Adams Community Bank Holds Annual Meeting, Announce Growth

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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.

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Adams ZBA Gives Thumbs Up to Camping Venture

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

ZBA members Raymond Gargan, left, Thomas Whalen, Chair Glendon Diehl, Aaron Girgenti and alternate Corinne Case at Tuesday's meeting. 
ADAMS, Mass. — A small campground that's been operating for three years is just now working its way through the permitting process. 
 
The Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday granted Kathryn Foley and Christian Rowe a special permit to operate the campsites with conditions. The couple's next stop is site plan approval by the Planning Board, which will take up their application on Monday. 
 
Conditions include limiting the number of campers to 50, prohibiting trailers over 15 feet in length, and ensuring campsites are at least 60 feet from property lines.
 
Foley, a licensed mental health consultant, runs therapeutic and regular riding lessons at Aisling Mountain Farm at 185 West Road and Rowe has been managing the farm and four camping sites on the 22-acre property through Hipcamp, an online reservation platform similar to Airbnb.
 
"Our farm, including Hipcamping, we feel meshes well with immediate and surrounding areas of our community," said Foley, who pointed to the town's right to farm designation. "We believe our little farm, and Hipcamping, is more of a quiet and fairly hidden gem which provides beneficial services to our community."
 
In their presentation to the board, they said the property had been inspected several years ago by the code enforcement officer, who did not have a problem with campers' access to potable water and the managed portable toilet on the site. 
 
Rowe said campers were responsible for taking out whatever they brought in and that it was largely tent camping, with one large or main site where a small camper or trailer could fit. The site plan offered the ZBA showed four sites including the main one that were located above the farm and past the high tension line right of way. 
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