The Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District has announced collection dates and costs for this year. NBSWMD is s collaboration of a 14 member municipalities within Western Massachusetts providing information and resources pertaining to recycling with ultimate goal of preserving the planet.
The Saturday, June 20th collection of electronics, bulk waste and scrap metal will have all proceeds donated to our department. Clean up your old materials and help support us and the earth by dropping off your items at the former landfill, 242 East Rd. from 8AM to 12PM. Thank you!

ADAMS — Perhaps it was inevitable that a man named David Lennon would one day become fire chief.
For four generations, the Lennon name has been synonymous with the Adams Fire Department. Now, David J. Lennon, 58, is set to take the department’s top post after voters elected him chief Tuesday in an uncontested Adams Fire District election.

Until this week, Lennon served as first assistant engineer, making him the natural successor after Chief John Pansecchi announced his retirement this spring following nine years in the role.

Lennon is part of the third generation of David Lennons to serve in the department. His son, David A. Lennon — a fourth assistant engineer, who was elected to his first term on Tuesday — represents the fourth generation. The two are also colleagues at Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton, where David J. Lennon is retiring at the end of the school year after a career teaching engineering. His son teaches social studies there.

Outside the fire department, Lennon also serves on the Adams Finance Committee.

Although the chief’s term is traditionally three years, Lennon said he plans to serve just one year as the district considers restructuring the position from an elected, part-time role with a stipend to a fulltime appointed position with a salary. That change, slated for July 1, 2027, will require district voters' approval.
“I’m in favor of getting a fulltime chief,” he said. “It's needed right now. The pool of applicants is really shallow, and I don't see it getting better anytime soon.”

​Courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle 
By Jane Kaufman

ADAMS — For the third time in seven years, the Adams Fire District is recommending that its fire chief be made a full-time appointed position.

Thursday night, 50 of about 55 fire district voters gathered at the department's Columbia Street station voted in favor of making the chief's position full time effective July 1, 2027. In a separate vote, the district approved the first of a two-step process making its clerk and treasurer appointed rather than elected positions. That elected position is now held by Allen Mendel, whose term expires in May 2027. 

To finalize the move for the clerk and treasurer, district voters will need to approve a change to the language of the district bylaws in the district election in spring. To change the chief to an appointed rather than an elected position, voters will cast ballots in 2027. The intention is to have a full-time appointed chief start in July 2027.

District voters also learned Thursday that John Pansecchi, fire chief for the past nine years, will retire on May 12.
 
In 2019 and in 2025, the Fire District, a municipal body separate from town government that also serves as the town water department, recommended that the fire department professionalize its leadership by appointing rather than electing its leadership. In both cases, those changes were rejected in previous votes. 

The current proposal would also set the full-time chief’s salary between $75,000 to $111,000, with benefits adding nearly $50,000 in costs.
​
Pansecchi, 59, is being paid an annual stipend of $30,000 as Adams' part-time chief. He works two jobs, including a full-time role as a dispatcher for the City of Pittsfield.

Thus far, First Assistant Chief David Lennon is the only candidate for chief. His intention is to serve for just a year during the transition period.

At Thursday’s meeting, Lennon advocated for making the chief’s position full-time, pointing out that it will give the district a wider field of candidates. Right now, only candidates who live within the district can be elected chief.

District voter Kathy Foster said it’s important for the voters to support this change. “I don’t really know of any other professions where people are expected to volunteer to go to work,” she said. “It’s overdue.”

Pansecchi is the town's 14th fire chief and has served as a firefighter for 40 years,  joining the Alert Hose Co. as an apprentice in 1986 and working his way up through the ranks.

