The Airport Commission are given an operations update on Tuesday.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Controversial skydiving instructor Alex Kelly has canceled his lease and will no longer operate at the airport.
Administrative Assistant Michael Canales informed the commission Tuesday that Kelly will no longer operate at Harriman-West Airport and has left the grounds.
"As of last week, Mr. Kelly has withdrawn from his lease of the airport classroom space and has withdrawn from operating at the airport effective now," he said. "We no longer consider him a tenant at the airport."
Canales did not provide the commission a reason for Kelly's exit nor did they ask.
The commission had voted to allow Kelly, a convicted rapist, to use the newly renovated city hangar in June over vocal protests from other tenants and airport users.
The commissioners had taken several months to make their decision, saying it was because they were revamping the lease structures. Kelly has long alleged that the commission was dragging its feet to keep him out.
The vote did not come without controversy and meetings were highly attended with residents vehemently against Kelly's presence at the airport. The so-called "preppy racist" was charged with assaulting two women in the 1980s, although other women have also accused him, and then went on the run in Europe for nearly a decade before surrendering to authorities. He was convicted and later released early from his 17-year sentence.
Kelly had been operating in Bennington, Vt., and sought to move to North Adams while that airport was under reconstruction. In October, his lease for Green Mountain Skydiving at William H. Morse State Airport was reportedly terminated by the Vermont Agency of Transportation because of a number of safety violations.
Canales said Kelly has left no personal property in the classroom and it will be inspected.
Kelly had agreed to maintain the hangar while there and Canales said, for the time being, he will coordinate with the airport manager to make sure upkeep will continue through the winter.
"We will get that worked out," he said. "We will come up with a plan to get us through the next couple of months."
Canales said they will look at leasing out the space again when the weather improves, and the administrative building project is complete.
He said in the meantime the hangar will act as a manager's office.
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The really scary thing is the North Adams airport commission gave Mr. Kelly the job of cleaning the restrooms. That mean he had the right enter the restrooms at any time despite his convicted sexual offender status. Scary! Any adults in the room?
North Adams Public Schools To Host Grade Configuration Forum
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Public Schools will host a community forum to discuss updates on grade configurations and logistics for the 2024-2025 school year.
The forum will take place on Wednesday, May 15 at 6 PM. The forum will take place in a hybrid format at the Welcome
Center at Brayton Elementary School and via Zoom which can be accessed by going to napsk12.org/ZoomLinkMay15.
Forums are open to anyone interested in learning more about the logistics planned for the upcoming school year, including, transportation, arrival and dismissal times, class sizes, and school choice updates. The forum will also allow participants to ask questions and provide feedback.
For questions, please contact the Family and Community Outreach Coordinator, Emily Schiavoni at 413-412-1106 or at eschiavoni@napsk12.org.
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Backed by a $750,000 federal grant for a planning study, North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are looking to undo some of that damage.
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