The Massachusetts Historical Commission has awarded an emergency grant to Clinton Church Restoration in order to repair the roof on the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church in Great Barrington. Photo courtesy Clinton Church Restoration

Business Briefs: Emergency grant for Clinton Church; ‘Entry to Entrepreneurship’; rail museum acquires new locomotive; report highlights nonprofit tax changes; Greylock promotes three

The Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.

Clinton Church Restoration receives emergency grant

Great Barrington — Secretary of the Commonwealth and chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission William F. Galvin has awarded a $75,000 emergency grant to Clinton Church Restoration for the installation of a new cedar-shingle roof on the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church at 9 Elm Court. The matching grant is a discretionary award from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund and represents a critical portion of the funding needed for the initial phase of restoration work on the historic church.

Said architect Steve McAlister: “The roof is in urgent need of repair. The leaks have led to deterioration of the wood framing supporting the roof. Due to rot damage, the belfry is also settling toward the sanctuary and further damage could cause new structural problems.”

Under McAlister’s leadership, architectural firm Clark & Green recently completed a 125-page historic structure report that includes an assessment of the building’s current condition and provides treatment recommendations for the restoration. The decision to replace the existing asphalt roof with wood shingles that reflect the building’s earliest period of existence was made in consultation with the MHC. McAlister and preservationist Bill Finch, who worked on the historic structure report, will speak about the architectural history of the church and present the report’s findings at a public presentation to be held Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m. at Saint James Place.

The Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. Dedicated in 1887, it is a distinctive example of late 19th-century vernacular church architecture and is historically significant for its association with author and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois. Prior to closing in 2014, the church had served as the cultural, spiritual and political home of the local African-American community for nearly 130 years. Clinton Church Restoration plans to restore and repurpose the deconsecrated church as a cultural heritage center that celebrates and honors the local African-American community; the church’s history and its first female pastor, Rev. Esther Dozier; and the life and legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois.

Donations to support restoration of Clinton Church may be made online or by check made payable to Clinton Church Restoration and sent to P.O. Box 1075, Great Barrington, MA 01230.

–E.E.

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Retired Lee Bank CEO David Bruce teaches a lesson in community banking to students in BerkShares Inc.’s Entry to Entrepreneurship program. Photo courtesy BerkShares Inc.

BerkShares to hold Entry to Entrepreneurship showcase

Sheffield — BerkShares Inc. invites the community to experience and participate in “community-supported entrepreneurship” Wednesday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. at Dewey Hall, where students from BerkShares’ Entry to Entrepreneurship business-planning program will present their business plans to the public.

This is the fourth consecutive year that BerkShares has offered the Entry to Entrepreneurship program to young people. Developed with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network’s Berkshire Regional Office, the 10-week program is taught by members of the local business community and others who volunteer their time as mentors, advisors and business plan reviewers.

BerkShares will award each student 50 BerkShares in seed money. Following the presentations, audience members will be invited to ask questions of the students and join a conversation about business opportunities in the Berkshires. For more information, contact BerkShares at (413) 528-1737 or info@berkshares.org.

–E.E.

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Locomotive No. 1849 was recently acquired by the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum for use in its its Hoosac Valley Train Rides. Photo courtesy Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum acquires historic locomotive

Adams — The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum recently acquired another historic locomotive to allow for more flexibility in the type of service and seating capacity it offers to riders on its Hoosac Valley Train Rides.

Built in 1941, locomotive No. 1849 originally served the Boston and Maine Railroad, once stationed in the nearby Mechanicville, New York, rail yard. The 600-horsepower General Motors diesel-electric was later sold to Holyoke Water Power in 1959. It was assigned to the Mount Tom power station in Holyoke where it spent the next five decades switching coal hoppers in the plant’s yard until 2014 when new owners GDF Suez shut it down. An initial attempt was made by BSRM to acquire the locomotive but company officials had yet to determine whether it would be sold or transferred to another operation.

After permitting was secured, demolition of the plant began in 2017. In early January 2018, BSRM was notified that the locomotive was schedule for destruction. Immediate contact with the demolition company allowed for the potential scrapping to be temporarily halted. BSRM made arrangements to inspect the 76-year-old equipment.

