North Adams Neighborhood Group Gets Place of Its Own
 Shirley Davis, a founder of United Neighborhood Organization in the River/Bracewell area, talks about her years with the group and the new community center it will be able to use. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Shirley Davis of Bracewell Avenue has been running the United Neighborhood Organization for nearly 24 years from her living room.
Now the "UNO Lady" will not only have space to meet, but a neighborhood kitchen to cook in when the former Homestead Bar on River Street is transformed into a community center.
"It's like a dream," Davis said on Tuesday after a press conference announcing the plans. "It's like a dream come true."
One of the first things she plans to do is invite building owner and UNO benefactor John "Jack" Wadsworth to dinner.
"Wait until he comes to our kitchen and I cook him a meal," said the author of "Sitto Shirl's Favorite Recipes."
The rundown tavern at 157 River was purchased by Wadsworth last year after a motorcycle club attempted to lease the building. A conversation with Mayor Richard Alcombright about possible uses for the structure led to meetings with Northern Berkshire Community Coalition Executive Director Alan Bashevkin and Davis, and Wadsworth's decision to fund the creation of the UNO Center.
"This is something the city couldn't have done, something the coalition couldn't have done, something the neighborhood couldn't have done," said Alcombright. "This is just an outstanding gift at the right time of year."
Wadsworth and his wife, Susan, are sort of UNO neighbors; Wadsworth is a principal or owner of the Porches Inn and another plot of land on River Street. He determined to finance the project, along with a very reasonable lease of $5 up front, after putting Bashevkin "through the wringer."
"He asked me a lot of questions," laughed Bashevkin.
Francis "Bigs" Waterman of Cheshire, contractor for the project and a friend of the Wadsworths, said Jack Wadsworth wanted to be sure the project was sustainable. "He wanted to be fully aware if he was to do this, it wasn't a one and done deal. That it was gong to survive for five years," Waterman said.
The talks had taken place often on Saturday mornings in the dark and dingy bar.
"I think it's fortunate we're turning something with that atmosphere into something ... Jack really likes that whole concept," said Waterman. "I know what Jack was really happy to hear is there are programs like arts and crafts and things that kids can learn to better themselves."
The project was approved by the Planning Board on Monday night and the construction permit secured; work should start around the beginning of the year with an opening date in April or early May.
"It's great for the downtown, it's great for the city, and one of the things I really care about is, it's great for the kids — the future of this area," Waterman said. "It just got better and better the more we talked."
Ann McCallum of Burr & McCallum Architects, which also did the Porches, designed the small building to "give us the biggest bang for the buck." The design includes meeting space, a coffee bar, full kitchen and bathrooms.
"What we were trying to do is lure in the neighbors, to make it very transparent from the outside," she said, pointing out the large windows and glass overhead door that can be opened in nice weather. The landscaping will include gardens and a sitting wall for residents to work and linger in.
Alcombright sees the center as in the spirit of programs that used to run in the city's playgrounds years ago. The summer programs used to offer crafts, sports and activities for a few hours on weekdays.
"What we're trying to do is replicate this on two playgrounds, the one on River, the other possibly at Brayton," he said. That would tie in with greater investment in community policing, such as the possible presence of an officer on occasion at the UNO center (with a spot in the plans for the officer) and others on bicycles.
"It's a different kind of connectivity with the community, especially the youth because in some of our neighborhoods, some of these kids only see a cop when they're arresting someone," the mayor said. "Our cops, they do a great job and we want to make certain the kids, particularly the younger people, know they have an ally in the police."
Much of that will be contingent on funding and police scheduling. Programming at the UNO Center, however, is assured because it is comes from another, albeit anonymous, "generous benefactor" who is providing financial support.
 The original UNO sign says 'We are united to help our neighborhood.' |
Bashevkin said NBCC's role is to find the programming, such as after-school tutoring and activities, such as an expanded community garden, and keep the center busy. Once it is up and running, residents will likely suggest other things they want to see.
"I hope the people in the neighborhood will see it as a place to drop in for coffee," he said, stressing that the center would not be possible without the generous support of the Wadsworths or the anonymous donor as the agency is facing budget cuts and a "pretty significant deficit." "I just think this is going to be such an enhancement for the neighborhood."
"This is wonderful for the UNO neighborhood, we'd love to see it in other neighborhoods as well," Bashevkin said, referring to the mayor's vision. "And, hopefully, we're not stopping here."
The program wouldn't have started at all except for the stubbornness of Davis, who began to see the neighborhood she'd lived in since her marriage slowly succumb to blight.
In 1990, Davis and some others from the area had had enough, and said so at a coalition meeting at the Salvation Army.
UNO was born in her living room as the group applied for grants and raised money, held parties, tag sales and contests, supported local children for camps and took them to the theater, created community gardens and marched in parades. Those children's children continue to benefit within the neighborhood revival.
"We just did everything," she said. "I have so many albums, I just love to look through them."
Davis was thrilled that the original UNO sign, painted on an old slate roof tile and carefully stored under her bed for years, will now have a place on honor in the new center.
"I didn't get paid money for the whole 24 years but this project is worth doing it all over again because money is not everything," she said. "This is something."
Tags: community center, NBCC, neighborhood, UNO,
