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Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Hohn reported that the fiscal 2015 audit came back with no financial findings.

North Adams Housing Authority Receives Favorable Audit

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Hohn reported that the fiscal 2015 audit came back with no financial findings.

"We have no financial findings which is the most important," Hohn told the housing authority commissioners Monday. "There are no questioned costs."

She said there was a minor non-material finding and the auditors noted that the Housing Authority should go out to bid every year for some of its services, such as painting and trash removal.

Hohn said this could make maintenance more difficult.

"It puts us in a tough situation because we aren't reaching out to people that are local so we aren't helping the local economy," she said. "We would be reaching out to people in Springfield who really can't be here when we need them which is right away."

She added that plumbing services, electrical, and painting have been placed on the Central Register.

Hohn said construction on the new patio off the community room at the Ashland Street should be complete by the end of June.

"We are getting a new grill," Hohn said. "We usually borrow one from the American Legion so now we can have one of our own for our picnics."

Hohn said the transfer of the Flood House to the Family Life Support Center, which operates the Louison House family shelter, is ongoing. The center's board did show interest of replacing the Louison House, located in Adams, with the Flood House, but this would be a change of intent and would restart the whole transfer process, she said.

As for the dissolution of Housing Opportunities Inc., Hohn said the attorney general's office is still processing 990 forms and there is really no estimated timeline for the completion of the project. The Housing Authority has been trying to divest itself of HOI for some years.

"So now we just wait," Hohn said. "Hopefully, it is done before winter."


Tags: Flood House,   Housing Authority,   louison house,   

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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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