Soon after, terms of a purchase were finalized, and Pan Am Railways delivered the locomotive to North Adams March 15, 2018. Initial operational restoration of the locomotive is estimated to cost approximately $10,000 and BSRM has begun a fundraising campaign to help defray the cost.

The acquisition of the locomotive serves two purposes: to preserve a historic and locally relevant piece of railroad history and to provide additional pulling power for a conventional passenger-train operation. BSRM intends to move traditional passenger cars from its Lenox facility to provide a two-car train set that will not only showcase the locomotive but also expand capacity for the popular train rides now known as the Hoosac Valley Train, which currently use a one-car rail diesel unit for passenger trips.

The town of Adams is now building a boarding platform and train station building in Adams to complement the train ride experience. The town expects the platform to be in service by the end of June.

–E.E.

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New report calls on nonprofits to prepare for changes caused by tax reform

Boston — The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network Wednesday released its latest edition of its newsletter Commonwealth Insights, featuring the report, “From Challenges to Opportunities: How Nonprofits Can Make Sense of the New Tax Law,” which highlights the specific organizational and fundraising implications of the new tax law and gives strategies for nonprofits to prepare for upcoming changes.

The report focuses on the impacts of the doubling of the standard deduction under the new tax law, which puts out of reach the incentive of the federal charitable tax deduction for over 27 million middle-income donors nationwide.

Due to the loss of the tax benefit that comes with not itemizing contributions, MNN anticipates that over 500,000 middle-income tax filers in Massachusetts will see the cost of charitable giving rise by an average of 28 percent, resulting in potentially hundreds of millions of dollars lost annually in giving to nonprofits in the Commonwealth.

Compounding the threat of lower levels of charitable giving is the importance of individual donations to nonprofits. Almost 90 percent of nonprofits surveyed by MNN, representing every type of nonprofit and geographic region in Massachusetts, reported that they depend on individual donations to support programs and services.

According to the report, it is imperative for nonprofits to stay educated about and engaged with public policy issues. In particular, MNN calls for nonprofits to build support for a universal charitable tax deduction, work for the re-implementation of the Massachusetts state charitable tax deduction, and protect the tax-exempt status of nonprofits.

The report also charges nonprofits to use the changes from tax reform as an opportunity to reinvigorate their fundraising practices, including adopting donor-centric fundraising; cultivating corporate partnerships; employing new methods of donor engagement; and implementing monthly, yearly and planned-giving programs.

–E.E.

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Greylock promotes three to market manager positions

Jean Noel. Photo courtesy Greylock Federal Credit Union

Pittsfield — Greylock Federal Credit Union has announced the promotions of Jean Noel, assistant vice president branch manager in North Adams; Stephanie Carlson, branch manager in Great Barrington; and Joe Maffuccio, branch manager at Greylock’s Kellogg Street, Pittsfield, location to the position of market manager. The new position assigns each market manager responsibility for the branch they currently manage as well as other branches within their market area.

Stephanie Carlson. Photo courtesy Greylock Federal Credit Union

Noel has been with Greylock since 2001. She is currently president of the Rotary Club of North Adams, and was a previous board member of the Northern Berkshire United Way in addition to other north Berkshire community organizations and events. She also served as co-chair for Greylock’s Relay for Life of Northern Berkshire team for several years and was co-chair of Greylock’s Berkshire United Way Committee. In 2017, Noel played a prominent role in the coordination and management of Greylock’s merger with Landmark Credit Union, formerly located in North Adams.

Joe Maffuccio. Photo courtesy Greylock Federal Credit Union

Carlson has been the Great Barrington branch manager since 2015. She has been with Greylock since 2003 and was one of the original staff members when Greylock opened its Great Barrington branch that same year. Carlson developed coaching, mentoring, and training skills as an instructor with Greylock’s “The Member Advantage” sales program. She is also a trainer for new hires at Greylock and is an active member of the Great Barrington Rotary Club.

Maffuccio has been with Greylock since 2007 and developed management, coaching and leadership skills in his five and a half years as a teller supervisor at the Credit Union’s West Street branch in Pittsfield. He is active in neighborhood revitalization efforts, serving as a member of the Tyler Street Business Group on its Storefront Improvement Committee. Maffuccio also coaches Pittsfield youth sports and sits on the Berkshire United Way committee at Greylock.

–E.E.