North Adams City Hall Getting Insulation

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City Hall will be in a bit of disarray as a project to insulate the 1970s building with spray foam is completed. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said at Tuesday's City Council meeting that the work will take approximately two weeks. 
 
"We received a grant through the Green Communities to do half of the building last year, and we're doing the other half between April 14 and Sept. 25," she said. "During this time, the second-floor offices will be either temporarily closed or relocated. Most of the staff will be operating remotely."
 
She expected minimal disruption on the first floor but the second floor will be inaccessible and no meetings will be held there.
 
"City Hall will remain open and operational, but visitors may notice some unusual odors on the first floor due to insulation materials," the mayor said. 
 
She also asked citizens to report potholes to the City Yard at 413-662-3157. 
 
"Currently, our road crews have been hauling material from West Sand Lake (N.Y.), which is about a three-hour round trip, which limits the amount of blacktop we can pick up each day," the mayor said. "The good news is that the Pittsfield supply center is expected to open around April 15. Once it does does, we'll be able to accelerate our repairs significantly. So we appreciate your patience."
 
Macksey also announced the retirement of Community Development Director Michael Nuvallie at the end of this fiscal year. She had previously announced the retirement of another longtime employee, City Treasurer Beverly Cooper. 
 
"We thank Mike for his 37 years of dedicated service to the city of North Adams. We know his countless contributions have been invaluable through the Community Community Development Office, and he will be greatly missed," said the mayor. "As we prepare for this transition, we are actually strategizing what our next steps are for that entire department, as well as filling the treasurer's role."
 
In other business during the brief meeting: 
 
The council passed to a second reading and publication an amended traffic ordinance that will remove the "no turn  on red" sign at the east end of Center Street at Holden and remove references to "Artery Street," which no longer exists.  
 
• The proposed Animal Control Commission ordinance was postponed to first meeting in May and an ADU ordinance was referred to a joint public hearing with the Planning Board.
 
• Macksey informed the council that she had appointed Virginia Riehl to the Planning Board with a term to expire Feb. 1, 2030, and Anna Salmeron and Dawn Nelson to the Mass MoCA Commission with terms to expire Feb. 1, 2028.

Tags: green communities,   potholes,   

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North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff

Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.
 
More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.
 
"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."
 
The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass. 
 
"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."
 
Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.
 
Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.
 
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