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The former high school is listed for $2 million.

Former St. Joe High School Up For Sale

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The former St. Joseph Central School is on the market.
 
Colebrook Realty Services has listed the Maplewood Avenue property for sale or for lease. Diocese of Springfield spokesman Mark DuPont said the Roman Catholic Diocese is willing to listen to all types of offers for the entire property, pieces, or a lease agreement.
 
"We try to give ourselves a lot of room to maneuver and get the best possible return," DuPont said. "We're open to all offers."
 
Colebrook has listed the school for sale at $2 million or is willing to lease at $6 per square foot. The former 44,650 square-foot high school is on slightly more than an acre of land in downtown Pittsfield. It contains offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, cafeteria, locker rooms and a full kitchen. It also features a dozen or so parking spaces.
 
"We had a few very soft interests but that never came to fruition," DuPont said.
 
The 120-year-old high school was closed last spring. It was opened in 1897 as St. Joseph's Academy but over time enrollment dropped significantly. Eventually, the diocese could not financially support it.
 
But several of the church's properties in the area have faced a similar situation over the years. Pittsfield particularly has been successful in finding developers for the properties. 
 
"The money from all of these church sales stayed with the Pittsfield Catholic Community," DuPont noted.
 
St. Mark's School was closed in 2015 and Hillcrest Educational redeveloped the site. The St. Mary the Morningstar property was recently sold to CT Management, which has plans to transform the structures into market-rate housing — just as it did with the former Notre Dame School and the former Holy Family Church. 
 
"Other than St. Joe, all of the properties have been sold," DuPont said."We've been generally pleased with our real estate consultants."
 
St. Theresa, on South Street, was the most recent church to be demolished, and that lot is the site of the current Berkshire Place. But, that is an outlier. Nearly all of the former church properties were redeveloped in ways preserving the historic integrity of the buildings. 
 
The St. Joe property is particularly notable because it anchors one end of North Street's main drag. Over the last decade, North Street has undergone a massive renovation as officials focused attention on revamping downtown. 

Tags: Real Estate,   school reuse,   st joe,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

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.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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