Letter: Breen Has Right Experience for North Adams Council

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To the Editor:

Well, I just voted, and I gave my first vote for City Council to Pete Breen. Why, you ask?

No other new candidate has the experience and devotion and has been as generous with their time. Over the past 40 years, Pete has served on many boards and commissions. He has worked for a variety of employers including MCLA, where Pete was a facilitator and instructor for technology and curriculum development and assistant registrar. Pete took that experience over into the town of Adams, where he implemented the town's entire computer system, serving as the town's technology administrator. Pete then went farther south, where he was a member of the adjunct faculty at BCC for four years.

Shifting gears into education, Pete taught computer science at Hoosac Valley for 12 years, while also serving in the district office and as the pupil transportation officer.



After retiring from compensated work, Pete set his sights on volunteering in North Adams serving on the License Board Commission and serving as the North Adams representative for the Northern Berkshire Vocational School District, and finally, Pete's current passion, serving on the Hoosic River Revival Board.

That's why I gave my first vote to Pete Breen. And I hope that you do too.

David Willette
North Adams, Mass.

 

 


Tags: election 2023,   


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North Adams Finance Committee Warned of Coming Sludge Costs

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Waste treatment plan supervisor Brad Furlon warned the Finance Committee last week to expect a future 500 percent increase in sludge disposal.
 
"Even though the district is still has the approval of suitability to apply compost to land, we no longer do it, primarily because of the contaminant, PFAs," he said. "Compost plant supplies is a $200,000 increase this year. There's no way around this cost whatsoever. ...
 
"Unfortunately, these costs are going to go up. They expect this sludge disposal cost in the next five to 10 years to increase 500 percent."
 
PFAs, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are considered "forever chemicals" because of how long it takes for them to breakdown. They are used in numerous products and have become endemic in air, soil and water.
 
The Hoosac Water Quality District, a shared regional waste treatment system between North Adams and Williamstown, had planned to accept sludge from other communities and sell off the resulting compost through waste hauler Casella. But that proposal ran into opposition; Williamstown has a citizens petition on its annual town meeting warrant this year that would prohibit the use of contaminated compost. 
 
The district is still producing compost, which has to be removed. 
 
"We had a backlog of about 2,500 yards of compost that was on site," Furlon said. "We worked on a plan to dispose of our compost. Even though the district is still has the approval of suitability to apply compost to land, we no longer do it, primarily because of the contaminant, PFAs. ... the most feasible way and economical that we looked at was to be able to take our compost to a landfill in Ontario, N.Y."
 
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