Bowman Hall Renovation Begins At MCLA

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Renovation work on Bowman Hall at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has begun.

Once completed, the transformed facility will feature central air-conditioning, remodeled classrooms, and new offices for the Mathematics and Computer Science departments, the Visual Arts portion of the Fine and Performing Arts Department, as well as for Academic Affairs.

Bowman Hall primarily will remain a classroom building.

According to James Stakenas, MCLA’s vice president of administration and finance, in addition to new windows and lighting, the facility will have the same voice-over, Internet Phone (IP) system that was installed in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation. Another feature is an art gallery, to be located just off of the main floor lobby area.

While the building is under construction, art classes will continue to meet at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), as well as in the PRESS Gallery downtown. Classes typically held in Bowman Hall have been relocated to Venable Hall and the MCLA Church Street Center for the year.

For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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