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North Adams Council OKs Long-Term Lease With Child Care of the Berkshires
By Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
01:36AM / Wednesday, February 10, 2016
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Child Care of the Berkshires was approved for a 25-year lease with the city that will allow it to make investments in Sarah T. Haskins School.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved a 25-year lease with Child Care of the Berkshires that will allow the nonprofit to apply for nearly a $1 million in grants.

"We have really ambitious plans for the building," Anne Nemetz-Carlson, longtime president and CEO of the agency, told the council on Tuesday. "We're a vibrant community place and we'd like to have a long-term lease."

CCB has been leasing Sarah T. Haskins School on State Street for more than 34 years as a day care serving more than 125 children and their families annually. Nearly 95 percent of the children are from families below the poverty line and up to third are victims of abuse and neglect who have been referred to the agency by the state Department of Children and Families. It also provides parenting groups, and other services for some 400 families.

The grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture andstate Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund Program (the bulk of the funding) will enable the agency to do significant improvements to the building, but it requires "site control" to be considered. The city posted a request for proposals for the school building, as required by law, and CCB was the only respondent.

"During these years, CCB has kept the facility bright, clean, and up to date, a place where children and parents feel welcome and nurtured," wrote Mayor Richard Alcombright in a communication to the council supporting the lease. "Over time, they have greatly improved accessibility and safety for the children."

Alcombright said he signed the lease, pending council approval, so CCB could get its application by the deadline of Jan. 22.

"We've been trying to find a way to solidify their presence in the building," he told the council, but the agency could not afford to buy the building, which is assessed at $1.9 million. He did, however, see CCB eventually taking ownership of the former elementary school building down the road. 

In the interim, CCB's control of the building will absolve the city of a "major catastrophic event" in terms of building maintenance it currently cannot afford.

"The important thing was to get site control so we did it with a lease," he said. "That was more expedient."

Nemetz-Carlson said she expected to bring the century-old building up to current codes, including handicapped accessibility. Among plans are the installation of an elevator, new efficient windows to replace the 30-year-old vinyl ones, and a new heating and cooling system.

The council's response was generally positive but Councilor Robert M. Moulton Jr. questioned the need for a 25-year term, saying it was a important piece of city property.

"Down the road ... if we would have another use for it that was beneficial for the city," he said. "I can't get by that 25 years."

Alcombright said he didn't see 25 years as being significant compared to long-term leases used in the commercial sector. The agency employs some 85 people through various programs and that's of an economic benefit to the city, he said.

At worst, the agency may not get the grant and would have to reapply, said the mayor. But he noted it had applied a few years ago and "We do really, really feel that site control was the only thing holding them back from getting significant money."

The agency will not be required to pay rent for the first five years, then be obligated at $1,100 a month until year 10; $1,210 until year 15; $1,331 to year 20; and $1,464 until year 25.

The council approved the lease unanimously.

In other business, the council endorsed the idea of an ad hoc committee to investigate regulations for short-term and shared services like AirBnB and Uber proposed by Council President Benjamin Lamb.

"I just think it's good for us to be proactive in the process," said Lamb. "The earlier we can get ahead of ourselves the better.

The council also designated the former Modern Liquors site recently approved for purchase by the city to "be used in perpetuity" for parks and recreational purposes. The proposed skateboard park originally designed for the Noel Field parking lot will be relocated to that property.

The council also approved:

Reappointment of Jeffrey Naughton and Trevor Gilman to the Airport Commissions, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019.

Reappointment of Suzy Helme, Jennifer Boland, JoAnn Lipa-Bates and Jennifer Flynn Bernard to the Human Service Commission, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019.

Reappointment to the Planning Board of Jay Walsh, term to expire Feb. 1, 2019, and Brian Miksic and Kyle Hanlon, terms to expire Feb. 1, 2021.

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