Hoosac Valley Students' Interconnected Art Installation Debuts at the Adams Theater

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ADAMS, Mass. — Students from all schools in the Hoosac Valley School District will display art that "connects and expands on possibilities" inside the Adams Theater starting with an opening reception on Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 5-7 p.m. 
 
Led by Hoosac Valley Elementary School art teacher Elizabeth Kick, third grade students drew a series of layered and echoed lines on 9-inch by 9-inch canvases, creating their own small pieces that naturally connect with their peers' pieces. 
 
Inspired by elementary art teacher and blogger Cassie Stephens, the pieces begin with sharp lines in black tempera paint and extrapolate from there, with different colors, textures and line styles that reflect each unique student. 
 
Middle school art teacher Terri Cooper and High school art teacher Kristin Driscoll joined the project, and more than 160 students have created pieces for the exhibit. 
 
"They may zig-zag and curve, but they will always connect to this community," said Kick.  "While each piece can stand alone, they can also connect to any other piece in the collection. And collectively they make a whole–just as the students connect to one another, the schools also connect, and we all connect to the entire Adams-Cheshire community and beyond".  They're a continuum that illustrates how all our students will have different paths throughout their lives, but their paths are interconnected." 
 
The theater will display the pieces until February 2026.  The show will open with a reception on Dec. 16 for the Hoosac Valley artists and their families from 5-6 p.m. and to the public from 6-7 p.m. It's free to attend and no registration is required. 
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Cheshire Speed Limits Reduced, Code of Conduct Mulled

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Some streets will soon be slower for cars with the Department of Public Works replacing the speed limit signs in response to community concerns.

The town adopted Chapter 90, Section 17C to reduce some local road speed limits to 25 mph. Twenty-three streets are approved by the state; signs are ordered from the state Department of Transportation and should arrive within a couple weeks.

DPW Director Corey McGrath told the Selectmen at last Tuesday's meeting that the department had received concerns from residents wanting people to be slower on the following streets:

  • Church Street 
  • East Main Street 
  • portions of Wells Road 
  • Main Street 
  • Furnace Hill Road
  • Flaherty Road
  • Pit Road
  • Prospect Street 
  • Dean Street 
  • Richmond Street 
  • School Street 
  • Railroad Street 
  • Depot Street 
  • Richardson Street 
  • 5th Avenue
  • Meadowview Drive 
  • Wood Lane
  • Dean Street Extension 
  • portions of Ingalls Road 
  • Devonshire Drive 
  • Yorkshire Drive
  • Berkshire Drive 
  • Wilshire Drive 

Chair Michelle Francesconi asked McGrath to look into the signs solar-powered "slow down" signs. She also spoke about increasing problems with electric bicycles and similar devices.

Young people are going 30 to 40 mph, often on sidewalks, weaving between cars, cutting through private property and town property and riding in the road, she said, and brought up how other towns are creating bylaws to address these problems. Francesconi thought the board should look into it as well as a matter of public safety.

The state is currently revising related laws, so the board will see what the Legislature passes and then model bylaws on other communities.

Francesconi also said that since there is limited police coverage at night during most of the behavior, she suggested shifting some patrol hours to evenings to address youth riding behavior.

Later in the meeting, Francesconi also brought up code of conduct for town employees as she has been receiving numerous reports regarding professionalism, boundaries, confidentiality, and internal relationships and communication among town hall staff, department heads, and with the public.

She said town counsel has recommended adopting a code of conduct as well as providing training. After some discussion, the board decided to get a catalog of training options and identify mandatory and optional trainings. Members are also thinking of doing them in-person.

In other news, the Fire Department's rescue boat missing from the water because motor is broken and is in the process of being replaced.

There are two applicants in the running for the police chief position who will be doing the assessment center on Aug. 17. The Selectmen will get their resumes afterward and decide on interviews.

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