PITTSFIELD A hearing on a potential class action lawsuit against the Adams Fire District alleging illegal collection of fees ended without a ruling on Wednesday.
ADAMS â A consultant report commissioned by the Adams Fire District included 63 recommendations to improve operations at the Fire Department, including a change in the way volunteer firefighters are compensated for their work and changing the chief s position from part time to full time.
Other recommendations included implementing a risk management plan, developing a âcompellingâ public education campaign of fire safety, increased communications between the Prudential Committee and Fire Department leadership, and that two captain positions be created to direct recruiting and training.
The study was conducted by Municipal Resources and presented to the public by company principals Shawn Murray and David Houghton during a virtual conference last week.
Children in Grades kindergarten through 5 returned to schools April 5 as required by the state. Like many districts, the Adams-Cheshire schools had been shifting between hybroid and remote. Dean said the MOU mostly represented updated state guidance such as the 3-foot desk spacing instead of 6 feet. This does lock in a 6-foot buffer between the teacher instruction area and the front row of students. Dean said the MOU gives teachers up to 10 quarantine days that do not count against sick time. Given everything that we are looking at at the time, this seemed like a fair compromise, he said. Staff who come in contact with the virus in the school can tap quarantine time for days off needed to actually receive the test and to await results. He said staff do need to receive a test to use the time and can t just take the 10 days off.
ADAMS â The race is on to fill two seats on the Select Board.
There now are three candidates willing to fill them. Voters will have to choose two from among them during the May 3 election.
Incumbent John Duval has filed for reelection to another three-year term. The other open three-year seat was held by the late Jim Bush.
Howard Jay Rosenburg, a Kundalini Yoga teacher and life coach at Anahata Schoolhouse on Summer Street, also has filed as a candidate for the Select Board. And the owner of Haflinger Haus Restaurant on Commercial Street, Donald R. Sommer, has declared his candidacy.
ADAMS â With the March 15 filing deadline approaching, four incumbent candidates already have declared their intent to run for reelection in the townâs May 3 contest.
Haley Meczywor has filed to run for reelection to a three-year term as town clerk, James Loughman will seek another three-year term as library trustee, and Bruce Dale Shepley has filed to run again for a three-year term on the Cemetery Commission and the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School Committee.
There are two open seats on the Select Board. Incumbent John Duval is expected to run for another three-year term; the other open seat was held by the late Jim Bush. There are no candidates for that seat as of yet.