N. Adams Committee Advises Closing Sidewalk by Hoosac Mill

The North Adams Public Safety Committee is recommending that the sidewalk on Union Street along the Hoosac Mill again be blocked off to pedestrian traffic as a safety precaution.

The condition of the 500-foot-long nearly freestanding wall of the former textile mill had been brought up by City Councilor Robert Moulton Jr.  after some bricks fell from one section. The owner responded with a preliminary engineering report and a plan to fix unstable sections, and the city's Building Inspector William Meranti did a visual inspection of the structure.

Moulton, a member of the committee, said he was satisfied with the answers but didn't think that was enough.

The century-old mill had had a catastrophic roof collapse a decade ago, caused by excessive snow load, and the interior was gutted and the wall fortified.

Read the details at iBerkshires.com now.