Adams Community Bank President Sets Retirement

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ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Community Bank Board of Directors announced that Charlie O'Brien, President and CEO of the Bank, plans to retire in January 2025. 
 
A Pace University graduate, O'Brien has been president and CEO of Adams Community Bank since 2002 and has worked in the financial services industry for 43 years. During his career, O'Brien was a senior leader in six bank merger and acquisition transactions across Massachusetts.
 
Under his direction, Adams Community Bank assets have grown from $127 million to $994 million, branches increased from three to ten, and employees grew from 40 to 130.
 
O'Brien has been active on numerous volunteer boards, including the Northern Berkshire United Way and the Adams Lions Club, both of which he's served as a past president or Board Chair. Within the banking industry, O'Brien has been elected by his peers to various boards/committees of banking trade groups, including the American Bankers Association, the Massachusetts Bankers Association, and the Depositors Insurance Fund. He is a past Board chair of both the Massachusetts Bankers Association and the Depositors Insurance Fund.   
 
O'Brien expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the bank, its customers, the staff, and the Berkshire community. 
 
"It has been an honor to lead Adams Community Bank through a period of growth and stability and to work with such dedicated and talented individuals. I am proud of what our team has accomplished and remain confident in the bank's future success," he said. "Our team aspires to double in size and grow to $2 billion in assets over the coming decade."
 
To prepare for O'Brien's planned retirement in 2025, the Board of Directors has engaged an executive search firm to oversee the search and selection of the next President and CEO, ensuring the bank's continued success and commitment to the community. The board and senior management are dedicated to a seamless transition and upholding the high standards O'Brien has set. Most importantly, the bank desires to remain a mutual bank that is designed to serve the people and businesses of the Berkshires.
 
"Throughout Charlie's tenure, Adams Community Bank has achieved notable milestones with our growth and bank culture," Board Chair Jeff Grandchamp said. "His unwavering commitment to the community and tireless dedication to the bank's mission have helped it flourish and earned him the respect and admiration of colleagues, staff, and customers alike."

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Special Minerals Agrees to Pay Adams, River Groups Over River Discharge

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Adams plans to use the $50,000 it will get in the consent decree toward the removal of the Peck's Road Dam. 
BOSTON — Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. 
 
The river turned visibly white from Adams to the Vermont state line from the mineral that leaked out from the plant's settling ponds on Howland Avenue in November 2021. 
 
Calcium carbonate, also known as chalk or limestone, is not toxic to humans or animals. However, the sudden discoloration of the water alarmed local officials and environmentalists and prompted an emergency session of the Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee. 
 
"We allege that this company violated its permits, disregarded federal and state law, and put the Hoosic River — a resource cherished by the Adams community — at risk," said AG Andrea Campbell in a statement. "I am grateful for this collaboration with our state agency partners and committed to holding polluters accountable and working to bring resources back to communities disproportionately impacted by environmental harms."   
 
If approved by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, the consent decree will require Specialty Minerals to pay a total of $299,000, which includes payments to the town of Adams and three community groups in Northern Berkshire County that will be used to benefit water quality and prevent stormwater impacts. 
 
Once approved, most of the settlement would fund multiple projects to benefit water quality, including infrastructure improvements and native plantings to mitigate stormwater impacts in the Hoosic River Watershed. Specifically, the proposed settlement provides for: 
  • $50,000 to the town of Adams for infrastructure improvements in a tributary of the Hoosic River
  • $50,000 to Hoosic River Revival for stormwater mitigation projects  
  • $50,000 to Hoosic River Watershed Association for a native plant garden and other projects to mitigate stormwater impacts and benefit water quality 
  • $50,000 to Sonrisas to fund invasive plant removal and native plant habitat establishment at Finca Luna Búho, a community land project that centers the voices and prioritizes the decision-making of those living in marginalization. 
It will also provide $30,000 in civil assessments to the state's Natural Heritage Endangered Species Fund and $20,000 in civil penalties for violation of state law, as well as $49,000 to offset the costs of the AG's enforcement efforts. 
 
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