North Berkshire Coalition Forum Tackles Economic Development

Adams Select Board member Christine Hoyt points to a map laying out the redevelopment sparked by the Berkshire Scenic Railway project in Adams.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Everyone can play a role in the economic development of the region, local officials and experts said at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's monthly forum on Friday.

"Every single one of you is involved in economic development," Jonathan Butler, CEO at 1Berkshire, told the nearly 70 people in attendance at the monthly forum at First Baptist Church.

Butler kicked off the forum by giving an overview of the economic situation in the Berkshires, more specifically northern Berkshire County. He shared the sectors that are the largest employers in the county: health and wellness tops the list, followed by financial services, education, tourism and hospitality, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and the creative economy.

Butler said that while there is a lot of "growth potential" in those sectors, people are always asking him about specific jobs that are available. On that front, the news is both good -- and bad.

"The reality is … there's between 1,200 and 2,000 jobs posted all the time," he said. 

But the availability of jobs doesn't necessarily equal access to jobs, for various reasons from lack of a skilled workforce to substandard public transportation to get people to these jobs.

"That's something we have a lot of work to do in the Berkshires," he said.

Measuring the strength of the region's economic development doesn't come just from counting jobs, however, Butler said: It comes from the "strong communities" that keep the county humming, including strong civic structures like chambers of commerce and downtown organizations, as well as a growth of investment in the region over the last few years by private institutions like hotels and museums.

Speaking to those kinds of projects, representatives from the three largest Northern Berkshire communities spoke at the forum about what development is happening. 

Annie Rodgers discussed the NAMAzing Eagle Street Initiative happening to revitalize Eagle Street in North Adams, where donations and grants are helping fund new signage and other improvements like community spaces and public artwork.

"There's going to be something on the street for everyone," she said. "It's slowly coming together, and we're pretty stoked about the project."

Over in Williamstown, there are a lot of exciting projects happening as well, Select Board member Andrew Hogeland said, including the development of public recreation spaces like The Spruces and Linear Park, private development like the new hotel being built on Main Street, continued investment in the town by Williams College, including its new bookstore in addition to its own new hotel on Spring Street, the new middle and high school set to open in September, and many affordable housing projects that have been completed or are in the works.

"The goal is to make it affordable for people to live and work here," he said.

Participants in the April NBCC forum listen to 1Berkshire CEO Jonathan Butler make a point about economic development.

Down in Adams, energy has been injected into the community by the work surrounding the Berkshire Scenic Railway project, said Christine Hoyt, the newest member of the Adams Board of Selectmen. Hoyt took the forum attendees through a history of the project, which has seen the creation of a scenic train route between Adams and North Adams and the development of an old car wash into a passenger boarding area. Trains started running last fall.

"And the trains were full," she said, adding that the next step is the opening of a new passenger platform and turning the station into a full-service train station that would include ticketing, restrooms and a museum.

"This truly would make Adams a destination for all things Berkshire Scenic Railway," she said, and that in turn will spark development around the downtown as people come to ride the train, stay in hotels and eat at local restaurants. "There are so many opportunities that the Adams station brings to the area."

Discussions among the forum participants ranged from the importance of outdoor recreation like the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail and quality entertainment at venues like Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art to attracting both visitors and potential transplants to the area. But many people kept going back to the idea that everyone plays a role in this. Teachers, for instance, make schools attractive for people considering moving to the area. Colleges, particularly the county's two state schools, help by offering programs to train the workforce needed to help grow the county.

"These things all contribute to the vibrancy of the region," Butler said in his presentation, expressing optimism that the county is heading in the right direction, despite the struggles that remain. "The trajectory is pointing up. If you asked that question 20 years ago, it wouldn't have been pointing up.

"We should all be proud of the work that's being done in northern Berkshire County," he said.

Annual Teen Invitational Draws More Than 300 Submissions

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:05PM / Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Grand-prize winner this year is Owen Hindes, a student at Buxton School, for his drawing on black paper. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — More than 300 students from area high schools entered their work in 12th annual Teen Invitational at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. 

 

The event is a collaboration between the museum and high school art teachers to inspire young artists and stimulate their creativity.

 

"These students look to their teachers for that encouragement who say, 'keep going,' who say, 'yes, it is good enough to be seen, submit your work,' and we are so thrilled that they do this every day," Lisa Dent director of public programs. "Every year the participation is different, but we're excited to see that there was participation across all 10 schools and all 10 schools are going to be recognized for the work that they've done."

 

Participating were Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter School in Adams; Buxton School in Williamstown; Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y.; Drury High in North Adams; The Academy in Charlemont; Hoosac Valley High School in Cheshire; McCann Technical School in North Adams; Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown; Pine Cobble School in Williamstown; and Pittsfield High School. 

 

The student exhibition opened on Friday night with a reception, award ceremony and performance by the Drury band and ran through Sunday. There were five $100 awards and one grand prize of $200, sponsored by The Berkshire Eagle. Each recipient also was presented a book from the Artist Foundation for their classroom. 

 

"We do our best to also recognize individuals who really had the judges had spinning in a good way," said Dent. "These are artists, young artists who we felt like went above and beyond this year, who we felt like deserve a little bit more of the encouragement as we see the extraordinary way that they have moved their practices and presented their work this year."

 

The $100 winners were Ariel Lachman of McCann Technical School for his miniature version of E.J. Hill's "Brake Run Helix" that recently ended its run at the museum; Shayna Tarr of Darrow School for her textile work; Finn McCafferty of Mount Greylock Regional School for a landscape painting; Marlee Alpi, also from Mount Greylock, for her landscape painting; and Miles Boukalik of Buxton School for his ceramic pieces.