Adams Historical Society Annual Meeting

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ADAMS, Mass. — Samuel M. Trudel, award-winning graphic designer and family historian, will present "Dr. Samuel M. Jones, the Man Who Transformed the Renfrew Mill into the Arnold Print Works Jones Division," at the Adams Historical Society's annual meeting on Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. in Memorial Hall of the Adams Free Library.
 
Trudel, Dr. Jones' grandson, recently published the second of a two-book companion series covering Arnold Print Works history between 1868 and 1942. Arnold Print Works, with divisions in North Adams and Adams, was a leading Berkshire textile manufacturer with offices in New York and Paris. The presentation will focus on the story of the Jones Division in Adams, established by Dr. Jones after Arnold Print Works purchased the Renfrew Manufacturing Company in 1928.
 
Trudel's presentation will include never-before-published photographs of the company's operations, samples of original Jones Division fabrics, and family photographs. Materials from the historical society's collection will also be on display.
 
A brief business meeting for annual elections, reports on recent accomplishments, and discussion of future plans will precede the program. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.
 
All members of the historical society, as well as the general public, are invited to attend. Memorial Hall, on the second floor of the library, is handicap accessible by elevator from the Melrose Street entrance.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Special Minerals Agrees to Pay Adams, River Groups Over River Discharge

Staff ReportsiBerkshires

Adams plans to use the $50,000 it will get in the consent decree toward the removal of the Peck's Road Dam. 
BOSTON — Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. 
 
The river turned visibly white from Adams to the Vermont state line from the mineral that leaked out from the plant's settling ponds on Howland Avenue in November 2021. 
 
Calcium carbonate, also known as chalk or limestone, is not toxic to humans or animals. However, the sudden discoloration of the water alarmed local officials and environmentalists and prompted an emergency session of the Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee. 
 
"We allege that this company violated its permits, disregarded federal and state law, and put the Hoosic River — a resource cherished by the Adams community — at risk," said AG Andrea Campbell in a statement. "I am grateful for this collaboration with our state agency partners and committed to holding polluters accountable and working to bring resources back to communities disproportionately impacted by environmental harms."   
 
If approved by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, the consent decree will require Specialty Minerals to pay a total of $299,000, which includes payments to the town of Adams and three community groups in Northern Berkshire County that will be used to benefit water quality and prevent stormwater impacts. 
 
Once approved, most of the settlement would fund multiple projects to benefit water quality, including infrastructure improvements and native plantings to mitigate stormwater impacts in the Hoosic River Watershed. Specifically, the proposed settlement provides for: 
  • $50,000 to the town of Adams for infrastructure improvements in a tributary of the Hoosic River
  • $50,000 to Hoosic River Revival for stormwater mitigation projects  
  • $50,000 to Hoosic River Watershed Association for a native plant garden and other projects to mitigate stormwater impacts and benefit water quality 
  • $50,000 to Sonrisas to fund invasive plant removal and native plant habitat establishment at Finca Luna Búho, a community land project that centers the voices and prioritizes the decision-making of those living in marginalization. 
It will also provide $30,000 in civil assessments to the state's Natural Heritage Endangered Species Fund and $20,000 in civil penalties for violation of state law, as well as $49,000 to offset the costs of the AG's enforcement efforts. 
 
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