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Alison Rice is the new homeowner.
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Garden tools for the spring.
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The Rev. Rick Spalding and the little dots of purple he brought along.
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Cutting the cake.
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Northern Berkshire Habitat Marks Completion of Latest Home

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Paul Austin hands new homeowner Alison Rice a gift — a homeowner's guide — from the Habitat board

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Nearly 200 people have left their mark on Alison Rice's new home.

Some in the form of tiny shiny purple dots.

"We want you to be reminded as you look around your home of the people here and the many many others who helped with this house," the Rev. Rick Spalding, chaplain of Williams College, said, after passing around a bowl of the dots to be "planted like little seeds" as he offered a prayer.

Rice also received more practical house warming gifts — a propane certificate from H.A. George, a bag full of samples, garden tools and a book on home repair.

"It's great," she said afterward as cake was passed around. "It's a great group of people."

Nearly a dozen volunteers were gathered at the West Shaft Road house on Saturday to celebrate this latest completion of a Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity project.

"This is a closing for us with the volunteers, but a beginning for Alison and her two children in their new home," Paul Austin, board president and project manager.

It's season of change for Rice. She her children Connor, 13, and Samantha, 10, moved in last month and she started a new job a Kapiloff Glass.

But the work on the home started last year.

Rice was selected to participate in the program in fall 2013. By that time the structure had been selected and gutted.

"I heard about it on the radio and decided to apply," she said.



Like other Habitat applicants, Rice was expected to put in "sweat equity" not only on her own home, but the next one as well.

The three-bedroom home is a step up from her apartment off East Quincy.

"Allison was the perfect fit," said Linda Cernik, a member of the selection committee. "She was in an apartment too small for her family.

"We're very happy to have her."

Rice picked out all the finishes and decorated with pops of country. Her children, both of whom were hunting in Vermont, also love the home and were disappointed their age kept them from helping out.

"They wanted to," she said. "It was a battle every week."

The Northern Berkshire chapter has built or renovated 10 homes over the past 24 years. Rice's new renovated home is next to a couple others done by Habitat in the past.

The 1999 Cape Cod has been completely remodeled, including new windows, flooring, insulation and siding. The kitchen and bathroom were redone and the basement insulated. A small deck is off the kitchen and a storage shed was built in the back.

Habitat officials estimated about 1,700 hours were put into the house along with thousands of dollars of reduced or donated goods by a host of local businesses. MountainOne provided the funding and a number of Williams College students participated.

"I really enjoyed working on it and look forward to the next one," Rice said.


Tags: habitat for humanity,   Real Estate,   

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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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