Topic: Northern Berkshire County.
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posted by G.M.Heller at Friday, March 25, 2005
Friday, March 25, 2005
About Me
- Name: G.M.Heller
- Location: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., United States
Hailed by Berkshire cognoscenti as that "crank on the grassy knoll".
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It's about time someone did something like this!
Water rates going up
By Jessica Willis, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Berkshire Eagle
Article Launched:04/26/2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
NORTH ADAMS — The city's water rates, which have stayed the same since December 2005, will be going up — by 10 percent.
The increase will partially make up for the annual state grant of $377,000 that the city will no longer be receiving.
The seven-year grant, which ends in fiscal year 2008, was used to offset the cost of a new water filtration plant.
Mayor John Barrett III said the rate increase will earn about $232,000 for the city, which is still not enough to offset the loss of the grant. "We'll have to make it up in different ways," the mayor told City Council on Tuesday. "I should be standing here saying we should increase the tax by 20 percent, but I believe in nickel-and-diming."
He said he doesn't believe, however, in a sewer tax — unlike Pittsfield and Williamstown, North Adams doesn't have one.
"I will never advocate for a sewer tax," Barrett said.
The average annual water bill for a family of four is $260, he said, and with the new rates, the amount would increase by about $36.
"It's a minimal impact," he said. "We've been able to keep (the rates) down, and they're still cheap," Barrett told City Council.
City Council agreed, and effective as of June 1, the water rate will be amended from $2.63 per 100 cubic feet to $2.89 per 100 cubic feet. On Jan. 1, 2008, the rate will increase to $3.18 per 100 cubic feet.
Non-resident charges for Williamstown and Clarksburg water connections will be raised to $5.50 per cubic foot and $4.97 per cubic foot, respectively. One cubic foot of water equals about 7.5 gallons.
"(The water rate) is a fee based on use," Barrett said. "A lot of households are cutting back on consumption."
A proposed increase in the price of a cemetery lot, the first in about 10 years, also went before City Council.
The mayor noted that all of the funds — from the price of a lot to the fee for perpetual care — "stays in the cemetery" and isn't dispersed to other local agencies.
"We do have to buy new equipment, and salaries (for the cemetery workers) have increased by 30 percent in the last 10 years, he said.
The lot price is expected to go up by $120; under the new ordinance, North Adams residents can expect to pay $250 for a single lot, and $25 in "perpetual care" fees; an eight-grave lot for a resident would be $2,000 with $200 in fees.
Non-residents who wish to be buried in North Adams would pay $400 per lot, and $100 in perpetual care fees. It was suggested, by Councilor Richard J. Alcombright, that perpetual care — which accrues interest — should have more of a price increase, and City Council voted to refer the amendment to the Public Service committee.
The mayor also recommended a revision to the laws surrounding the city's inspection of rental property; currently, a North Adams landlord must obtain a certificate of occupancy for a property every five years, and under the new law, code enforcement would be required to inspect a property every time it become vacant between tenants.
Barrett said the new ordinance would ensure the buildings are fit for human occupancy, and a way to catch the landlords who "charge crazy prices for dumps."
According to Councilor Marie Harpin, the ordinance is a long time coming. She noted that some apartments on Walnut and East Quincy streets "are being marketed as penthouse condos" with rent as high as "$750 to $900 (a month)."
Harpin said these units — which may have evaded the Health Department's radar — are "held together with spit and glue."
The ordinance, which was referred to the Public Safety Committee for review, "gives our code enforcement officers something to work with," she added.
iBerkshires.com
Council Resurrects Veterans Legislation, Postpones Public Hearing on Tax Classification
By Jen Thomas - November 28, 2007
NORTH ADAMS - After Councilor Christopher Tremblay introduced a proposal that seeks to provide nearly $75,000 in retroactive pay to the City's retired disabled veterans, the City Council unanimously voted to send the item to the finance subcommittee for consideration.
The item, which would grant between $1,000 and $13,000 to retired, disabled veterans, is the second chapter of a resolution that was passed by the Council last year which granted an additional $15 a month to disabled veterans who had retired from public work.
In November 2005, the state legislature passed a law that increased the retirement benefit paid to state and municipal employees per year of creditable service in the armed forces and assigned individual municipalities the task of choosing whether or not to implement any changes. No state funds were provided to cities and towns if they elected to provide the service to their veterans.
Asked by a constituent to address veterans' concerns, Tremblay submitted a communication to the Council, asking them to revisit the issue that could affect 15-20 city residents. During Open Forum, veteran and former city firefighter Howard D'Amico said veterans deserve to be honored for their patriotism.
"The veteran who has served his country and his community deserves a little common courtesy," he said.
Moving the issue onto the finance subcommittee for further research and consideration was approved unanimously with an amendment that further information be provided at a Jan. 22 regular meeting of the Council.
"When we did not accept Section 2 last time, we left it open-ended. A review at this time is in order," said Councilor Clark Billings.
