The proposal to transform the vacant century-old building that had earlier been Drury High School met with opposition that forced a narrow win in a special election. The project was also plagued by bad weather and contractor delays that postponed the expected fall 2015 opening by months.
But it opened on Jan. 4 to resounding approval from faculty, community members and, especially, the children that filled its hallways and modern classrooms. The school won a state preservation award for the efforts put into restoring the details of the 1916 building, including the highlighting of the old Drury Academy brick wall.
Its neighbor wasn't as lucky. The 180-foot steeple of St. Francis of Assisi Church that had marked the entry to the city on Route 2 for nearly 150 years became a public danger in May when inspectors deemed its structural integrity had deteriorated. The city's first Catholic church, and at one time the largest in New England, had been vacant for nearly a decade as part of the closures and consolidations that affected parishes across the state.
Although the land and building had been put up for sale, there was little interest in preserving the church, which was estimated at its closure to need nearly $1 million in repairs. A pharmacy chain evinced interest in razing the building to make way for a new store but that was met with vocal opposition by residents who hoped to preserve the building — or at least the corner.
The weeklong removal of the steeple was followed by months of sporadic demolition that wasn't completed until late in the fall. Mayor Richard Alcombright has evinced hope that the now empty lot can be added to adjacent Colgrove Park and elements of the church, including the part of the saved steeple structure, can be used as a memorial.
Both buildings lie within the Monument Square-Eagle Street Historic District, which includes some of the city's oldest buildings. Two others are also showing their age: Notre Dame Church, purchased by the city in 2007, is under emergency repairs after water damage led to mortar and brick collapse in the rear buttresses, and the library, which is dealing with deterioration issues in the original section of the former mansion.
While the city is looking to grants and possible fundraising to deal with those issues, it is looking to replace the decrepit City Yard outright. After weeks of debate, the City Council authorized the administration to pursue a low-interest loan to buy the former aluminum anodizing plant on Hodges Cross Road. The building is big enough to store all the divisions of the Department of Public Works with room left over. The purchase will also mean expansion of Southview Cemetery and a possible private solar array that would generate leasing revenue.
Another part of the city's history — millhouses on Houghton Street thought to date to the 1840s — were finally razed by the owner. The Historical Commission had hoped to see one or more of the long-vacant structures rehabilitated as a static museum but funding and time ran out. Neighbors had long advocated for their removal, citing blight, pests and unsafe conditions.
Also in the past year, Alcombright began his fourth two-year term with his inauguration on Jan. 1, along with the City Council. Two former councilors, Robert Moulton and Ronald Boucher, rejoined the council after both had left in previous years for unsuccessful runs for mayor. The new government also saw the addition of new School Committee members Tara Jacobs, Karen Bond and Nicholas Fahey.
Good News
City Councilor Joshua Moran and Mayor Richard Alcombright hold the new signs that will be posted announcing the city as an Appalachian Trail Community.
North Adams was designated as an Appalachian Trail Community thanks to the work of City Councilor Joshua Moran. The city has hoped to capitalize on the 3,200-mile trail that cuts through its West End on the way to Vermont.
The city opened its first dog park off the Houghton Street park and plans are being made to install a park and community garden next to the UNO Center on River Street, where the former Goodyear Tire had been.
The nonprofit Berkshire Scenic Railway opened for its first full summer of business running train rides between Adams and North Adams. The tourist venture also got a boost with the awarding of a MassWorks grant that will allow the laying of tracks all the way to Hoosac Street in Adams.
The North Adams Historical Society celebrated the 270th anniversary of the Siege of Fort Massachusetts. Some 900 French and Indians of the St. François tribe besieged the fort, a frontier outpost in East Hoosuck (now North Adams) built under the direction of Ephraim Williams. The 45 colonists surrendered the next day.
