Page 10 - BusinessWest October 13, 2021

Community Spotlight
North Adams Pursues Return to Normalcy
By Mark Morris
While North Adams tries to return to familiar norms, many are prepared to adjust if new pandemic concerns arise.
That’s the perspective of Mayor Thomas Ber- nard, anyway, who said his community has slow- ly and cautiously taken steps to bring back the positive routines of daily life.
“There were people who hadn’t seen neighbors and friends for more than a year. The sound
of kids laughing and playing, great music, the spirit was unbelievable.”
“The moment that stands out for me is our first concert at Windsor Lake in early to mid- June,” Bernard said. “There were people who hadn’t seen neighbors and friends for more than a year. The sound of kids laughing and playing, great music, the spirit was unbelievable.”
More recently, he pointed to MASS MoCA’s FreshGrass Festival in September as an example of holding a popular event and exercising cau- tion, as attendees had to show proof of vaccina- tion or a negative COVID-19 test before entering.
“Returning to these events is the fulfillment of the promise we made to each other when things were shutting down — that we would be back,” Bernard said.
Though no one can predict what the future holds, Nico Dery said North Adams businesses are prepared to make a quick pivot if necessary.
“Businesses now have COVID plans in place that were developed from an entire season of figuring out what worked and what didn’t,” said Dery, business development coordinator for the North Adams Chamber of Commerce.
The city was the site for a robust vaccination effort that began in January and ran through June, during which time volunteers at the North- ern Berkshire regional vaccination center held 40 clinics and administered nearly 25,000 vaccines to residents.
Right now, the vaccination rate in North Adams is around 65%, but that percentage
does not reflect a fair number of residents who received their vaccine in Vermont or New York, the mayor pointed out. With North Adams locat-
10 OCTOBER 13, 2021
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
North Adams at a Glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1878
POPULATION: 13,708
AREA: 20.6 square miles
COUNTY: Berkshire
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $18.64 COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $39.83
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $35,020 FAMILY HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $57,522 TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Mayor; City Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: BFAIR Inc.; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
* Latest information available
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