Mayor John Barrett III expressed disapproval with the Council's decision, citing concerns about where to find the funds for the proposal.
"When you consider it, recommend where you'd like me to take the money from," Barrett said.
Postponing a Public Hearing
A tax classification public hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed until the Dec. 11 meeting of the City Council after Barrett addressed the Council about potential changes in state legislation.
Currently operating with a 181 percent shift, the burden of paying property taxes falls upon commercial properties. New legislation has required that municipalities reduce that number to 175 percent for the next fiscal year, placing more of the burden on residential properties.
Barrett, who hopes to see different legislation passed within the next two weeks, said that he expects to be able to keep the current 181 percent plan, reducing the shift 2 percent each year until it reaches 175 percent in fiscal 2011.
A 175 percent shift would raise property taxes in the city by approximately 35 cents per $1,000 valuation on a residential property.
"It's not all doom and gloom but I'm cognizant of the tough times people are going through in the city," said Barrett.
The mayor also said he was committed to not raising the property taxes but, as city reserves have been depleted, he will need to find ways to increase revenue.
"We better strap in our seatbelts because it's going to be a tough couple of years," he said.
With state money failing to come back to the cities and towns, the increasing cost of education and the rising gas and fuel prices, Barrett said he was committed to keeping taxes low for city residents but he called upon the legislature to find creative ways to funnel funds back to municipalities.
Councilor Richard Alcombright considered "biting the bullet" and adopting an overall 175 percent shift the coming fiscal year but Barrett said "it was not the time" for placing the burden on local taxpayers.
"That just doesn't wash with me," he said.
iBerkshires.com
Mayor Extols Value of Creative Economy
By Jen Thomas - November 29, 2007
NORTH ADAMS - The key to supporting the creative economy is strong governmental leadership and even stronger community-building skills, according to Mayor John Barrett III.
Addressing three delegations of eastern Massachusetts politicians at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts on Wednesday, Barrett outlined the city's journey from a blue-collar industrial town to the paragon of the thriving cultural economy.
"When Sprague left, we were stuck with 28 empty buildings in our downtown. We had to change the direction of our economy. It wasn't manufacturing anymore," said Barrett to politicians and creative economy members from Brockton, New Bedford and the Merrimack Valley who met with the mayor as a stop on their tour of Pittsfield and North Adams.
"I had to sell this to my community," he added.
Barrett recounted the difficulties of convincing city residents in the late 1980s that an arts-driven economy was going to save the city from its fiscal woes. Citing a dedication to facilitating change and a willingness to try new and innovative techniques, Barrett offered his perspective on how the creative economy had transformed the city.
At the forefront of that movement was Mass MoCA, which was the catalyst for other arts programs and organizations' moving to the area.
"When I was approached about the idea of a contemporary arts museum, I thought it was just another crackpot idea on how we're going to save the economy. I had no idea what contemporary art was but that museum evolved into a lot of things," he said.
In the 14 years it took to revitalize the former Sprague complex and convert it into a world-class museum, Barrett committed himself to working on improving other aspects of the city, including paving streets and planting flowers in the downtown.
"We wanted to change the image of North Adams. As part of building the creative economy, we felt as though we had to change our negative image - it's all about image. We needed to build a high self-esteem of ourselves which we didn't have before," said the mayor. "The people of North Adams not only accepted change; they embraced it."
According to Barrett, what really drove the success of the cultural renaissance in the city was the strong support of the government. Working in collaboration with former Gov. Michael Dukakis, Barrett spearheaded several initiatives to attract artists to the area, which formed a foundation for other economic growth. As more people were drawn to the city, more business sprung up and more housing was developed.
"So what is the creative economy to me? It's making sure there's something there for everyone, not just the artist community," said Barrett.
Fielding questions about arts education in schools and the number of jobs created by the creative economy, Barrett said the key to success is looking within individual municipalities for answers.
"Everyone is chasing business. What is it in your communities that will make businesses come to you?" he asked.
Helena Fruscio, the program director for the Berkshire Creative Economy Project and the delegations' tour guide, said that the mayor's speech was illuminating for the participants who were looking to implement some of his tactics in their own communities.
"The Berkshires truly are at the forefront of this creative field, this emerging creative economy, and this just shows how lucky we are to be leading the way," Fruscio said. "Other communities are looking to us for ideas and studying how we make collaborations work."
Though he was unsure how the creative economy would impact his hometown, Barrett said he's grateful local citizens have demonstrated so much faith in an idea that was completely new.
"I knew the creative economy would change North Adams but I didn't know how," he said. "The people came, they saw but they didn't conquer - they liked."
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(Picture)
Mayor John Barrett III addresses delegations from the eastern part of the state at Mass MoCA on Wednesday.
"Mayor Barrett to lay out plans for 13th term"
By Jennifer Huberdeau, North Adams Transcript
Saturday, January 05, 2008
NORTH ADAMS — Mayor John Barrett III plans to lay out a map of what lies ahead for the city over the course of the next two years during his 13th inaugural address Monday.