Medical services continued to be added to the North Adams Campus of Berkshire Medical Center, the former North Adams Regional Hospital. Observation beds were added to the Emergency Department in January; new dialysis unit opened in September; and specialty practices were added in November.
Business
The year saw the closure of two of the city's longtime retail operations: Price Chopper and Mr. Tire.
Price Chopper, a West End neighborhood anchor, closed in late February. The store was opened in 1960 under the Central Markets name. The grocery store was popular in the neighborhood for its prices and walkable location and employed about 57. No plans have been put forward for the State Road plaza building, which still has several tenants.
Mr. Tire closed up shop after nearly four decades of operation when owner Larry Davis decided to retire. The coming of winter was marked for years by the long, sinuous line of vehicles at Mr. Tire's doors waiting for their snow tires to be put on. The operation reopened a few months later as part of the Vianor line of tire service centers.
A number of other businesses closed, moved or opened during the past year. Excelsior Printing, which was taken over by Integrity Graphics in 2015, opened in new offices in Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Below Excelsior on the Mass MoCA campus, Bright Ideas Brewing opened and later joined with Hot Tomatoes to offer fare at the microbrewery.
Supreme Pizza on Main Street closed after being cited by the health department and the corner location was taken over by Bella Roma Pizzeria.Ramunto's Pizza & Pub opened on the corner of Main and Holden streets in the former Boston Store spot that had been empty for nearly two years. Oh, Crepe in Berkshire Emporium closed as the owners felt they no longer had time for the eatery but a new coffee and sandwich shop is expected to open in the spot early in the year. NoCo Pasteria, which opened in 2015, closed quietly this past fall and Mingo's is under new management.
Two major developments continued construction through 2016 with anticipation of opening in 2017.
Greylock Works kicked off 2016 with a massive new year's party in The Shed section of the former Cariddi Mill. The 240,000 square-foot complex, which was visited by Attorney General Maura Healey, is undergoing a multi-year, $15 million conversion into a mixed use facility with event/food production space planned to be the first phase online.
The Redwood Motel project has expanded far beyond the original vision of an updated contemporary motor court to include more rooms, a restaurant, foot bridge across the Hoosic River and a nature/outdoor event space. The motel portion is slated to open in time for the return of the Solid Sound Festival in June.
The city also hopes to get a boost from the Small Business Revolution initiative after becoming one of only eight communities to make it into the semifinals. Producers of the Minnesota-based Deluxe Corp. sponsored documentary series will be in the city on Jan. 13.
The Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum planned for Western Gateway Heritage State Park, under developer and museum maestro Thomas Krens, continues through its research and development and financing stage. The expected opening of the museum may be a couple years away but a rough model of the Empire State Building built to provide scale currently is in the Mohawk Theater.
Malkas replaced retiring Superintendent James Montepare, who saw the school district through the recent years of lean budgets, expanded programming and the completion of Colegrove Park Elementary. Birge came from Franklin Pierce University and was selected by the trustees in late 2015 to fill the vacancy left by popular President Mary Grant.
Augustine "Gus" Jammalo marked 60 years cutting hair; Francis Rivers recalled his years in the Fire Department on his 100th birthday; and McCann Technical School bid farewell to longtime member James R. Gazzaniga Sr., 86. The city also lost some prominent citizens in the past year, including John M. Dempsey Sr., a National Guard general and businessman; Joseph J. Cariddi, local businessman and longtime coordinator of the American Legion Christmas Day dinner; and Gary Superneau, former owner of Mount Greylock Bowl and bowling advocate.
Festivals
Two new events were added to the city's cultural calendar: Figment North Adams and the Levitt AMP Concert Series. Figment was held at Windsor Lake in the spring and brought all ages together for a variety of interactive art installations and performances. A second Figment is being planned for this coming spring. The concert series, sponsored by a grant administered by MCLA, brought a range of artists to play Sunday afternoons at Colegrove Park in the late summer and fall. The city will know Jan. 5 if it will get another grant.
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