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What's PlayingBazaarsNov. 21
St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28
Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here. |
Sales FliersDaily DigestMammography Dispute
The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line. |
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Economy May Delay Lowe's ProjectBy Tammy Daniels
iBerkshires Staff
10:39PM / Tuesday, May 12, 2009
 | | Mayor John Barrett III |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The old North Adams Plaza should be coming down within the next 30 days but its replacement may take longer than expected.
"I don't think you are going to see anything until the economy turns around," Mayor John Barrett III told the City Council on Tuesday night.
Councilor Ronald Boucher had asked for an update on the project and questioned the mayor's comment about the plaza coming down "whether there's a Lowe's."
A Lowe's Home Improvement store is planned for the Curran Highway site purchased by Starwood Ceruzzi LLC of Fairfield, Conn., some five years ago for $2.5 million. The project has passed a number of permitting hurdles and the project was awarded tax incentives by the city last year.
The mayor said the company still had some permits to work through and that he expected the project to come to fruition.
"Are they still building nationwide? Yes. Are they very selective markets? Yes. Do I expect there to be a Lowe's there? Yes," he said.
The decrepit building that once housed the cinemas and several stores, including a Price Chopper at one point, has to be dealt with, said Barrett. The city has been patient with Starwood but the building is a blight and if the company's attorney hadn't assured Tuesday that something would happen, the mayor said he had expected to come to the council at the next meeting to take action.
"I would fully expect that [demolition] would begin within the next 30 days," he said. "Just to take that entire strip down is going to be around a $1 million."
City's Budget Trimmed Again
Barrett blamed the delay on the bad economy, which has been taking a toll on state and local revenues as well. In part because of so-called 9C cuts made by Gov. Deval Patrick earlier in the year to stem a billion-dollar hole in the state budget, the city lost $538,000 in state aid.
Barrett came before the council for the third time to adjust the city's 2009 budget since last fall. A month ago, he cut the budget by $200,000.
Another $120,000 had to be trimmed this time; the council also appropriated at the mayor's request $200,000 from the sales of city land toward debt reduction and $226,000 from the free cash account to cover a $102,000 overrun in snow and ice removal and $124,000 to the veterans' benefit account.
Veterans benefits have increased over the past 12 months but the state's 75 percent reimbursement is not received until the following fiscal year. In response to questions, the mayor said there was
$460,000 left in free cash and $2.7 million in the sale-of-land account.
While there are no layoffs the city continues to run shorthanded, Barrett told the council, including operating without a treasurer.
"Out of the $800,000 in cuts we made since last June we will have made real cuts of $630,000," he said. "The reason why it's so important that we make these cuts before the end of the fiscal year is that it makes it a little easier when we have to cut another $1.2 million to $1.5 million in cuts for next year."
In addition to state aid reductions, the city has seen a drop in its interest income and excise taxes because of the downturn. He warned that it could get worse because the state Senate believes the recently passed House budget for next year is off by a $1 billion or more despite hiking the sales tax.
That could mean slashing Chapter 70 education aid, which would affect every city and town. "It's easy for them in Boston to make cuts ... But we're on the front line." |
| How 'bout we auction off 1/2 of all the flashing lights on all the police cars to recoup some tax dollars? They'll STILL be left with 15!!!each. This blinding display cannot be proven to be safer for the officers! In fact, I'll bet a doughnut that an optometrist would say, that the strobe 'image' on the retina, constitutes a visual impairment at night! Not too bright! | | from: Flash! | on: 05-17-2009 |
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| $102,000 in snow removal overruns ? Heck I think $95,000 of that was dumped on my street this winter in the form of sand. Way too much ! Totally unnecessary. The city crew may be understaffed, but it sure didn't stop them from abusing the overtime. Let's hope that our new mayor take's a closer look at the entire snow removal budget when he takes over the reins. | | from: Time For Change | on: 05-14-2009 |
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dick alcombright's silence at last evenings council meeting was deafening.
he's going to have a difficult time campaigning against the mayor for the simple reason he has voted with him on many if not all of the mayors initiatives. how does he seperate himself from the mayor after all the years of endorsing him?
it should be a very interesting election season. | | from: boo | on: 05-13-2009 |
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| I hope the tax incentives given to the developer were contingent upon the development actually taking place. It is certainly an election year and Barrett is up to his old tricks. I wish there was a way to time-lapse his comments/actions throughout his political career to illustrate the tactics he uses for those who have very short memories. Dick Alcombright needs to take charge, and take a stance on the issues immediately. He should even consider resigning from the council immediately so as to freely campaign without the obligations he has as councilor. Barrett is a professional politician and it will take a professional campaign to unseat him. Our founding fathers intended for ALL Americans to devote a time in our lives to public service and then return to our place in the community. Dick, please consider supporting term limits once elected and save the community from the possibility of this ever happening again. You will have my vote. | | from: Voter | on: 05-13-2009 |
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