"It basically has a theme of where we've been, where we are and where we are going," the mayor said Thursday. "The city is going to face a lot of problems — mainly financial ones. The seriousness of the state's fiscal crisis is going to have an impact on the community, but I'm also going to hit on many positive things that are beginning. I think there are many uplifting things that are going to be happening."
Although the state has a fiscal crisis looming, Barrett said the city is "very fortunate" to be where it is financially.
Breaking the tradition
The mayor, City Council, and the North Adams and McCann school committees all will be sworn in Monday night at 7 at City Hall.
"We're breaking with the tradition of a 10 a.m. ceremony," Barrett said. "We wanted people to be able to attend, if not watch it on television."
The ceremony will be broadcast live on Northern Berkshire Community Television's Channel 17. A reception will follow the organization of the council. The public is invited to both events.
Although Barrett remained elusive about the contents of his speech, encouraging residents to either join the ceremony or to tune in to it, he did say that there would be a few initiatives announced.
"I'm going to talk about the Mohawk Theater a little, about dealing with blighted property and about education," he said. "I've been talking about blighted property for some years now, but I'm going to put forth a plan that will do something about it."
He also will speak about initiatives he hopes to see pass through the state Legislature.
Passing initiatives
"Hopefully, we'll also see some initiatives get passed at the state level that will bring some property tax relief," Barrett said. "I'm still very angry about the bills that were sent out to property owners. As far as I'm concerned, they got shafted by the state."
Barrett said that preparing for his 13th inaugural speech has not been easy.
"I'm hopeful that my speech will intertwine with the lives of everyday people," he said. "I've always believed that my speech should be at a level that everyone can understand and identify with. I don't want to talk at my residents, I want to speak to them about what I have planned for the next two years. Too many public officials — mayors and governors — talk at the public."
Longest-serving mayor
Although he is honored to begin his 13th term and to hold on to his title as the longest-serving mayor in the state, Barrett said he never planned to be in office for so long.
"If someone was to go back 24 years to that cold, blustery Jan. 1 at Drury High School and tell me that I would still be here, I'd have them committed," he said. "I didn't have plans to stay this long. I'm never finished, though. What you have to do is have the passion to keep moving ahead, not just maintain the status quo. There's still a few things I have to do."
He added, "I still have a love for the job, and I don't know anyone foolish enough to stay as long as I have."
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"Alan Marden back at helm"
By Jennifer Huberdeau, North Adams Transcript
Saturday, January 05, 2008
NORTH ADAMS — Having secured the support of his fellow council members, Alan L. Marden is preparing to take on the role of City Council president for the sixth time, beginning Monday.
"I'm back in the saddle," Marden said. "I'm both honored and pleased to have the support of my fellow councilors. I love the institution of the council."
After serving 10 consecutive terms as a councilor, Marden said he is happy to be preparing for his 11th term — one that he almost walked away from.
"I gave some thought to not running for office this summer," he said. "I didn't go that route, and I'm glad I didn't."
Current President Gailanne M. Cariddi said that Marden will have the full support of the council when it reorganizes Monday following the inaugural celebrations at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Mayor John Barrett III, the council, the North Adams School Committee and the McCann School Committee all will be sworn in at that time.
"He has the unanimous support of the councilors," Cariddi said of Marden. "I'm looking forward to a good year. It takes a lot of time to be council president, but it takes almost as much work when you're on the council floor.
I'm looking forward to working on some ordinances."
Tweaking things
Marden said he does not expect to make many changes to the subcommittees to which each councilor already is assigned — with the exception of the newly elected Lisa Blackmer and Cariddi, the outgoing president.
"I'm still working on the appointments, but I don't see many significant changes being made," he said. "Of course, I'll have to work Lisa and Gailanne into the mix. I might tweak a couple of the liaison appointments. We have a good council that has served us well for the last two years."
First elected to the council in 1987, Marden has seen many changes in the city over the past 20 years.
Best of times, worst of times
"That's what is so exciting about being on the council," he said. "It's like that old Dickens saying, 'It was the best of times and the worst of times.' It's the worst of times in regards to the impending fiscal crisis with the state. It's the best of times with some of the developments that are coming. We need to keep it together until the revenue generated by the new developments comes in."
Marden, who is director of development at Alton & Westall Real Estate in Williamstown, said he is amazed by the developments poised to come online in the next two years.
"I work in real estate, and what's cooking is unbelievable," he said. "I've never seen so much interest in commercial development."
After 20 years on the council, he said that it is "always interesting" working with the mayor, who has a reputation for wanting things done his way.
"I've been there, done that," Marden said. "We have a very good working relationship."
He said he also is looking forward to having another woman join the council. The election of Blackmer to the board returns the number of female councilors to three, including Cariddi and Marie T. Harpin.
"I just read a report that had a 2005 figure in it that said in Massachusetts only 41 percent of the municipalities have women serving," Marden said. "Having a third woman join our council is very significant, and I think it's something we should be proud of."
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