image description — The Department of Public Works has spent three days fixing water breaks, including this one in front of the fire station on Ashland Street.

North Adams Worked the Weekend Fixing Water Line Breaks

Staff Reports iBerkshires
06:02PM / Sunday, December 14, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Water Department and Department of Public Works have been responding since Friday to multiple water line breaks throughout the city that are causing temporary loss of water in some areas.

"Everyone has water or very low pressure," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as of Sunday evening. "We're asking people to just conserve as much as they can. Once the system gets in balance, everything will come back, but we've got to fix them."

The first break occurred Friday in the field behind the water filtration plant, which was difficult to access. That repair was completed on Sunday morning.

"Then we started at 3:30 this morning on American Legion Drive," she said. "We dad to wait a few hours for Dig Safe, which slowed us down, and they're still over there, still trying to make the repair.

"Then about, probably, I would say, eight o'clock [Sunday morning]. We were called to Carr Hardware, where we had another bubble, another break. I don't know if we'll get to that break tonight. The guys are very tired, it's cold, it's unsafe."

Crews have been working in frigid temperatures trying to find where the lines are broken and fix them. The loss of the main line caused a drop in pressure, and the pressure changes are causing more breaks.

Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau was able to assess and get the first break fixed, she said, "but now it's regulating the system and that, coupled with the cold weather, is working against us tonight, but the team has been great.

"They've been out there for almost three days. Let's face it, and they still have a couple long days ahead, and the warm weather next week is not going to help us either, because that will make more things pop. It's the nature of the beast, the system that we have."

Motorists are asked to avoid areas of State Road and American Legion Drive while repairs are underway to ensure the safety of employees and the public. In the event of an emergency, contact the Dispatch Center at 413-664-4944, Ext. 1.

Tags: water line,

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McCann Committee Gets First Look at $17M Renovation Progress

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Monday, October 12, 2026

The project is in the home stretch with roofing and some windows and doors still to be installed. Superintendent James Brosnan also pointed above to HVAC improvements in the Guidance Office.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The McCann School Committee got a first look at the final stretch of a $17 million overhaul aimed at making the 64-year-old vocational school safer, quieter and more energy-efficient.

After a brief School Committee meeting Thursday, Superintendent James Brosnan led the members through the school, highlighting some of the changes made in the 64-year-old building.

"Just seeing this gives you a magnitude of the amount of work that goes on," he said.

The upgrades are being funded through the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program and the Northern Berkshire Vocational School District's member towns.

Work was supposed to be completed before the start of the school year, but weather and the removal of materials caused a delay.

The tour was all indoors, and Brosnan told a disappointed committee that he was hesitant to take them onto the roof at night, but said the new roof is near 80 percent down.

"We have another 10, and 10 percent of that missing 20 is in the AVB [air and vapor barrier] and removal phase," Brosnan said. "That particular area is across the front, down the post-secondary ... we are going to pick up from guidance. So we have that plan going through next week. Fingers crossed, within two weeks we will have that piece down."

He said the roof has been built up and insulated for more efficiency.

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