Lynne Blake Named Local Realtor of the Year

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Lynne Blake

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Lynne Blake, of RCI Real Estate in Williamstown and North Adams, has been chosen the 2005 Berkshire County Realtor of the Year.

Blake is being honored for her commitment to civic-minded leadership in both the Realtor organization and in the Berkshire community. Recipients of this award are nominated and selected by Realtor colleagues throughout Berkshire County.

Blake is most recognized among her peers for her commitment to volunteer service in the leadership of the Realtor organization. She has served since 1995 on the Board of Directors, starting her tenure as a Realtor representative for Northern Berkshire, as Northern Berkshire Council President and in varying leadership roles that lead to her election to the 2005 Presidential position.

She has served with distinction on the Multiple Listing Service Board of Directors as well as on the Finance, Professional Standards, Good Neighbor, Community Service, Orientation and Berkshire Newcomer Magazine Committees in the last year alone. Most recently, Blake was appointed to serve as the Berkshire Realtor representative on the Massachusetts Realtors Board of Directors in Boston.

In her service on the state level, Lynne has been active in meeting with Berkshire legislators on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., advocating for private property rights. Through RCI Real Estate, Blake speaks with high school students about the values of a good financial future, homeownership and the importance of maintaining good credit.

In the Northern Berkshire community, Blake is supporting member of the Friends of North Adams Library and the North Adams Historical Society. She is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of the USA where she was presented with the "Thanks Badge," the highest award bestowed upon an adult member. She is a member of the Williamstown and Berkshire Chambers of Commerce.

Blake primarily works out of the RCI Real Estate Williamstown branch on Main Street and makes her home in North Adams with her husband, Ed. They have two grown children and one granddaughter.

As the 2005 Berkshire County Realtor of the Year, Blake will now be competing for the Massachusetts Realtor of the Year title at the Massachusetts Awards Ceremony in September. The following Realtor members from Berkshire County have brought home this state award four times since its inception; the late Ester Quinn (1986), Nancy Kalodner (1988), Debbie Dwyer (1998) and Sherry Street (2001).

The Berkshire County Board of Realtor serves more than 500 real estate professionals throughout the county in their mission to fulfill the American dream of homeownership for our citizens. Services include the compilation of property data, advanced education, professional standards services, and legal, environmental and market information. To find out more about the association go to www.BerkshireRealtors.com.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Planners Green Light Initiatives at Both Ends of Route 7

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Jack Miller Contractors has received the town's approval to renovate and expand the abandoned gas station and convenience store property at the corner of Sand Springs Road and Simonds Road (Route 7) to serve as its new headquarters.
 
Last Tuesday, the Planning Board voted, 5-0, to approve a development plan for 824 Simonds Road that will incorporate the existing 1,300-square-foot building and add an approximately 2,100-square-foot addition.
 
"We look forward to turning what is now an eyesore into a beautiful property and hope it will be a great asset to the neighborhood and to Williamstown," Miller said on Friday.
 
Charlie LaBatt of Guntlow and Associates told the Planning Board that the new addition will be office space while the existing structure will be converted to storage for the contractor.
 
The former gas station, most recently an Express Mart, was built in 1954 and, as of Friday morning, was listed with an asking price of $300,000 by G. Fuls Real Estate on 0.39 acres of land in the town's Planned Business zoning district.
 
"The proposed project is to renovate the existing structure and create a new addition of office space," LaBatt told the planners. "So it's both office and, as I've described in the [application], we have a couple of them in town: a storage/shop type space, more industrial as opposed to traditional storage."
 
He explained that while some developments can be reviewed by Town Hall staff for compliance with the bylaw, there are three potential triggers that send that development plan to the Planning Board: an addition or new building 2,500 square feet or more, the disturbance of 20,000 square feet of vegetation or the creation or alteration of 10 or more parking spots.
 
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