image description — Youth Center Executive Director David Rempell looks over the hundreds of children who attended the groundbreaking.

Williamstown Youth Center Breaks Ground On New Building

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
04:23PM / Tuesday, March 20, 2012Print Story | Email Story

Students and the Youth Center's Board of Trustees shared shovels to throw the first piles of dirt.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — With a parade and singing, the town's youth was forever changed on Tuesday as the Youth Center broke ground on a new building.

The nonprofit organization began construction on a new 12,000 square foot building on Elementary School land after three years of planning — an achievement Youth Center Executive Director David Rempell calls "historic."

"These two buildings are a clear indication of the importance you are to us," Rempell told hundreds of Elementary School pupils at the construction site on Tuesday. "This is happening because the adults in this community care about you."

Scores of students marched from the school to the fenced-off construction area chanting "together, we did" — a play off the center's capital campaign slogan, "together we can." They gathered around former baseball fields where officials held a short ceremony to commemorate the occasion.

The children even sang their own song about the center and the event concluded with they and the Youth Center's board of directors tossing the first shovels of dirt while the rest of the students cheered they on.

"In my opinion, this whole event is about community," Rempell said. "We are making history here today."

Construction is expected to last until Oct. 1 with occupancy on Oct. 31 and provide a new and closer partnership between the school and the center's programming.

"This represents a new lease on life for the Youth Center," President Paul Jennings said. "These shovels really are the beginning of digging and the machines will start digging tomorrow."

The new center is expected to open at the end of October.

During the construction center officials said they have set up a camera to document the progress and they are currently planning new programming to go with the new building.

"This is going to be a new building that is used by you guys to enhance your learning in many, many ways," Jennings said.

The building replaced their former building on Cole Avenue that had been worn into deplorable conditions and for years the center was seeking a new location and had their eye on a partnership with the Elementary School when the town built the new school in 2002.

In 2009, center officials received preliminary permission to build on the school's land and embarked on a capital campaign to raise more than $3 million from more than 1,000 donors for the construction.

A groundbreaking was scheduled in 2010 but was delayed two times — once because of debate over the playground and another time to give architects more time to plan.

In February, Youth Center officials received the final nod of approval when they signed a 100-year lease with the school — setting the stage for Tuesday's event.

More photos of the ceremony can be found here and below is a "fly by tour" created by the architects, Black River Design, of what the final building will looking like.

RELATED STORIES

Williamstown Youth Center Clears First Permitting...
WILLIAMSTOWN - 05-11-2011 - "Because they are building two buildings on the same land it has to comply as if it [was] two lots." — Pat...

Baseball Field, Swings, Being Moved at Williamstown...
WILLIAMSTOWN - 08-12-2011 - "This was planned so that the children will be able to use the facilities throughout the school year." — David...

Williamstown Youth Center Delays Construction
WILLIAMSTOWN - 07-12-2011 - "Six weeks is not much time to respond thoughtfully."— David Rempell

Williamstown Debates Elementary School Playground
WILLIAMSTOWN - 11-20-2010 - "Right now the playground is a community gathering place and we want to maintain that sense." — Principal Stephen...

Williamstown Elementary Signs Lease With Youth Center
WILLIAMSTOWN - 02-08-2012 - "This really is quite a historic partnership." — Paul Jennings.

Williamstown Youth Center Sets March 15 Groundbreaking
WILLIAMSTOWN - 01-12-2012 - "We got it right." — David Rempell

Williamstown to Decide On Youth Center
WILLIAMSTOWN - 01-18-2011 - A special meeting will be held in the school's auditorium Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to finalize the center's footprint...

Williamstown Youth Center Addresses Drainage Concerns
WILLIAMSTOWN - 07-13-2011 - "We felt we have a great plan to make everybody happy." — Charlie LaBatt

Campaign For New Youth Center Marches On
WILLIAMSTOWN - 05-04-2010 - "It's no secret that this is not the right place for a youth center." — David Rempell

ZBA Slows Williamstown Youth Center Permitting
WILLIAMSTOWN - 05-20-2011 - "I think we need to do something to address Mr. Winter's concerns. " Andrew Hoar

Williamstown Youth Center Location Chosen
WILLIAMSTOWN - 01-19-2011 - "It's only been four months since last September when we first presented the site plan. For some of us I suggest it...

Tags: groundbreaking, youth center,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Your Comments

iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.

This is wonderful news for the Youth Center. What I don't understand is the youth center building was given by the Town to the Youth Center, why isn't the Youth Center GIVING back to the town, it's building? GOD knows we need housing for the low and moderate income people in town, it would only make sense that they donate it back???
from: Mary Murphy	on: 03-20-2012 05:44PM I Agree (11) - I Disagree (4)

See Berkshire Trade & Commerce magazine. They are taking bids for the Youth Center Building. Didn't Mr. Rempell tell us in his fund raiser video that the building was worthless and unable to be repaired? Bidding ends before Town Meeting, too!
from: Cole Ave Building	on: 03-21-2012 08:29AM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (2)

It should be returned to the town as it was a gift to start. After all the town has given the Youth Center a 100 year lease for a buck a year! Nice gift again to WYC!
from: ab williamstown	on: 03-21-2012 11:48AM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (0)

The building is a mess! Why would the town want it? It would have to be completely redone or better yet, demolished, in order to do anything with it. It would probably be cheaper to buy land and build housing from scratch than it would be to redo that building.
from: hello	on: 03-21-2012 06:31PM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (2)

