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Lenox Valedictorian, Salutatorian for 2021 Announced

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LENOX, Mass. — Lenox Memorial High School has announced Cooper Shepardson as the class of 2021 valedictorian and Jenna Codey as the class salutatorian.
 
Graduation will take place Sunday, June 13, at 1 p.m. at the school.
 
Shepardson, son of Tanya and Jeremy Shepardson, has been an active member of school and the larger community. He has been a member of the varsity hockey team and captain of the baseball and soccer teams. He is also a member of the National Honors Society and a peer mentor to sixth-grade students. Shepardson participated in Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Invitational Math competition at which his mathematical proficiency earned him a scholarship. 
 
He has received yearly academic awards including Mathematic Achievement Awards, English Achievement Awards and the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award. This award is granted to a student in recognition of academic achievement and superior intellectual promise in the field of science. He also received the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. In addition, he is a volunteer firefighter for the Lenox Fire Department. During the summer, he works on a farm where he has learned many life lessons over the past five years. In his free time, he enjoys fishing and hunting. 
 
Shepardson will be attending Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., in the fall, where he will study mechanical engineering.
 
Codey is the daughter of Patrick and Pamela Codey and resides in Pittsfield. She has been engaged throughout high school in a variety of activities. The past four years she has been a member of the Monument Mountain varsity co-op swim team and was captain this year. She also works as a lifeguard and swim lesson instructor at the Country Club of Pittsfield. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. She is a peer trainer for the Anti-Defamation League's World of Difference program, a school peer mentor and student government treasurer. 
 
Codey is also a three-time silver medalist for the National Spanish Exam. Other high school awards she has received include: English Book Award for Distinct Achievement, the Creative Writing Book Award for Significant Mastery in the Creative Interpretation of Literature, the World Language Achievement Award in Spanish and the Outstanding Effort awards in Chemistry, Art, and Graphic Design.
 
In the fall, Codey will be attending Fairfield (Conn.) University, and plans to double major in communications and marketing.

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Pennrose Breaks Ground in Lenox, Bringing 68 Units of Affordable Housing

Staff Reports

LENOX, Mass. — Pennrose announced the groundbreaking of 238 Pittsfield Road, a 68-unit affordable rental community.

The development will bring much-needed affordable, family-friendly housing options to the area.

The community will consist of 10 residential buildings offering a mix of 23 one-bedroom, 38 two-bedroom, and seven three-bedroom apartments. Of the 68 total homes, 57 will be affordable for households earning from 30 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) up to 80 percent AMI, with the remaining 11 units available at market rate rents.

A community building at the entrance of the development will offer resident-focused amenities, including event space and a fitness center, along with on-site offices for Pennrose management and resident services staff.

"238 Pittsfield Road builds on the progress that the Town of Lenox has made in addressing the region's pressing needs for affordable, family-sized rental housing," said Karmen Cheung, Regional Vice President at Pennrose. "This partnership with the Town of Lenox continues to deliver communities that give families of all sizes a place to call home. Together with Forge, these two communities reflect our long-term commitment to meeting the diverse housing needs of Berkshire families."

Currently only 7 percent of Lenox's housing stock is deed-restricted affordable, falling short of the 10 percent goal established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, approximately 90 percent of the town's existing affordable housing is limited to seniors, and market-rate rental options remain sparse.

238 Pittsfield Road is located a mile down the road from Forge,  a mixed-income community that celebrated its grand opening in August. Together, the two sister developments will add a total of 133 new affordable units to the town.

The project continues Pennrose's collaboration with the Town of Lenox and is guided by the goals of the Town's 2017 Housing Production Plan, 2021 Master Plan, and 2002 Gateway Redevelopment Plan.

The project is financed via federal 4 percent tax credit and state tax credit allocations from the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), with the National Equity Fund as the syndicator and Rockland Trust and US Bank as the investors. Rockland also provided construction debt, and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) provided both permanent debt and Workforce Housing Funds. MassDevelopment is the bond issuer, and EOHLC provided additional soft sources and operating subsidy. Finally, the Town of Lenox provided local Affordable Housing Trust and Community Preservation Act funds, as well as funds through the Commonwealth's HousingWorks Infrastructure Program (HWIP).

Haynes Construction is serving as general contractor and The Architectural Team as architect for the development.

Construction is underway and is expected to be completed in early 2028.

 

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