The original Sheaffer Eaton mill, with the clocktower to the left.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Developer David Carver has purchased the Clock Tower building on South Church Street.
The building houses The Berkshire Eagle and a number of offices. Recently, The Eagle was sold by Media News Group to a team of investors but the building remained in the hands of the parent company Digital First Media. Carver, as part of a new enterprise named Clock Tower Partners LLC, has purchased the 130-year-old complex and has plans for a multi-year renovation.
"These investments will position the property to be a leading location to find cost effective and attractive office space in central Berkshire County. The complex is very large and can accommodate many large and small tenants so it is believed that networking and other synergies will be an added benefit to businesses that locate there," reads a press released issued by Berkshire Bank, who provided the financing.
The renovations are eyed to include energy efficiency, general property improvements and custom build outs for new and existing tenants.
The Clock Tower building went on the market in 2014 with an asking price of $2.5 million but the actual sale price was not disclosed on Thursday. The media company had been separating its real estate holdings from the newspaper operations of papers it owned throughout the country. The building is the former Sheaffer Eaton paper mill complex and was renovated in the early 1990s. It was sold in 1995 to Media News Group. Parts of it date to 1883 when it was constructed for the Terry Clock Co.
Carver already owns the attached Clock Tower Condominiums after purchasing that section in 2007. Through demolition and re-use, that section was transformed into 23 condominiums.
Both the paper and the building were up for sale and, in April, the paper's operations were sold to local owners. The intent had been to sell the structure and the newspaper to continue as its tenant.
"Clock Tower Partners applauds the investment made by the new owners of the Berkshire Eagle and looks forward to the benefits of returning this important institution to local ownership," the press release reads.
The property will be managed by CT Management Group, which is led by Carver and Peter Ticconi, both of Williamstown. The management group is a complement company to Carver's real estate holdings in Scarafoni & Associates.
Berkshire Bank says it "sees both the purchase of the building and the recent purchase of the Berkshire Eagle newspaper by investors with local ties to the Berkshires as an important step toward strengthening the Berkshire County Economy."
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Central Berkshire School Officials OK $35M Budget
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a $35 million budget for fiscal 2025 during its meeting on Thursday.
Much of the proposed spending plan is similar to what was predicted in the initial and tentative budget presentations, however, the district did work with the Finance subcommittee to further offset the assessments to the towns, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said.
"What you're going see in this budget is a lower average assessment to the towns than what you saw in the other in the tentative budget that was approved," she said.
The fiscal 2025 budget is $35,428,892, a 5.56 percent or $1,867,649, over this year's $33,561,243.
"This is using our operating funds, revolving revenue or grant revenue. So what made up the budget for the tentative budget is pretty much the same," Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino said.
"We're just moving around funds … so, we're using more of the FY25 rural aid funds instead of operating funds next year."
Increases the district has in the FY25 operating budget are from active employee health insurance, retiree health insurance, special education out-of-district tuition, temporary bond principal and interest payment, pupil transportation, Berkshire County Retirement contributions, and the federal payroll tax.
The students have also been able to build friendships and experience new things, such as dancing for community events, taking a trip to Ireland and participating in competitions.
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Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.
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Independent Connections officially unveiled its Massachusetts branch on Thursdsay with a ribbon cutting. The IT solutions company's specializations include consulting, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
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Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more