Highminded LLC has drafted a host agreement with the town of Great Barrington that includes the mandated annual $10,000 donation to a nonprofit of its choice. That gift will go to the Railroad Street Youth Project, which will also receive an additional 1 percent of net sales to fund a campaign against adolescent substance usage.
Developer Paul Joffe said the plans for the reuse of the building have not changed but the projected completion date has been pushed back to about 12 months from now, perhaps a little longer.
Joffe said he thinks the community got nervous when all the dramatic construction work stopped, possibly because of the hullaballoo over the former Castle Street firehouse.
“It make look precarious, but believe it or not, the building is now more stable, sitting on those cribbing pillars, than it was before.
-- Redeveloper Paul Joffe, of GB Historic Renovations
“I figured that if I could buy it, anyone could buy it and that is bad. I was worried that somebody would buy it and redirect it to BernieSucks.com, or something like that.”
-- New Marlborough resident Paul Joffe, who had purchased www.berniesanders.com
Developer Paul Joffe, who has renovated six buildings of a similar age in Brooklyn, along with another old church in Kingston, N.Y., says he will apply a sensitive touch to the historic nature of the 150-year-old structure and its placement in a high visibility area of town.
