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Child Care of the Berkshires was approved for a 25-year lease with the city that will allow it to make investments in Sarah T. Haskins School.

North Adams Council OKs Long-Term Lease With Child Care of the Berkshires

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved a 25-year lease with Child Care of the Berkshires that will allow the nonprofit to apply for nearly a $1 million in grants.

"We have really ambitious plans for the building," Anne Nemetz-Carlson, longtime president and CEO of the agency, told the council on Tuesday. "We're a vibrant community place and we'd like to have a long-term lease."

CCB has been leasing Sarah T. Haskins School on State Street for more than 34 years as a day care serving more than 125 children and their families annually. Nearly 95 percent of the children are from families below the poverty line and up to third are victims of abuse and neglect who have been referred to the agency by the state Department of Children and Families. It also provides parenting groups, and other services for some 400 families.

The grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture andstate Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund Program (the bulk of the funding) will enable the agency to do significant improvements to the building, but it requires "site control" to be considered. The city posted a request for proposals for the school building, as required by law, and CCB was the only respondent.

"During these years, CCB has kept the facility bright, clean, and up to date, a place where children and parents feel welcome and nurtured," wrote Mayor Richard Alcombright in a communication to the council supporting the lease. "Over time, they have greatly improved accessibility and safety for the children."

Alcombright said he signed the lease, pending council approval, so CCB could get its application by the deadline of Jan. 22.

"We've been trying to find a way to solidify their presence in the building," he told the council, but the agency could not afford to buy the building, which is assessed at $1.9 million. He did, however, see CCB eventually taking ownership of the former elementary school building down the road. 

In the interim, CCB's control of the building will absolve the city of a "major catastrophic event" in terms of building maintenance it currently cannot afford.

"The important thing was to get site control so we did it with a lease," he said. "That was more expedient."

Nemetz-Carlson said she expected to bring the century-old building up to current codes, including handicapped accessibility. Among plans are the installation of an elevator, new efficient windows to replace the 30-year-old vinyl ones, and a new heating and cooling system.


The council's response was generally positive but Councilor Robert M. Moulton Jr. questioned the need for a 25-year term, saying it was a important piece of city property.

"Down the road ... if we would have another use for it that was beneficial for the city," he said. "I can't get by that 25 years."

Alcombright said he didn't see 25 years as being significant compared to long-term leases used in the commercial sector. The agency employs some 85 people through various programs and that's of an economic benefit to the city, he said.

At worst, the agency may not get the grant and would have to reapply, said the mayor. But he noted it had applied a few years ago and "We do really, really feel that site control was the only thing holding them back from getting significant money."

The agency will not be required to pay rent for the first five years, then be obligated at $1,100 a month until year 10; $1,210 until year 15; $1,331 to year 20; and $1,464 until year 25.

The council approved the lease unanimously.

In other business, the council endorsed the idea of an ad hoc committee to investigate regulations for short-term and shared services like AirBnB and Uber proposed by Council President Benjamin Lamb.

"I just think it's good for us to be proactive in the process," said Lamb. "The earlier we can get ahead of ourselves the better.

The council also designated the former Modern Liquors site recently approved for purchase by the city to "be used in perpetuity" for parks and recreational purposes. The proposed skateboard park originally designed for the Noel Field parking lot will be relocated to that property.

The council also approved:

Reappointment of Jeffrey Naughton and Trevor Gilman to the Airport Commissions, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019.

Reappointment of Suzy Helme, Jennifer Boland, JoAnn Lipa-Bates and Jennifer Flynn Bernard to the Human Service Commission, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019.

Reappointment to the Planning Board of Jay Walsh, term to expire Feb. 1, 2019, and Brian Miksic and Kyle Hanlon, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2021.


Tags: child care,   child care of the berkshires,   leasing,   nonprofits,   school building,   

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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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