Don't forget the $1,000,000 chunk of land that could have been used fr a high school or affordable housing.
from: Cole Ave Building	on: 03-21-2012 07:27PM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)
Editor: Where for a high school?
I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

The youth center building on Cole Avenue has the same possible low to moderate income housing as Church Corners. Who says the building should be demolished....the building inspector and other builders think it's a fine building, historical, worth preserving and not to be demolished...The bones are good, building inspectors and builders are better qualified to say if the building is worth preserving dont' you think? The building needs to come back to the Town?
from: Mary Murphy	on: 03-21-2012 08:58PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

The building should be given back to the town, and let the town decide what to do with it. If someone is willing to buy the property, as stated in the article, the money should go into the town coiffers.
from: resident	on: 03-21-2012 10:06PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (1)

Whoa. Give the building back to the town? The building isn't in good shape for a youth center and in a good size and configuration but hat isn't to say it couldn't be converted to housing by a developer. The Youth center through a lot of vision hard work and a real angel with the seed money will have built the new youth center without tax money and I think the youth center should not give the building back but put what is realized by the sale of the old building to benefit there program or building expenses.
from: Long time town resident	on: 03-21-2012 11:28PM I Agree (3) - I Disagree (1)

If you give it to the town, you are giving them another headache to deal with. That building has a mold problem in the basement and lord knows where else. That alone is a huge issue to deal with if you are trying to remodel. And for all we know, maybe the YC did offer to give it to them and they said "no thank you"! Unless they demolish and start over, I personally, would never want to live in a place that had a mold problem.
from: hello	on: 03-22-2012 06:00AM I Agree (2) - I Disagree (0)

If the building is in that poor of condition then why hasn't the Building and Health inspectors closed it? We still have children using it everyday. There must be some value as the WYC has a nice price tag on the property as they prepare to sell.
from: ab williamstown	on: 03-22-2012 12:06PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

ab williamstown....that is the question of the century. I would not send my child there because of the condition of the building, but many people do. Maybe the price tag has to do with just the fact of where it is located (business section)? Not sure. I think a place has to be pretty horrible to get shut down. Maybe the YC stayed just north of horrible to avoid that.
from: hello	on: 03-22-2012 06:17PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

If the WYC has mold and is falling apart, then why are children still allowed to go there? Just goes to show that it depends on who you are in this town. The building and health inspecter seem to have looked the other way when it comes to the WYC. As for turning the building into affordable houseing, there is no such thing in Williamstown as affordable housing. The former church was supposed to be affordable housing, take a look at the people that can "afford" to live there......
from: just wondering	on: 03-22-2012 10:40PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (1)
Editor: "Affordable" is considered at 80 percent of the median income of the area.
I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

How does anyone know the situation of folks living at the Church Corners? Affordable housing isn't just for the "poor: (or what one deems the people going in and out should appear to be). Someone making a decent living can qualify if they have multiple dependents.
from: wondering what, exactly?	on: 03-23-2012 03:59PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

Why would the town want the property. It has failed at selling Photech, the old town garage site, Cornish Wire is a huge mess, just look at it, the town shoud be ashamed, no pressure on the builder and what over one million dollars of tax payers money, we should be outraged. Church Corners was the only successful affordable (moderate) housing project in too many years. Let's get going here town?
from: very concerned citizen	on: 03-23-2012 09:58PM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

Companion Corner: Max at Second Chance

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
03:25PM / Thursday, February 12, 2026

ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is a dog at Second Chance Animal Shelter whose blindness doesn't stop him from wanting to play fetch with his new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Max is a 3-year-old border collie has been patiently waiting at the shelter since January 2023.

Lead canine care technician Alaura Lasher introduced us to him.

"He is a mostly blind dog, so we're looking for someone who is willing to work with him and his blindness, he actually does really well, even though he can't see for the most part," she said.

Max was given to the shelter after his previous owner was not able to care for his special needs. His new owner will have to be able to care for him and make sure his eyes are checked every six months.

"He has degenerative retinal atrophy. He had a surgery for this a year ago. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to gain much eyesight back from that, and we're just monitoring him for glaucoma. He would need someone who is ready to take him to the ophthalmologist every six months," said Lasher. "He gets checkups every six months just to make sure he hasn't developed glaucoma yet and nothing is worsening with his eyes."

It is suggested he goes to a home with older children who can understand his condition as well as no other pets, and a safe place for him to run free without worry of getting lost. Especially to play his favorite game of fetch.

"We do suggest a home with no other animals, just because with his blindness, it's a little hard for him to know how to interact with them. We also suggest a home with a fenced in yard again, because he loves to play fetch. He will play fetch for as long as you will let him, and he does amazing at it, even though he doesn't have the best eyes," Lasher said.

Max is on an eye-drop schedule that will need to be followed.

"He does require multiple eye drops a day, so someone would have to be ready and willing to kind of stick to his eye med schedule and be able to administer those daily," she said.

Max has shown signs of reactivity to strangers and animals and would do great if his next family could work with him in socializing.

"He's a very smart dog. He's very intelligent. I think he would do really well with some basic training. Since he's very toy driven, that would definitely kind of help him in his learning and training process."

If you think Max might be the boy for you, reach out to Second Chance Animal Shelter and learn more about him on the website.

Second Chance Animal Shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. It is located at 1779 VT Route 7A. Contact the shelter at 802-375-2898 or info@2ndchanceanimalcenter.org.

View Full Story