At their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday afternoon, the Board of Trustees of Berkshire Community College unanimously approved the recommendation of its human resources sub-committee to appoint Paul Raverta as the college's new interim president.
Raverta, who holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Boston College, comes to BCC with more than 30 years of experience at Holyoke Community College (HCC). During his tenure at HCC, Raverta served as a senior-level administrator and faculty member in seven professional areas. These included service as Interim President, Acting Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Development, Dean of Student Development, Registrar, Assistant Director of Continuing Education, and Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Physiology.
His most recent position at HCC was Vice President for Business and Community Affairs, and Executive Director of the Kittredge Business Center. His achievements in this position include the establishment of a regional business advisory group in collaboration with Springfield Technical Community College (STCC); and the submission of a joint federal workforce development grant for HCC, STCC, and Greenfield Community College.
Other achievements include a pilot Adult Basic Education to GED program in downtown Holyoke for city residents, and a "Transition to College" program at a local correctional facility. Raverta also increased business relationships with HCC through Chamber of Commerce representation and sponsorships, and increased access to international markets for businesses through HCC's World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER) and the Western Massachusetts Office of the Mass Export Center.
In addition to his professional qualifications, Raverta has a network of "established relationships" within the community college system and is "highly regarded by his colleagues throughout the state." Pending final approval by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, the appointment will go into effect September 1 and will be for a period of up to two years.
Raverta's appointment will follow the two-month appointment of Dr. Andrew Scibelli, president emeritus of STCC, who could not continue as interim president beyond August 31 due to restrictions by the state's retirement board related to salary caps. "We were very disappointed in that decision," said Susan Lombard, chair of the BCC board. "Nevertheless," she added, "we need to continue to move on and we look forward to working with Dr. Raverta."
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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