Colliers Selected to Manage Brayton/Greylock School Project

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:06PM / Friday, February 04, 2022Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city will again team with Colliers International on a school project, pending approval by the School Building Committee and the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

The OPM Selection Committee (made up of building committee members) voted unanimously on Thursday to make Colliers the owner's project manager for the Greylock/Brayton school project. Colliers became the OPM for the award-winning $30 million Colegrove Park Elementary School when it acquired Strategic Building Solutions, the original manager, in 2015.

The owner's project manager will manage the entire project on behalf of the school district. This may include planning, construction and design, and oversight of contractors and subcontractors to the project on task.

Colliers was one of three firms interviewed earlier this week by OPM Selection Committee members Superintendent Barbara Malkas, School Committee member Tara Jacobs and Benjamin Lamb.

The finalists were rated in 10 categories by each committee member on a scale of one to 10 for each category. These included the grasp of project requirements; design approach and methodology; personnel and roles; related project and previous work; technical project management; responsiveness to committee concerns and working relationships, and relevant issues as well as references.

Colliers had the highest at 276 points (out of a possible 300), followed by Skanska USA Building Inc. of Springfield at 242 and Arcadis of Middletown, Conn., at 228.

Jacobs said the candidates were "exemplary" and that their interest in the project spoke volumes.

"I think all three were extremely qualified. And even though that was the case, there was still notable differences when we did our scoring, it wasn't that we were really torn on any of our responses," said Lamb. "When we looked back at them after we completed all three, we still agreed with everything that we had done, which I thought was important to sort of reflect on."

He also noted that none of the interviewers had been involved with the Colegrove project and thought it good to have that disconnect from the prior process.

Building Committee member Richard Alcombright asked for information on how well each candidate scored on the equity and community outreach, both issues that Jacobs brought up as being significant during discussions on the finalists.

All three, it was noted, scored closely with each other.

"I was wondering if there was a great disparity there," he said. "It didn't seem to have, it seems like they all kind of had a pretty good reaction to that level of questioning so that's good."

The School Committee last June authorized $300,000 in school choice funds toward the feasibility study, the next step in the process. The MSBA will pay for part of the study once a reimbursement percentage is set. School districts are required to fully fund projects up front.

Business Administrator Nancy Rauscher said MSBA will provide a base contract that the committee will review and customize if needed by the next School Building Committee meeting on Feb. 15, after which it will be forwarded to the MSBA in March before it can be finalized.

Tags: brayton/greylock project, school building committee, school project,

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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Friday, October 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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