Letter: Thank you, 1st Berkshire District!

Letter to the Editor09:00AM / Friday, September 18, 2026Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

I just wrapped up a campaign for state representative for the 1st Berkshire District.

I did not win. But I am forever grateful for this opportunity and experience. And I'm proud that my opponent and I kept our campaigns clean. Campaigns have the opportunity to be ugly, to tear a community apart, but I think this primary election actually helped bring our community together and that's exactly what I was hoping for.

While I was certainly hoping to win this race, I can say with complete confidence that my team and I worked our tails off and ran a positive, forward-thinking campaign. Together, we built real momentum and came within 159 votes of defeating a long-standing incumbent. That's newsworthy. But more importantly, it's a clear sign. It's a sign that our region is ready to move forward, to rebuild, to come together, to show up, to take action, and to build a bright, successful, and affordable future for all of us.

I am so deeply grateful for your support and encouragement. Whether or not you voted for me, it was one of the biggest honors of my life to chat with you at your doors, brainstorm solutions to challenges at cafes, and celebrate with you at community events. We have an amazing district of 13 municipalities full of world-class educational institutions, cultural attractions, businesses, natural resources, rich history, and a supportive community.

Sure, I'm tired from not getting enough sleep all year. But I'm even more hopeful and eager than ever to keep doing the work of building a stronger community.

I'm not going anywhere. I'll continue working hard on North Adams' City Council, growing Steeple City Social, serving on boards & community organizations, and launching new projects.

We built something together. Let's keep building. And let's have a blast as we're doing this work. I look forward to seeing you around the district!

With love and gratitude,

Andrew J Fitch
North Adams, Mass.

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Steel Structure Completed, Roof Taking Shape at New Greylock School

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:45AM / Thursday, September 17, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The steel work is completed and the roof is taking shape at the new Greylock School.

"Nearly all of the steel is complete. They've essentially demobilized from the site," Todd Ashford, representative with owner's project manager Colliers International, told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "A couple of big trades that have started their construction are the masonry block on the exterior walls, the exterior metal framing has started, and roofing is anticipated to start in the next, I would say, two weeks."

He said a lot of the masonry block and steel framing on the exteriors should be close to completion by the next meeting. Also, a binder course of asphalt should be down by the first week in October, which should help reduce the dirt and mud coming off the site.

A large slab actually was scheduled to be poured Wednesday to house the HVAC equipment and was expected to take until 7 p.m. Mayor Jennifer Macksey said those residents signed up on the email list were apprised of the after hours work.

The committee also approved invoices for the month and Ashford noted that about $17.8 million in invoices have been paid to date, of which $6.4 million was eligible for reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The MSBA is reimbursing the city for 80 percent of eligible costs, or about $42 million.

Committee member Lisa Blackmer asked if the reimbursements were keeping pace with expenditures.

Macksey said it's been about 30 to 45 days for reimbursement, and so far they've had no problems with reimbursements. Colliers and Nancy Rauscher, director of school finance and operations, have been working well together, she said.

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