     We have recently been hitting the social media feeds with requests for our residents to remember to clear the snow from around the hydrants in their neighborhood. We then had a work bee and spent a Saturday morning trying to visit as many hydrants as possible and to clear them if needed. With all that time spend dealing with hydrants we though we would take this opportunity to pass along some other tips and a bit of knowledge concerning these ubiquitous parts of the town's landscape that tend to blend into the background until they are urgently needed.
     When we post that hydrants should have the snow removed from an area of 3' around the entire hydrant. This is because part of an emergency response may involve what's called "wrapping" the hydrant. This is where a fire engine will stop at a hydrant, pull off some supply hose, wrap it 360 degrees or more around it and then move down the street to lay the hose out to the scene. To be able to do this, the firefighter needs clear access to the base of the hydrant all the way around it...hence why we ask people to remove the snow not just from the front, but from all around it.
     The next ask is for all seasons, snow or not. Please do not park in front of a hydrant. Not only is that a ticket-able offense, it again makes it near impossible for firefighters to access the hydrant in the event of an emergency.
     And finally. Perhaps you did notice that the district had begun painting hydrants different colors. This is not an aesthetic decision but rather one made to follow the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommendation for color coding fire hydrant tops by water flow (GPM - gallons per minute) for easy and universal recognition by firefighters. We added a helpful chart to make it easier to understand why the one in front of your house is that color and why they can't be arbitrarily painted to match a person's desire or taste in color.
     Thank you for helping us be able to effectively help you or your neighbor should an emergency occur.

Courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle
By Jane Kaufman
ADAMS — Snow and rain may have kept some families away, but diehards put on their hats and coats and headed for the Town Common for free hay rides, chats with Santa, Christmas carols, cider doughnuts and hot chocolate with marshmallows on Sunday.

The Adams Holly Days Christmas tree lighting almost didn’t happen this year after its primary sponsor, the Adams Community Bank, decided to support a separate Holly Days event instead, that will take place on Dec. 6. But Select Board member Jay Meczywor put out a call to volunteers who made the lighting happen. Here’s how Debbie Nowicki put it.

“I found that the bank wasn’t doing it,” she said. “I said this is not right. We have to step up and we have to do this. There’s a bunch of volunteers in town that do a lot. It all got pulled together in two nights.”

Meczywor himself was standing on a curb, unfolding a step ladder and helping people in and out of hay rides offered by Alibozek’s Farm, which had two tractors hauling open trailers loaded with square bales large enough to sit on. There was a line for at least the first hour for the rides.

Girl Scouts trundled off the hay ride in time to sing in the gazebo such popular seasonal chestnuts as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” Some swayed as they sang, perhaps at least partly to stay warm in the damp chill.

The Adams forest wardens directed traffic in front of the common, and a DJ played popular Christmas songs.

At 2:30 p.m., all eyes were on Park Street as a brigade of fire engines, sirens blaring, peeled around the corner. There, riding on the back of the last engine was the man of the hour: Santa Claus. “It’s like Macy’s Thanksgiving parade on a smaller scale,” said Nicola MacEwen. “We’ve never had all of the fire trucks come through before.”

Her daughter, Willow, is now 10. “She’s a little bit older now. And as the Girl Scouts get older, it’s harder for them to come to things like this,” MacEwen said. “But she really enjoys doing the caroling and the hot chocolate is a big seller.”

Daisy, a 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, greeted the man from the North Pole. Mrs. Claus climbed out of the cab of the truck to join her husband for the walk across the common to the gazebo, where the two received a line of children. Santa chatted with the children, or perhaps more to the point, the children chatted with him. Paisley Titman, 9, of Adams, was one of them. She said she enjoyed that moment and was looking forward to the hay ride.

“I love Christmas,” she said.

What’s her favorite part? “Getting presents and being with your family,” she said.

Olivia Fairchild, 17, and a junior at Hoosac Valley High School, was handing out cider doughnuts from Jaeschke’s Orchard. She was there as part of the Hoosac Valley Leos, which she joined this year.

“This is my first time doing the Adams Christmas tree lighting,” she said. “I try to do a little bit of everything in the community that I can. I’m kind of just happy to be here. I love to see the little kids jumping up wanting doughnuts and love seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus. I just think it’s the cutest thing in the world because I would love this when I was a little kid.”