BFAIR Purchases Mass Ave. Property to Support Growth of Redemption Center

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — BFAIR announced the purchase of the building located at 1000 Massachusetts Avenue home to the BFAIR Bottle and Can Redemption Center, effective Jan. 9, 2026. 
 
After several years of managing the Bottle and Can Redemption Center, BFAIR officially acquired the business in July 2019. The recent purchase of the building allows BFAIR to plan for long-term growth and expansion in response to a significant increase in the volume of redeemable bottles and cans being processed, stated a press release. 
 
"This purchase gives us the opportunity to expand the space to better meet growing demand," said Laura Baran, senior director of CBDS and Employment Services. "The increase is driven by more customers, additional pop-up and pick-up locations through our service van—sponsored by Adams Community Bank—and a rise in community bottle drives." 
 
With the ability to expand the building, BFAIR will be able to add workspace and purchase a second bottle and can counting machine, made possible through support from the Berkshire Bank Foundation. These improvements will increase efficiency, enhance workflow, and support continued job creation. 
 
Future renovations may also include reconfiguring the lobby area to improve productivity and customer flow as operations continue to grow. 
 
For more information about BFAIR and the Bottle & Can Redemption Center, visit https://www.bfair.org/BFAIR-Bottle-and-Can-Redemption-Center  

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MCLA Presidential Search Stirs Plenty of Interest

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

President James Birge speaks at his 20th and final semester opening breakfast on Tuesday. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts hopes to have a new president by July 1 this year. 
 
The college's search firm WittKieffer has already received 14 completed applications with another 15 expressing interest, said Trustees President Buffy Lord, and had more than 80 responses in the five days since the posting went up. 
 
"The farthest application so far is from California, so obviously it has great interest," she said. "I think we have a lot to offer, not least of all because of where we are in Massachusetts."
 
The deadline for candidate materials is March 13, Lord said, and "we anticipate that we will work properly to narrow the candidate bill and remain on track to have finals on campus for interviews in early April."
 
The update came at the opening breakfast Tuesday for the spring semester, with President James Birge summing up his tenure as he prepares for retirement at the end of the semester.
 
"This is my 20th and final opening breakfast address," he said. "In my first address, in fall of 2016, I offered my thoughts on expanding the institution's commitment to DEI and I'm grateful that we've embraced that work to the degree that I would say, has grown to be a defining characteristic of MCLA."
 
That first breakfast saw the announcement of a $2.2 million U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institution Grant to support student academic achievement. 
 
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