Lenox National Bank Shareholders OK Deal With Adams Community Bank

ADAMS, Mass. — Shareholders of Lenox National Bank approved the merger agreement pursuant to which Adams Community Bank will acquire the Lenox National Bank.

Both Charles P. O’Brien, Adams Community Bank president and CEO, and Paul Merlino, president and CEO of Lenox National Bank, expressed sincere appreciation for the strong level of support shown by the shareholders.

The transaction will have a value of approximately $14.3 million upon consummation of the merger following regulatory approval and the satisfaction of the other conditions of the merger agreement.

The combined bank will have $465 million in assets and eight full-service offices serving Berkshire County in Adams, Cheshire, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, North Adams and Williamstown.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

Adams Welcomes New Officer; Appoints Housing Authority Board Member

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:44AM / Friday, April 19, 2024

Officer Cole Desroches recently graduated from the Police Academy. 

ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen welcomed the newest member of the Adams Police Department, Officer Cole Desroches, on Wednesday evening. 

 

Desroches graduated from the Police Academy on March 22 in the top tier in his class. He's currently in the field training program and assigned to Sgt. Curtis Crane. He attended Hoosac Valley High School and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 

 

"He's going to serve and protect the town of Adams very well," said Crane, who with Sgts. Matthew Wright and Gregory Onorato stepped in to introduce the new officer while Chief R. Scott Kelley was on vacation. 

 

"We don't often get an opportunity to kind of talk about, frankly, some of the positive things that are happening in town and one of the many things that I feel are positive with are the Adams Police Department," said Town Administrator Jay Green. "We are right now at full staff. We have a full complement of officers. We have a chief who just resigned a three-year contract. ... We have four very capable sergeants (including Donna Malloy)."

 

The force consists of the chief, the four sergeants, a full-time detective and 11 patrol officers. It also has a new position in Cpl. Joshua Baker who is responsible for training and keeping staff equipped. 

 

"We're on the cutting edge of ensuring that we have proper training in a very changing environment with law enforcement," continued Green. "And we have a nice complement of officers and we have a well-respected detective who handles some very complicated cases."

 

He called out the half-dozen officers who attended the meeting for the work they're doing as well as the K9 unit.