Mildred Elley Pittsfield Moving to New Campus in 2013

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mildred Elley Pittsfield is one of the first new tenants of the former KB Toys building at 100 West St.  

The career-training school announced on Thursday during an event for faculty, staff, students and community partners that it is relocating its campus by early 2013. The move is not expected to affect the current class schedule and officials said it "will be seamless for all students."
 
"This is a win-win situation for both our students and the community, said Faith Takes, president of Empire Education Corp. and Mildred Elley. "This will allow us to expand our campus and provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for our students. This relocation will also assist in the revitalization of the downtown Pittsfield corridor. Our students, staff and faculty will be spending money downtown which will provide an economic boost to the downtown businesses."

Mildred Elley Pittsfield and its more than 200 students are currently located at St. Luke's Square, a plaza at the corner of Elm and East Main Street. The KB building, vacant since the company went under, was purchased by Laurin Publishing in April.
 
"We are extremely excited about this upcoming move," said Lori Houlihan, campus president of Mildred Elley Pittsfield. "The building will have new medical labs, a model day-care room, and updated facilities to meet the needs of our students. This is a time of growth and opportunity for our campus and our students and we are so pleased to be a part of providing a quality education to individuals in the Berkshire community."
 
Mildred Elley was founded in 1991, renting space in St. Mark's School, and had worked in conjunction with the Berkshire Training and Employment Program (now BerkshireWorks) to establish a medical assisting program for displaced workers. The Pittsfield campus opened its doors with 30 students. Today, it offers nine programs in six academic areas. Students from the Pittsfield campus are also eligible to transfer to the Albany campus to earn associate's degrees.
Tags: relocation,   workforce training,   

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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures. 
 
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).  
 
The Affordable Homes Act identified several communities to automatically receive the designation, including:   
  • All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;   
  • All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and   
  • All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County. 
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To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
 
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated. 
 
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season." 
 
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration. 
 
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:  
  • Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing 
  • Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live 
  • Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents 
  • Create year-round housing for artists 
  • Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment 
  • Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing 
  • Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots 
  • Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence 
 
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