 
Founded in 1871, Wheeler & Taylor, Inc. is one of America's oldest continuously operated financial companies. Operating full-service insurance and real estate brokerage operations from its headquarters in Great Barrington, Mass., it has a network of offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and Nevada. Web: www.wheelertaylor.com.
 
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Elevated Mercury Level Found in Center Pond Fish

BECKET, Mass. — The state Department of Public Health has issued an advisory after a mercury-contaminated fish was found in Center Pond. 
 
According to a letter sent to the local Board of Health from the Division of Environmental Toxicology, Hazard Assessment and Prevention, elevated levels of mercury were measured in the sample taken from the pond. 
 
The concentration in the fish exceeded DPH's action level of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, or parts per million. 
 
"This indicates that daily consumption of fish from the waterbody may pose a health concern. Therefore, DPH has issued a FCA for Center Pond recommending that sensitive populations should not eat chain pickerel and all other people should limit consumption of chain pickerel to 2 meals/month," the letter states.
 
The letter specifically points to chain pickerel, but the 60-acre pond also has largemouth and smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
 
The "sensitive populations" include children younger than 12, those who are nursing, pregnant, or who may become pregnant.
 
The Toxicology Division recommends reducing intake of "large, predatory fish" or fish that feed on the bottoms of waterbodies, such as largemouth bass and carp. More information on safely eating fish can be found here
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