image description

Adams Selectmen Invited to Visit Hoosac Elementary

By Jeff SnoonianiBerkshires Correspondent
Print Story | Email Story
ADAMS, Mass. — The principal of Hoosac Valley Elementary School tendered an invitation to visit the school to the Board of Selectmen, as she did to for the Cheshire Selectmen last month.
 
"Come and see what our kids are doing, see what our hardworking teachers are doing. It's an exciting place to be. It's a really happy place to be," Rebecca Sawyer told the board at its meeting on Wednesday. "The partnership between the towns and the school is an important one to strengthen and the best way to do that is to open our doors wide."
 
Selectman Joseph Nowak, who has substituted at several positions at the school, was especially happy to see Sawyer reaching out to the partner towns in unison.
 
"Going to Cheshire and speaking to them and coming to us, I see that you're trying hard to put a band-aid over what happened between the two [towns]. It's important we care more about the children than the parents care about not having a school or having a school. If any board member does have time to go up there and see what's going on I think it would be well worth their time," Nowak said.
 
The presidential primary warrant was signed by the board and is set for Tuesday, March 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town garage on North Summer Street. The deadline for registering to vote or changing political party designation is Wednesday, Feb. 12. The town clerk's office will be open until 8 p.m. that day to accommodate voters. Early voting also will begin on Feb. 12 at the clerk's office or an absentee ballot can be requested.
 
The town election will be held on Monday, May 4, also at the town garage on North Summer Street. Nomination papers for offices are due to the town clerk by March 16. The withdrawal deadline is April 1. Visit the town website to see all available open seats.
 
The public comment portion of the meeting saw local businessman and tattoo artist Evan Bates address the board regarding his landlord's tax issues. Bates' studio at 43 Park St., ARh+ Lab Tattoo, which has gained a formidable reputation in the industry, was allowed to remain open until at least April while the owners of the building settle their tax issues with the town. 
 
Bates is looking to expand his workforce but said he was a little leery given what he feels is a tenuous situation. The board was recently made aware that every effort is being made to remedy the situation and invited Bates back to address the board if he feels otherwise.
 
The next Selectmen's meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Adams Community Bank Holds Annual Meeting, Announce Growth

ADAMS, Mass. — The annual meeting of the Community Bancorp of the Berkshires, MHC, the parent company of Adams Community Bank, was held on April 10, 2024, at Charles H. McCann Technical School in North Adams.
 
The meeting included reviewing the 2023 financial statements for the Bank, electing directors and corporators, and highlighting upcoming executive personnel changes.
 
"In 2023, the Bank experienced another year of growth in assets, loans, and deposits, noting the Pittsfield branch reached $26 million in customer deposits from its opening in December of 2022," President and CEO of Adams Community Bank Charles O'Brien said. "Those deposits were loaned out locally during 2023 and helped drive our #1 ranking in both mortgage and commercial real estate lending, according to Banker and Tradesman."
 
At year-end 2023, total assets were $995 million, and O'Brien noted the Bank crossed the $1 billion threshold during the first quarter of 2024.
 
Board chair Jeffrey Grandchamp noted with O'Brien's upcoming retirement, this will be the final annual meeting of the CEO's tenure since he joined the Bank in 1997. He thanked him for his 27 years of dedication to the Bank. He acknowledged the evolution of the Bank as it became the premier community bank in the Berkshires, noting that branches grew from 3 to 10, that employees grew from 40 to 135, and that assets grew from $127 million to $1 billion. 
 
An executive search is underway for O'Brien's replacement.
View Full Story

More Adams Stories