 Gillette Carnival Returns to Berkshire Mall For 8th YearBack in the 1940s, the Gillettes would set up and run carnivals all around Pontoosuc Lake. The brothers Jules, Art and Gene started up the Gillette Carnival in 1947 and it has grown to be a family affair. While it takes the family throughout the northeast throughout the summer they always start the year at home.  Baker Hill Files New Lawsuit Against Mall For Back TaxesThe Baker Hill Road District has filed another lawsuit against the Berkshire Mall in pursuit of taxes. On Friday, the district, which was created as a taxing entity and in charge of maintaining the connector road, filed a lawsuit seeking taxes owed for this year. The new suit comes after the district was successful in being awarded in Berkshire Superior Court close to $300,000 in back taxes.  Berkshire Mall Claims Power Outage Cause For Temporary ClosureThe Berkshire Mall says it looks to reopen later this week after its electricity had been shut off. In a post on Facebook, the mall wrote that the closure for the last few days was caused by a power outage. The mall is aiming to re-open Wednesday but has said it is closed until further notice.  Questions Abound As Berkshire Mall Closes AgainThe Berkshire Mall mysteriously closed for two days, one week after a judge ordered the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office to seize close to $300,000 in assets to pay off a court settlement.  Idea Pitched For THC-infused Chocolate Manufacturing at MallA Brooklyn chocolatier is considering purchasing one of the mall's anchor stores to manufacturer marijuana-infused chocolate products. Lev Kelman and Lori Denman pitched the concept to the Board of Selectmen Monday night. Kelman said he's been in talks with mall ownership to either lease a large space like the vacant J.C. Penny location or lease a smaller space, in the former Garden Grill space.  Baker Hill Road District Takes Mall to Court Over Back TaxesThe Baker Hill Road District has taken a new tactic to secure back taxes from the Berkshire Mall. On Dec. 7, the district the district filed a lawsuit in Berkshire Superior Court against Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings seeking $276,859 plus interest from the properties. The request for taxes owed to the district for the first two quarters of the fiscal year.  Berkshire Mall Closes to Shoppers - AgainVisitors to the site were greeted with handwritten signs reading “Mall Closed” on the locked entries to the common areas.  Snowplowers Take Mall to Court for Second Consecutive YearIn back-to-back years, the Berkshire Mall has been taken to court for not paying snow plowing contracts. M. Ostrander LLC. Successfully sued Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings for $77,840 after the mall paid only a portion of the amount due to the company. The suit names both Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings and owner Merman Kohansieh.  Lanesborough Sixth-Graders Have Plan For Berkshire MallThe pair had sat down with Assessor Kelly Tolisano, who explained to them that the mall is valued at $19.5 million, resulting in a tax bill of $417,000 — a number that is significantly down from the mall's heyday and one that the current owner routinely falls behind on and then catches up at the last moment.  Berkshire Mall Bill Engrossed by State SenateThe state Senate has engrossed a bill that would allow the Baker Hill Road District to own real property and enter into agreements related to the Berkshire Mall  Mall Legislation Expected To Go Before Senate On ThursdayThe Baker Hill Road District hopes to have Senate approval to own property, specifically the Berkshire Mall, on Thursday. State Sen. Adam Hinds' office said they are currently prepping for the bill to go for a vote on Thursday. It had been stuck in the Senate's Rule's Committee receiving review from Senate Counsel. The House had passed the measure last June.  Berkshire Mall Closed Because of 'Power Issues'The mall posted on Facebook shortly around the time the shops were expected to open at 10 a.m. saying the building was closed for Thursday. It is not clear if or when it will reopen.  Mall Loses Partial Power, Security Kicks Media Off PropertyBerkshire Mall management had security escort an iBerkshires reporter from the property Wednesday afternoon. iBerkshires had heard reports that the mall had lost power. We attempted to call management to find out what happened by the phone was "temporarily unavailable." So, we drove there to find out.  Court Allows Petricca to Collect Rent From Mall TenantsJudge Paul Smyth allowed Petricca Construction to recoup some $72,000 from the rent tenants owe to the Berkshire Mall.  Petricca Seeks to Garnish Mall's Income Over Unpaid BillsThe owners of the Berkshire Mall still hasn't paid a Superior Court Judgment to Petricca Industries. And now, Petricca wants to collect what it is owed from rent the stores pay. Petricca has filed for a trustee process, which seeks to extricate the approximately $250,000 owed from store's rent money. The move essentially looks to garnish the mall's income to pay the judgment - the money would go from the stores to Petricca instead of Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings.  Lanesborough Looking To Curb Violent Incidents At Local BarPolice are now parking a cruiser outside of the Garden Grill to help curb an outbreak of recent trouble. The establishment had warned manager Armando Charis to keep a closer eye on patrons earlier this month after three incidents of fights breaking. And the following weekend, a man was jumped in the parking lot and ended up with a broken jaw.  Sears at The Berkshire Mall Set to CloseSears at the Berkshire Mall is slated for closure. The company announced on Thursday the pending closure of 18 Sears stores and 45 Kmarts. The Berkshire Mall's location had been spared from earlier rounds of store closures by Sears Holdings but is part of the latest. |
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