MCLA Alumni Association to Hold Awards Ceremony

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, the MCLA Alumni Association will hold its annual Alumni Awards Brunch to recognize distinguished alumni and friends of the College for their accomplishments.
 
The event will run from 10 a.m.-noon. in MCLA's Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation.   
 
The following recipients will be recognized: 
  • Katie Brelsford '10, 2025 Vanguard Award 
  • Edward Sokolowski '92, 2025 Distinguished Alum Award   
  • Jonathan Monroy '13 (posthumous), 2025 Service to the College Award
  • Jennifer Schimmel '99 (posthumous), 2025 Community Service & Citizenship Award 
  • Anne Pecor, M.Ed. '09, 2025 Outstanding Educator Award   
  • Gina Coleman, M.Ed. '00, 2025 Outstanding Educator Emeritus Award  
To purchase tickets and view descriptions of each award, visit alumni.mcla.edu/past-alumni-award-recipients 

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North Adams Finance Committee Warned of Coming Sludge Costs

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Waste treatment plan supervisor Brad Furlon warned the Finance Committee last week to expect a future 500 percent increase in sludge disposal.
 
"Even though the district is still has the approval of suitability to apply compost to land, we no longer do it, primarily because of the contaminant, PFAs," he said. "Compost plant supplies is a $200,000 increase this year. There's no way around this cost whatsoever. ...
 
"Unfortunately, these costs are going to go up. They expect this sludge disposal cost in the next five to 10 years to increase 500 percent."
 
PFAs, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are considered "forever chemicals" because of how long it takes for them to breakdown. They are used in numerous products and have become endemic in air, soil and water.
 
The Hoosac Water Quality District, a shared regional waste treatment system between North Adams and Williamstown, had planned to accept sludge from other communities and sell off the resulting compost through waste hauler Casella. But that proposal ran into opposition; Williamstown has a citizens petition on its annual town meeting warrant this year that would prohibit the use of contaminated compost. 
 
The district is still producing compost, which has to be removed. 
 
"We had a backlog of about 2,500 yards of compost that was on site," Furlon said. "We worked on a plan to dispose of our compost. Even though the district is still has the approval of suitability to apply compost to land, we no longer do it, primarily because of the contaminant, PFAs. ... the most feasible way and economical that we looked at was to be able to take our compost to a landfill in Ontario, N.Y."
 
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