Hoosic River Revival Celebrates New Billboards and Launches Public Space Initiative

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Hoosic River Revival (HRR) will host an event on Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the corner of River Street and Houghton Street, near the Porches Inn on River Street.
 
The event will celebrate the installation of two new billboards in downtown North Adams along the Hoosic River. These billboards, a result of support from Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art's (MASS MoCA) Community Partnership Program, are designed to inform the community about the city's 75-year-old flood control system and its upcoming modernization.
 
Additionally, the event will serve as a launch for HRR's initiative to develop permanent public spaces along the Hoosic River for various community activities. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the River Feasibility Study and share ideas for potential uses of these public areas, spanning from the Beaver Mill and Willow Dell vicinity to the Noel Field and Brayton Apartments neighborhood.
 
The program will begin with a welcome from Nancy Bullett, President of the Hoosic River Revival's Board of Directors, followed by an acknowledgment of the MASS MoCA Design Team. Judy Grinnell, the Founder of HRR, will provide a brief history of the organization's efforts to modernize the flood control system while addressing community needs. Members of the HRR Board will be present to engage with the public and gather input on the future development of these riverfront spaces.
 
 

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
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