New Trustee Joins MCLA Board

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Gov. Charlie Baker has appointed Frederick J. Keator, the managing partner of Keator Group, LLC, in Lenox, as the newest member of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts board of trustees.

MCLA President James F. Birge said he is delighted to welcome Keator to the board.

"As managing partner of the Keator Group, Frederick has been recognized by numerous organizations as one of America's top independent financial advisors and will bring a wealth of knowledge to MCLA," Birge said. "Over the years, the Keator family has been a great supporter of the College and I look forward to working with him as we continue to advance the work of MCLA."

In his position as the Keator Group's managing partner, Keator is responsible for the company's asset management, compliance and day-to-day operations.

In addition, Keator was recognized on the 2018 Forbes Top State by State Advisors list; in Registered Rep Magazine as one of America's Top 100 Independent Advisors in 2011; by Barron's Magazine as a Top Advisor in Massachusetts in 2010, 2011 and 2012; and by Research Magazine as one of America's Top Ranked Family Investment Teams in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...