North Adams Housing Authority Appoints Interim Director

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority (NAHA) Board of Commissioners appointed Lisa Labonte as its interim executive director during an emergency meeting Wednesday.

"Lisa is a dedicated and highly regarded employee whom the board trusts to provide interim leadership of the housing authority," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah wrote in a statement released by NAHA Wednesday afternoon. "She has been with the organization since June 1999"

Labonte replaces longtime director Jennifer Hohn, who resigned earlier this month.

Uqdah wrote that HUD notified NAHA as a courtesy that the authority had yet to submit its application for Federal Assistance SF-424 – Operating Fund Grant, along with HUD-52722 and HUD-52723 forms. The deadline to update the Massachusetts CY2027 Operating Subsidy (Form MA034) was 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

She wrote that failure to submit all required documentation by this deadline could result in the agency not receiving operating subsidies for the 2027 calendar year.

The catch was that only an Executive Director or Interim Executive Director whose contact information was listed in the PIH Information Center (PIC) could submit the paperwork.

"In an effort to stabilize and secure funding the board voted, with Colin Todd's absence, unanimously to appoint Lisa LaBonte, Director of Operations, as Interim Executive Director, effective immediately," Uqdah wrote.

The commission held a meeting on Oct. 15 to discuss an appointment, but after a lengthy executive session, it never made a decision. They had planned to take up the discussion again during a future meeting.

North Adams Police Investigating Suspicious Fire at Concession Stand

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
06:20PM / Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre, left, and Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau check the damage to the concession building. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that occurred at the Windsor Lake concession stand on Wednesday afternoon. 

 

The fire was called in just before 5 p.m. as "visible flames and smoke." There was dark smoke coming from a storage area on the backside of the building and firefighters were able to quickly knock it down.

 

Power was shut off to the building and fans set up to push the smoke out. Wire and Alarm and Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau also arrived on scene. 

 

"Right now we're just trying to make sure all of the flames are out and that there's no reoccurrence, and then the Police Department will do their investigation," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey. "It is a suspicious thing that we're closed and we weren't cooking hamburgs." 

 

There was damage to some of the items being stored in the building, including two kayaks that melted, plus the lines & buoys for the swimming area, chairs and some benches. 

 

The concession stand was not open this year, so nothing was on in the kitchen; the other items were stored at the beginning of October. 

 

There were people up at the park, walking and enjoying the view. One woman who was out with her dog said she'd walked by the stand and noticed two people on bench near it, but no smoke. When she came back about 20 minutes later, the fire engines were there.