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MCLA's Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation was awarded LEED Gold certification, one of many efforts that led to the college being honored for its energy and environmental efforts.

Berkshires Beat: MCLA Recognized for 'Outstanding Energy and Environmental Efforts'

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Doing right

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a recipient of a 2017 Leading by Example Award from the commonwealth of Massachusetts for outstanding energy and environmental efforts in the Public Higher Education category. Lawrence R. Behan, MCLA's vice president of administration and finance, said the college is committed to reducing its energy and environmental impacts. The college has installed numerous clean energy technologies and has improved resiliency.

Over the past decade, MCLA's clean energy and sustainability initiatives resulted in a 19 percent reduction in campus greenhouse gas emissions – the equivalent of removing 232 cars from the road – despite a 14 percent growth in campus square footage. During this time, the college also expanded combined heat and power systems on the campus, eliminated potable water for on-campus irrigation, and more.

In fall 2016, the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification by the United States Building Council. The building's photovoltaic solar panel array helps make this 65,000-square-foot, high-tech building exceptionally energy-efficient. CSI also includes a Level-II EV charging station and a green roof, as well as an expansion that combines heat and power. As a result, MCLA will generate more than 451,000 kWh of electricity, and improve energy resiliency.

Like the CSI, MCLA's recently renovated Bowman Hall is a LEED-certified building. The renovations to this high-tech classroom building also include heat- and cooling-efficient devices, new windows and digital controls that provide savings in operational costs. Other campus initiatives include a regular light bulb swap-out program for student residents, who may exchange less-efficient bulbs for LEDs. The College also provides academic learning opportunities with on-campus solar PV and small wind turbine for environmental studies and science program students.

 

Just keep swimming

The Dalton Community Recreation is registration for Session 3 Swimming Lessons. Lessons run from Jan. 29 through April 14. A General CRA Jr. Membership ($40) is required and everyone must wear a swim cap. Register at the Dalton CRA. For more information and class schedule, call the CRA at 684-0260 or visit the website.

The Dalton CRA offers a full range of swimming lessons including: Parent-Toddler (6 months to 3 years, parent needs to be in the pool with toddler); Pre-School (3-5 years, not in Kindergarten); Beginners (5 years and up); Beginners Deep End (5 years and up/no bubble); Advanced Beginners (Saturday morning class now offered), Intermediate Swimmer and Advanced Swimmer. Cost for lessons is $65 (plus Membership) for 10-week session. Parent Toddler lessons are $30 (plus membership). There will be no lessons Feb. 19-24.

 

Lecture simulcast

Due to popular demand, the Clark Art Institute has scheduled a simulcast of artist Titus Kaphar's free lecture, "Making Space for Black History: Amending the Landscape of American Art," on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 2 pm. The simulcast will be held in the Michael Conforti Pavilion, located in the Clark Center. Seating is extremely limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis; plan to arrive early. Doors open for seating at 1:30 pm.

Kaphar's lecture explores topics sometimes overlooked in a museum context and considers the questions: Can art amend history? Is it possible to create new artifacts from the physical residues and inadequacies of the past?

The lecture is part of Claiming Williams Day, a campus-wide program at Williams College that focuses on building and sustaining a more inclusive community. Preferred seating for the live event in the Clark's auditorium is available on a first-come, first-served basis to holders of valid Williams College IDs. For additional information, call the box office at 413-458-0524.


Kaphar’s lecture is presented by Ephs at the Clark and the Williams College Museum of Art Think Tank, two Williams College organizations that connect students to museums through student-led programs and opportunities that offer enriching experiences in the visual arts. His visit is underwritten by the Clark, WCMA and Claiming Williams Day.

 

Tax time

The North Adams Public Library has received a very limited number of Massachusetts State Tax Forms and non-resident forms. Because of the limited number of paper copies, the library asks people to limit themselves to one copy only. Online Federal Income Tax forms will not be available until Jan. 29. There is no projected arrival time for the paper federal forms.

 

Lifelong learning

Berkshire Community College is offering a wide variety of noncredit workshops this spring in both North Adams at McCann Technical High School and at BCC's South County Center on Main Street in Great Barrington. For more information about BCC’s full schedule of offerings and online registration, visit the website or call 413-528-4521.

Software consultant Amy Chin will offer a solid slate of workshops in North County. All workshops run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and include "Make the Most of your iPhone" on Jan. 30 and Feb 1, "Facebook Basics" on Feb. 20 and 22 and "iPad Tablet" on May 1 and 3. Chin will also offer a series of similar popular workshops in Great Barrington at BCC’s South County Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m., including "Make the Most of Your iPhone" on Feb. 6 and 8, "Facebook Basics" on Feb. 27 and March 1, "Facebook for Business" on March 6 and 8 and "Linked In" on May 8 and 10.

Jane McWhorter, award-winning photographer and graphic designer, is offering "Beginning Digital Photography" on Wednesdays from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. "Beginning Adobe Photoshop" is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, Feb. 10-27, from 1 to 3 p.m. "Intermediate Adobe Photoshop" is offered on Tuesdays from March 6 to March 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. and March 27 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Expert French instructor Rita Kobran is offering three levels of Conversational French this spring at BCC's South County Center, each scheduled for 10-week sessions, including "Conversational French 201" on Tuesdays from Jan. 30 to April 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., "Conversational French 308" on Mondays from Jan. 29 to April 23 from 6 to 8 p.m., and "Conversational French 408" on Wednesdays from Jan. 31 to April 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.

David Hodge, locally recognized musician and instructor, is offering a full range of guitar and ukulele classes at the Great Barrington Center. Tuesday classes include "Continuing Guitar" from Jan. 23 to May 15 from 5 to 6 p.m., "Beginners' 5-String Banjo" from Jan. 23 to March 3 from 6 to 7 p.m., "Strumming for Fretted Instruments" from March 20 to May 22 from 6 to 7 p.m., and "Songwriting" from Jan. 23 to May 15 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday classes offered by Hodge include "Absolute Beginners' Guitar" from Jan. 25 to May 17 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Discovering the Ukulele from Jan. 25 to May 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Mastering the Ukulele from Jan. 25 to May 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Spring Jam from Jan. 25 to May 17 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hodge will also offer several of these workshops as well as Beginning Classical & Spanish Guitar, Beginning Ukulele and a monthly Jam in Pittsfield.

 

Credit where it's due

The Norman Rockwell Early Childhood Center, of Child Care of the Berkshires, located in Pittsfield, Mass., has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children. NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.

The center's new location on 88 South St. is much more accessible to the community and better suited for taking regular field trips to the nearby Berkshire Museum and Pittsfield Public Library. The mission of Child Care of the Berkshires is to promote and strengthen families through the provision of high quality early education, child care services, and parent education and support, all to improve their well- being.  

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Norman Rockwell Early Childhood Center went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years.

 

'Drawing Interiors'

The Clark Art Institute presents “Drawing Interiors,” a three-part class led by IS183 Art School of the Berkshires instructor Tony Conner, on Sundays, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, and Feb. 11 from 1 to 5 p.m. The classes will be held in Hunter Studio, located in the Lunder Center at Stone Hill on the Clark’s campus. Tuition is $205; register online.

Using the architecture and design elements of the Clark as source material, students will draw interior spaces and the objects within them. Special attention is given to techniques in order to render perspective, form, and light through demonstrations and one-on-one attention. Expect to be drawing in the galleries, public spaces, and in the studio at the Clark.


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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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