Why are our bridges failing? Whose fault is it and why is nothing done until it’s too late? Not surprisingly, part of the problem is money. It costs $4-5 million to replace a bridge so it isn’t something the town takes lightly.
Economic development committee Chairman Steve Picheny wanted an update from town manager Mark Pruhenski on the environmental status of the building and then solicited thoughts from committee members about what uses they thought would suit the empty building.
In the original plan, most of the parking for the hotel would have been across the street, which would have meant lots of hotel guests crossing West Center Street to walk to and from their cars.
Clinton Church Restoration awarded National Trust for Historic Preservation grant
Great Barrington -- Clinton Church Restoration Inc. is one of 22 sites and organizations dedicated...
The upper Railroad Street lot appears to have about 30 spots, the loss of which, even for a few days, will have some denizens of downtown scrambling to find places to park their vehicles.
The town expects to have the north side of Railroad Street "buttoned up," including the installation of bases for decorative light poles, by the end of this week.
Most of the standards the Massachusetts Historical Commission says the project would violate are technical and easily remedied. Nonetheless, as a result, MHC says the proposed project does not meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's standards for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
Mill Renaissance LLC must still obtain site plan approval, conservation commission approval, the allocation of historic tax credits and additional commercial. Developer Jeffrey Cohen hopes to start construction on the $60 million project in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The goal is to get the new building completely framed out and roofed so that, by the dead of winter, workers can focus on the interior if the weather prohibits outside activity.
Great Barrington Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin also said MassDOT's project review committee has approved an initial application for a $6.9 million rebuild of Main Street from Saint James Place to the area of the Claire Teague Senior Center and National Grid office on Route 7.
"In general, this is much less intense than the Main Street reconstruction ... Primarily because the rights of way are limited, the funding source is not MassDOT ... which gives us a lot more flexibility in what we can do." --Great Barringtn town planner Chris Rembold
100 Bridge Street has been delayed to the point that the $1 million that would have been used to pay for the burial of overhead utilities is in danger of lapsing when the grant expires at the end of June 2019.
The project, which will include both new construction and reuse of the mill, would add retail and office space, restaurants, a health club and pool open to the public, and in excess of 100 units of housing.
The MassWorks program allocates 10 percent of awarded funds to assist municipalities with populations of 7,000 or less in completing roadway safety and transportation improvement projects.
Developers Michael Charles and Brian Cohan are still due for their site plan review at the planning board and will continue to work with the historical commission. They will also collaborate with the town on a number of conditions attached to the permit. The Powerhouse Square project is expected to break ground by summer.
Bridge Street, the link between downtown Great Barrington and its eastern districts, is emerging as a significant commercial corridor, with $65 million in proposed commercial developments, plus $2 million in road and bridge upgrades.
