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Bass Water Grill is changing hands this week. The restaurant's been in business for 15 years.

New Owner of Bass Water Grill to Move Realty Company to Cheshire

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — Lakeside restaurant Bass Water Grill will close its doors on Saturday after 15 years in business. 

The restaurant at 287 South State Road started operation in 2007, replacing the building's former restaurant, the Lakeside. Craig Kahn, owner of All Seasons Realty Group in Pittsfield, is buying the property and plans to move the group's office there and potentially open a cafe.

"I think there's a lot of cool things that we could do with it, too, that will be great for the community," he said this week. "It will be good all around. I think it'll be a really, really nice situation."

Restaurant owner Edward Bassi posted about the change in hands on the restaurant's Facebook last week. 

"After being a part of the welcoming community for the last fifteen years, the one thing we will miss most is our family," the post read. "We thank our staff and community for standing beside us for this crazy ride."

While he said plans are not final, Kahn intends to utilize the kitchen space and wants to make sure he does it right.

"I would like to have some sort of cafe in the front, possibly utilize the back part of the bigger kitchen for some catering or events or things of that nature," he said. "I don't have anything 100 percent set in stone or concrete. Right now, I'm really focused on just getting the office up and running and going."

Kahn said he and his firm have known that the building was for sale for several years. He highlighted the location and the floorplan as significant reasons for the purchase.



"We started thinking about it, and seeing the growth potential, having an open concept office and then working with the town trying to do a cafe possibly in there," he said. "And working with the lake and the trail, it just seemed like an overall good scenario," he said.

iBerkshires unsuccessfully reached out to Bassi several times for comment.

There's been a restaurant at the location for years. Jason Boucher had operated the Lakeside Restaurant for about decade before it changed hands and had overseen a renovation of the kitchen after a fire and added the reception hall in 2002. Bass Water is the last operating sit-down restaurant in Cheshire — Bea's Daily Buzzz closed in 2005, Christina's in 2007, and the Country Charm had closed its doors in 2004 after 33 years.

Tags: business closing,   restaurants,   

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Adams Eyes 2031 Construction for Howland Avenue Safety Improvements

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — For several years, the town has been working on plans to improve safety along Howland Avenue, with the reconstruction project now anticipated for inclusion in the 2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
 
The overhaul to Howland Avenue is aimed at reducing speeding, improving roadway safety and expanding pedestrian and bicycle access. The project also seeks to address aging infrastructure and deteriorating roadway conditions along the Route 8 corridor.
 
Howland Avenue currently consists of four travel lanes, with two lanes in each direction, creating a wide roadway that allows vehicles to travel at higher speeds.
 
According to VHB, the town's engineering consultant, Howland Avenue carries an average of 14,223 vehicles daily. Although the posted speed limit is 45 mph, traffic studies found that the roadway's 85th-percentile operating speed is 56 mph.
 
"This four-lane cross section was constructed in 1997 with the goal of providing roadway capacity for traffic anticipated to be generated by redevelopment in the area, which never occurred," VHB's Pre-25 percent design submission said.
 
"The improvement project was initiated to enhance safety, accessibility, and multimodal connectivity while addressing deteriorated pavement, drainage, and utility needs." 
 
The proposed redesign includes reducing the existing four-lane roadway to one 11-foot travel lane in each direction from the Specialty Minerals Facility to just South of the North Adams City Line. 
 
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