Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire awarded funds for new affordable housing complex
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy and Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox recently announced the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshires (CDCSB) and project co-sponsor Way Finders, Inc. have been awarded approximately $14 million. These funds will provide the majority of financing for Windrush Commons, a new $19 million, 49-unit affordable housing complex at 910 South Main Street in Great Barrington.
The only project to receive funding in Western Massachusetts in this round, the initiative will be supported with federal and state low-income housing tax credits and subsidy funds from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The town of Great Barrington also will support the project with Community Preservation Act funds.
Qualified families, individuals, and seniors will be offered the opportunity to rent apartments at significantly lower than market rates. All units will be “Net Zero ready” energy efficient. Windrush Commons will include a community gathering space with a kitchen, green space, and laundry facilities. The apartments will sit on approximately 2.5 acres. The additional 5.47 acres of the site will be permanently conserved land.
“This award of funds comes at a critical time for Great Barrington. With very few housing units on the market, and a zero percent rental vacancy rate, home prices and rents are out of reach for most households,” said Assistant Town Planner Chris Rembold.
The development team for Windrush Commons includes project co-sponsor Way Finders, Inc. of Springfield; Elton and Hampton Architects; civil engineering by White Engineering; Berkshire Housing Development Corporation as the management agent; and Allegrone Construction. Greylock Federal Credit Union will serve as the Federal Home Loan member bank.
Construction is expected to begin this summer/fall. The project is located in Great Barrington’s Smart Growth Overlay District, which was designed for this kind of development: high-density affordable housing within walking distance of shopping, health services, public transportation, and downtown attractions.
This new project award comes as the CDCSB is putting the finishing touches on Bentley Apartments, its new 45-unit affordable housing complex on Bentley Road, within walking distance of downtown Great Barrington.
“The projects that the CDCSB develops, including Bentley Apartments and Windrush Commons, enable us to address the housing crisis in the Berkshires,” said James Harwood, CDCSB Board of Directors president. “The positive impact on residents who will call these new apartments home is immense,” he said. “It changes people’s lives.”
More information about Windrush Commons and CDCSB economic development efforts can be found online or by contacting Executive Director Allison Marchese at allison@cdcsb.org.
—A.K.
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1Berkshire launches Business Boost Webinar Series for business recovery and resilience
BERKSHIRE COUNTY — 1Berkshire, with support from the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation and Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, has launched a free Business Boost Webinar Series. The program, which will include 8–10 virtual training sessions between March and July, will focus on providing specialized information and tools for Berkshire businesses as they seek to persist, recover, and build greater resiliency through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a range of topics and experts, the series will be available in real-time and subsequently made available as edited video segments that will exist on 1Berkshire.com.
Ben Lamb, 1Berkshire director of economic development said, “With the variety of online offerings shared over the past 12 months, we look forward to filling a number of nuanced gaps that can help businesses both recover and plan ahead for future resilience.” He added, “We are extremely excited to have such a breadth of impressive experts coming to present on our array of topics, and hope as many businesses as possible take advantage of these free trainings and subsequent recordings.”
The first slate of webinars has been announced, kicking off on March 22 with “Navigating Bias in Your Business” presented by Rachel Hailey of Rachel Hailey & Associates Consulting. Free registration for this and future webinars can be found on the 1Berkshire Events Calendar.
Below is the current slate of scheduled webinars:
- Monday, March 22 from 12-1:30 p.m.: Navigating Bias in Your Business
- Tuesday, April 6 from 12-1:30 p.m.: Customer Communication Strategies
- Monday, April 19 from 12-1:30 p.m.: Digital Marketing & Your Business
- Monday, May 3 from 12-1:30 p.m.: Opportunities for Women-owned Businesses
- Monday, May 17 from 12-1:30 p.m.: Branding for the Millennial Market
- Tuesday, June 1 from 12-1:30 p.m.: How New Regional Trends Can Impact Your Business
—A.K.
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Toole Insurance Agency to host free contracts seminar
LEE — L.V. Toole Insurance Agency Inc. will host a free webinar, Contracts: A Double-edged Sword for Businesses, on Wednesday, March 24 at 10 a.m.
Businesses today often enter into contracts on a daily basis. Whether it be with a landlord or tenant, for equipment leasing, with a vendor or supplier, or a contractor hired, all contracts could contain terms that impact a company’s bottom line. Contracts can be a viable means to transfer a business’s risk to others, but could also increase an organization’s liability, depending on the wording — a double edged sword.
Conducting a careful review is crucial before signing a contract. Before consenting to any contract, it is prudent to understand the terms and examine insurance coverage against the liability assumed therein.
Not all businesses have an attorney on retainer, or one that is easily accessible, so this is an opportunity for companies to gain knowledge and best practices from attorneys and the Toole Insurance team in order to protect their business.
Follow this link for more information and to register for the seminar.
—A.K.
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Blue Spark to offer Financial Literacy Power Hour
GREAT BARRINGTON — Blue Spark Financial will offer its quarterly Zoom webinar, Financial Literacy Power Hour, on March 25 at 5:30 p.m. During this free event, financial advisors Maura Griffin and Matt Carey will answer your questions. For greater comfort, questions can be sent in anonymously ahead of time. Send questions ahead of time to postoffice@bluesparkfinancial.com.
Sample questions sent in so far include: How do I improve my credit score? What is a stock split? If I took money out of my IRA while I was laid off, can I put it back in? Are stimulus payments taxable? Should I invest in bitcoin?
For more information, to register, and to send in your question in advance, please click here:
Please click this link to join the webinar. Passcode: 816740
—A.K.
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BFAIR promotes Baity to SVP of Human Resources
NORTH ADAMS — Berkshire Family & Individual Resources (BFAIR) recently announced the promotion of Michelle Baity to the position of Senior Vice President-Human Resources. Baity joined BFAIR’s senior management team three years ago and brought with her years of experience in the human resources and human services fields.
Always focused on a positive, diversified, inclusive, and equitable working environment for all staff, Baity is directly responsible for crafting employee benefit offerings, developing an educational assistance policy to support skill development in pursuit of an organization focused on creating opportunities for advancement.
—A.K.
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Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires announces virtual resource directory
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) recently introduced a virtual Nonprofit Resource Directory to connect nonprofits to local and regional businesses that provide products and services to charitable organizations.
Located on the NPC web site, the directory features over 600 businesses from, accounting firms to website designers. Sponsored by Paper Crane Associates, a Massachusetts-based company providing strategic and business planning for nonprofits, the virtual directory makes life a little easier for nonprofit leaders by providing direct links to vendor websites.
NPC founder Liana Toscanini said, “We like to think of the Nonprofit Resource Directory as an economic development effort, since nonprofits need many products and services, and ultimately have a huge impact on our economy.”
Partners that supported the creation of the directory include a. von schlegell & co, Adirondack Payroll Services, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Net Results, Interim Executive Solutions, Kevin P. Martin & Associates, PC, Professionality Consulting, Prosper Nonprofit Advisors, and Silo Media.
