Letter: Yes to Greylock Project

To the Editor:

It was brought to my attention that a claim I referenced in my previous letter to the editor was not accurate in my representation of it. However innocuous my intention was, it still mischaracterized the arguments that were made regarding the number of studies utilized. And, beyond that, I realized making the case for the school using the quotes of others was unnecessary. There are a plethora of good faith and factual reasons to support the school project, and I will continue to work with those at the forefront.

Reflecting on my own experiences in the North Adams Public School system, it's easy to reminisce about my time at Greylock Elementary over a decade ago. It's just as easy to remember my time fondly at the Brayton Elementary afterschool programs and at the YMCA. But nostalgia should not lead this vote, nor should the controversy of the moment.

The Greylock School Project is worth the investment. City history has been achieved in its record grant funding from the MSBA. $42 million offered by the state; that kind of money doesn't often come to North Adams. But this time it did. $20 million is not a small number to consider, but the alternative is an estimated double with no state assistance. Factored into this alternative would be roof repairs, piping renovations, and mechanical systems replacements. The estimated cost of such runs at approximately $45 million, laid solely at the feet of the taxpayers of North Adams.

Josh Vallieres
North Adams, Mass. 

North Adams, Pittsfield Mark King Day With Calls for Activism

By Tammy Daniels & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Monday, January 19, 2026

Alÿcia Bacon, community engagement officer for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, speaks at the MLK service held Price Memorial AME Church in Pittsfield. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wendy Penner can be found pretty much everywhere: leading local initiatives to address climate change and sustainability, championing public health approaches for substance abuse, and motivating citizens to defend their rights and the rights of others. 

 

That's all when she's not working her day job in public health, or being co-president of Congregation Beth Israel, or chairing the Williamstown COOL Committee, or volunteering on a local board. 

 

"Wendy is deeply committed to the Northern Berkshire community and to the idea of think globally, act locally," said Gabrielle Glasier, master of ceremonies for Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's annual Day of Service. 

 

Her community recognized her efforts with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations who have substantially contributed to the Northern Berkshires. The award has been presented by the MLK Committee for 30 years, several times a year at first and at the MLK Day of Service over the past 20 years. 

 

"This event is at heart a celebration of our national and local striving to live up to the ideals of Dr. King and his committed work for racial equality, economic justice, nonviolence and anti-militarism," said Penner. "There is so much I want to say about this community that I love, about how we show up for each other, how we demonstrate community care for those who are struggling, how we support and and celebrate the natural environment that we love and how we understand how important it is that every community member feels deserves to feel valued, seen and uplifted."

 

King's legacy is in peril "as I never could have imagined," she said, noting the accumulation of vast wealth at the top while the bottom 50 percent share only 2.5 percent the country's assets. Even in "safe" Massachusetts, there are people struggling with food and housing, others afraid to leave their homes. 

 

In response, the community has risen to organize and make themselves visible and vocal through groups such as Greylock Together, supporting mutual aid networks, calling representatives, writing cards and letters, and using their privilege to protect vulnerable community members.