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Shire Doughnuts Officially Welcomed to Adams

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Owners Heather and Jeff King opened the Summer Street doughnut shop last fall. 
ADAMS, Mass. — One year and 125,000 doughnuts later, the town officially welcomed Shire Donuts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
 
"It is never easy to open a small business, but it is really not easy to open a small business during a pandemic," Selectwoman Christine Hoyt said. "But you guys showed people how to do that and how to do it well." 
 
Typically when a new business opens in town the Selectmen hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Shire opened up last year but with the pandemic, the board had to delay any welcoming event.
 
On Friday, members of the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Jay Green gathered in front of the shop to make good on the town's tradition.
 
The shop opened up in fall 2020. Owners Jeff and Heather King made their dream a reality and after renovating the 52 Summer St. storefront, began serving boutique and custom doughnuts to customers that oftentimes lined up down the sidewalk.
 
"I would see a socially distanced line down here rain or shine," Hoyt said. "It didn't matter. People were lining up for doughnuts and they came from all over."
 
Green said businesses like Shire Donuts help put Adams on the map and spurs on other potential business development.
 
"People are coming to Adams for your business. Not only do you serve the Adams community but the town is rightfully now starting to take its place as a destination and that happens because of small businesses like yourselves," Green said. "...Thank you for what you have done for Adams. Now let's have some doughnuts."
 
The Kings thanked all those who have supported them through the first year of business.
 
"We have had tremendous support from friends family and certainly the town of Adams right form the beginning," Jeff said. "This was new for us, and we needed a lot of direction...everyone in the town has been supportive. We appreciate all of that so we are on to our next 125,000."


Tags: doughnuts,   ribbon cutting,   

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Hoosac Valley Preparing For District Vote on $23M Budget

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Hoosac Valley Regional School Committee on Monday night unanimously approved a document "strongly" endorsing the school district's fiscal 2025 budget.
 
"This budget is a fiscally responsible plan that keeps the increases well below inflation and focuses on maintaining the district's financial health without drastic cuts or tax hikes," the position paper reads. "Much of the increase is driven by unavoidable costs, including state mandates and necessary contractual costs, ensuring the district remains competitive as an employer and service provider."
 
The endorsement comes a week before a districtwide meeting that will vote the $23 million spending plan up or down. 
 
Cheshire rejected a Proposition 2 1/2 override last month that would have fully funded its portion of the budget and instead passed a motion that would level fund the town's fiscal 2025 school assessment. Adams had approved the budget in June. 
 
All registered voters from Cheshire and Adams, the two towns in the regional school district, will meet on Monday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hoosac Valley High auditorium to vote on the budget, the only item on the warrant. This will be a majority vote. 
 
A joint meeting of the School Committee and the select boards chose Thomas Bernard as moderator. Bernard, president of Berkshire United Way, is the former mayor of North Adams and was considered a neutral selection. 
 
"I've started to familiarize myself with the warrant and the relevant section of MGL, and I'm boning up on my Robert's Rules of Order just to make sure that we do everything as clearly and transparently as we can next Monday evening," Bernard told the committee Monday.
 
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