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The Housing Authority is in talks with the Family Life Support Center on the use of the Flood House.

North Adams Housing Agency Finds Potential Buyers For Properties

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Housing Authority postponed a vote on the sale of a lot on River Street to its next meeting.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A local housing nonprofit may have a buyer for one the properties it has left.

Housing Opportunities Inc., which uses government funds to purchase and rehabilitate homes for qualified buyers, is in the process of dissolving and turning over all of its assets to the city.

Its board, the same composition as the North Adams Housing Authority, met Monday night with Jennifer Hohn, the authority's executive director of the North Adams Housing Authority, to discuss the potential sale of the River Street lot.

Hohn said the North Adams Ambulance Service showed interest in the property because it wanted to use it for parking.

"It can't be used for much as far as development goes, but the abutting property might have some interest," Hohn said.

She said the service offered $12,000 for the property, which is appraised at $30,000. She said HOI purchased it for nearly $90,000 about a decade ago and the city ultimately tore down the building on the lot.  

Hohn said it normally would not look good to sell assets for less than an appraised amount, however, she felt the ambulance service could get the most use out of it.

"I am not sure how appropriate it is for us to be removing this sort of asset from our portfolio … it just doesn't look good," Hohn said. "However, that said, it is the North Adams Ambulance Service, and it is going to good people and it's going to serve a purpose."

The money would go into a recapture account that eventually be turned over to the city.

Board member Ben Taylor said the dissolution of HOI could take a long time and by selling the land to the ambulance service now, they can quicken the transfer.  

"It's going to be much more streamline and straight forward especially when it's going to the ambulance," Taylor said.

Hohn asked for the board's recommendation. Although board members favored the idea, they tabled it for further conversation at their next meeting.

Hohn also reported another communication from an individual who offered HOI $1,000 for property on River Street at the corner of Holden Street. She said the interested individual is an abutter and that the city owns half of the property.

The board tabled this item, too.

Hohn said the housing authority will soon attempt to sell a property on East Quincy Street. She said the property will go to the highest bidder.

"We hope it will be rehabbed and there will be some neighborhood revitalization," she said. "It's certainly better than sitting here condemned for the past 15 years. It will be back on the tax roll."

She also reported that she is continuing conversations with Louison House and the Division of Housing and Community Renewal on the transfer of the Flood House, located on corner of East Quincy and Meadow streets, to Louison, a local family shelter.

She said the house must be financially viable. She said it was not clear if the Family Life Support Center program will add the Flood House to its properties or move the program there from Adams. The Housing Authority has been debating the future of the Flood House for several years.

"It's a magnificent building, and it would be great to see it used," Taylor said.  


Tags: Housing Authority,   Real Estate,   shelter,   

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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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