Massachusetts
Residents forced to evacuate Massachusetts condo due to structural problems
CAMBRIDGE – Residents in Cambridge, Massachusetts have been forced to evacuate their condos after structural problems were discovered.
Families who’ve called the Riverview Condos home are finding themselves uprooting their lives and calling moving trucks without much notice.
“It’s been devastating, people who have lived here for nearly 50 years now have to move, many seniors live here,” said a resident who wanted to keep her privacy. “To see all of these people needing to leave their residence and not knowing where exactly they’re going has been extremely distressful for them and also for me just seeing the looks on their faces every morning with concern and anxiety and depression.”
Building deemed unsafe
It’s been prime real estate in Cambridge overlooking the Charles River since the 1960s, but city officials said the building is not safe because of structural issues that engineers discovered during a roof replacement construction project.
Now the management company, Thayer and Associates, said the building must be fortified, so residents and everything have to go. The company said for six decades, they didn’t know substandard concrete was used in the original construction of the building and that reinforcing steel (rebar) had been improperly placed within it.
“Until recently, no one had any reason to suspect the errors that occurred in the original construction. Rebar is by definition concealed by the concrete it is intended to reinforce, and the slabs were largely covered by flooring and other finishings,” said Candice Morse, president of the company, Cambridge-based Thayer & Associates.
Kristina Klamer came to pick up her 92-year-old grandma who’s lived in the building for about a decade.
“I’m very disappointed in the way things are being handled, it’s really upsetting,” said Klammer. “I just feel really sad for her that she has all of these possessions, all of these photo books and memories from her life and she has no place to put them. She just has to get rid of them. But to have to do this so soon with this deadline is really difficult.”
The property management group said they’re trying to help residents and have held informational meetings, but residents say they’re footing their moving bills on their own.
“Stressed out by the whole thing, it’s really a matter of not knowing or clear instructions,” said Linda who’s helping her friend move and taking her in. “It was very short notice, and a lot of the people are older, a lot of them are in their 80s and to all of a sudden be finding, like my friend she doesn’t have a place to go.”
Could be year before return
And some say it could be at a year before they can come back to their beloved homes.
“There’s a lot of mixed messages, I think people are just left with a lot of questions that are unanswered, so I think that’s where the frustration is because people don’t know what to do,” said one resident.
The big concern too is that a lot of rentals are challenging in the Cambridge area with the academic calendar.
Residents said they have about four weeks to move all their belongings out.
Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.
Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more.
But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt.
“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.”
The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.
“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement.
After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.
“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained.
The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m. The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers.
As libraries across western Massachusetts celebrate National Library Week from April 19 to April 25, they are honoring “the last real third space where everyone is welcome,” in the words of Greenfield Public Library Assistant Director Lisa Prolman.
According to the American Library Association, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” This year, several libraries in the region will be hosting events to highlight the roles they play in their communities.
The Athol Public Library is among the venues engaging in National Library Week festivities, with a whole host of events starting on Tuesday, April 21, with Silly Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. The library will hold multiple events each day, including “Free Book Friday” on April 24, which Assistant Director Robin Shtulman said is “really fantastic.”
Shtulman said the week celebrates and emphasizes the “freedom to read, community outreach and celebrating the staff, without whom nothing would happen.”
The Athol Public Library said in an event announcement that “whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone,” and that aspect is being emphasized this National Library Week. To name a few of the events on tap, on Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there’s a volunteer opportunity where teens will make greeting cards for senior citizens; “A Minecraft Movie” will be shown at the same date and time; and on Thursday, April 23, the library will host Scavenger Hunt Bingo for all ages. For a full list of events at the Athol Public Library, visit atholpubliclibrary.com.
In Shelburne Falls, the Arms Library will feature a gallery from the Carlos Heiligmann Collection, a series of photos of public libraries across western Massachusetts. Also in collaboration with the Arms Library, Pothole Pictures and the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club will partner for a screening of “Free For All: The Public Library” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall.
The documentary focuses on the evolution of the public library from its origins in the 19th century and the challenges it faces today, with modern-day issues such as book bans, funding cuts and debates over censorship.
It also explores the role that women’s clubs, like the one in Shelburne Falls, played in creating the modern library system. To serve their communities, women’s clubs took the lead in fundraising, collecting books and advocating for library legislation.
“Our women’s club in this town started with a group of 60 women who were gathering for lessons. … Because of the support of women in the U.S., we established over 80% of the public libraries [in the country],” said Christin Couture, program chair for the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club. “This film … I hear it’s so fascinating.”
Following the film’s screening, there will be a panel of local librarians who will engage in “lively conversation” about the history and future of public libraries. Tickets are $6, though school-age children will be admitted for free.
In Charlemont, Tyler Memorial Library will host an open house on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 2 p.m. featuring refreshments, a tour of the library and sun catcher crafting.
The Greenfield Public Library, meanwhile, is taking National Library Week in a bit of a different direction, as it is offering a book repair demonstration with Tom Hutcheson on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. The day marks William Shakespeare’s birthday.
Although the book repair session required registration and is currently full, those who are interested may be placed on a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16460179.
Greenfield Public Library Director Anna Bognolo recognized the hard work that everyone has put into making the library a success, offering a “huge thank you” to the volunteers and staff who make its varied offerings possible.
“Stop by and support your library,” Bognolo said.
“Libraries, especially in this economy, are more important than ever,” Prolman said. Referencing the library’s role as a place where community members can go that is not work or home, she added, “They are the last real third space where everyone is welcome, and we don’t charge you for being here.”
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