NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — With new state appointee Christine Naughton, the North Adams Housing Authority once again has a full board.
"As our first order of business I would like to welcome Christine to the commission," Chairman Matt Neville said Monday. "I am happy to have a full board again."
With the departure of Patricia Wol, who had been appointed by the governor's office last January, and member Coltan Andrews, the Housing Authority has had difficulty achieving a quorum. Because of this, there was a stretch of months during which meetings were regularly canceled.
With new member Colin Todd and Naughton, the Housing Authority can move forward with initiatives such as finally dissolving Housing Opportunities Inc.
For the past few years, the Housing Authority's board members, who also comprise the board of HOI, have been trying to dissolve the housing program -- deemed largely a failure -- and transfer its assets to the city.
HOI turned over the Flood House to the Louison House shelter early last year and transferred its remaining properties to the city in April with the exception of the former Sun Cleaners at 111 River St., which the city was hesitant to accept without an environmental survey.
Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said although report is not yet in hand, she anticipates the property will not need any cleanup.
"The monkey on our back is Sun Cleaners ... but I am under the impression that there will be no need for clean up," she said. "We still need a formalized report, but it looks positive … I think we are finally heading in the right direction after 10 years."
In other business, Hohn said she plans to appeal a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development score from a recent physical tour of the authority's properties.
She said even though the buildings are in better shape, they scored a 71. The last survey they scored a 97.
Hohn said they automatically lost 10 points for paint found on three sprinkler heads.
"It went really well until we got the report. We went into a couple of units where people have painted and there were little flecks on the two or three sprinkler heads and they are going to cite us for that," she said. "That is an automatic 10 points whether it is one or 100 so for the first time in history, I am going to appeal."
Hohn said third-party inspectors are hired for the surveys.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Spectrum Cable Hearing Set in North Adams
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A public hearing for the renewal of the cable television contract for four North Berkshire communities will be held on Wednesday, April 24, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
The 10-year contract with Spectrum/Charter Communications will cover the city of North Adams and the towns of Adams, Cheshire and Clarksburg.
The hearing in Council Chambers is open to residents of all four communities. In-person attendance is encouraged but a remote option is available here via Zoom.
Topics covered during the hearing will include the future of cable-related community needs and interests (community television) and performance of the operator under the cable license. It does not include internet or other provided services.
The hearing is required under state law as part of the contract renewal process. Any documents or reports relating to the contract can be obtained through the governmental offices of each community.
This spring weekend, there are a variety of events in and around the Berkshires, including Spring Celebrations, music, cleanups, and more.
click for more
More than 300 students from area high schools entered their work in 12th annual Teen Invitational at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. click for more
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.
click for more
"It wasn't 100 percent consistent but I was afforded the opportunity to get to know other people with different religion, beliefs, backgrounds and culture and to be able to embrace that." click for more