Letter: The Best Summer ... Until

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To the editor:

Oh what a summer it's been. I cannot remember a nicer summer than 2024. We used our pool more this year than the past 25 years we've lived here.

Hot, weeks at a time, pretty much no rain other than a few heavy storms that rolled in, and the real purpose of this letter, motorcycling. What an amazing summer, almost every day, sunshine and more sunshine, so much so that at times you would forget that biking is a defense ride more so than a true blast through the hills of the Berkshires especially the fall.

Every day out the door, the same "I love you, and be careful" see you in a bit.

Now my purpose, the roads. Everywhere I go there's people talking about that unbelievable poor conditions and the amount of construction going on, well, if you're in a car it's terrible but bearable (no pun intended) unless your on an air cooling motorcycle, that relies on air to cool the engine, which brings me to ... "The most atrocious set of speed bumps put in the middle of the road." Where you're asking? Exactly, Partridge Road, Pittsfield.

I wish someone had told me because I wasn't speeding when I hit the first one which I completely did not see, because it blends in so well with this newly paved road which I'm sure has brought on more traffic, speeding, texting while driving ect. ... until the residents said, "ENOUGH." But as I said, I wasn't speeding the day I traveled through going to the doctor's on my motorcycle, I hit the first speed bump going the speed limit and almost got killed.

It broke something on the front of my motorcycle and the bike couldn't stop from veering to the left as I tried to ride away, still wondering what happened, so thanks for the sign, you know the one, motorcycles take caution, milled area ahead, warning construction ahead, nope, none, a broken motorcycle, a real long day getting towed, almost got killed, and I was not speeding or offending anyone.

William Tatro
North Adams, Mass.

 

 

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North Adams Council OKs Union Wage Hikes

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council passed an updated fiscal 2025 classification and compensation plan with no debate at a special meeting on Monday. 
 
The updated plan covers recent agreements with the firefighters, police and Department of public Works' unions and is retroactive to July 1. 
 
The firefighters and police are getting about a 3 percent raise. 
 
An entry-level firefighter will have a minimum starting wage of $46,574, up from $45,218, and Step 1 will start at $48,085.
 
A patrol officer at Step 1 will get $47,272, up from $45,031. Second shift will get an 8 percent differential ($48,633 at Step 1) and third a 9 percent differential ($49,083 at Step 1).
 
DPW workers will see a $2 an hour raise across the board, or about 12 percent. An entry level laborer will start at $17.30 an hour, up from $15.30.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey had proposed a 2 percent cost-of-living raise for nonunion employees back in May. 
 
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