Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of dynamite, was a chemist, engineer, businessman and, most memorably, philanthropist; he was also a scholar, fluent in Russian, French, English and German. Above all, he loved poetry.
He became the president of Isgood Realty in 1980, a position he held until his recent retirement. His broad knowledge of the marketplace, business acumen and personality made him the "go to" person amongst peers, earning him the title of the dean of Berkshire county real estate.
At least a half dozen offers to buy the property have come in over the nine years it has been on the market, but the offers were too low to clear debts to the town and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Removing contaminants attributable to Ried Cleaners may cost up to $1.6 million. "We have to hold the responsible parties’ feet to the fire but also be practical. We want it cleaned up and on the tax rolls.”
--- Great Barrington Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin
“There is a chronic risk to current postal workers exposed to basement air at the [Great Barrington] Post Office due to naphthalene, PCE and TCE” left from the adjacent Ried Cleaners, an environmental consultant concluded.
Joan was very active in the community: She was a weather spotter, founding member of ambulance squad, a member of Thursday Morning Club. the Alford Gardening Club, the Alford Cemetery Commission, and a member of the Ski Patrol at Stratton Mountain, Vermont.
