Mountain One Names CEOs for Hoosac, Williamstown Banks

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Donald E. Keagan has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of Hoosac Bank and John C. Law has been named president and chief executive officer of Williamstown Savings Bank, according to an announcement by Stephen G. Crowe, president and chief executive officer of MountainOne Financial Partners.

MountainOne includes Hoosac Bank, Williamstown Savings Bank, South Coastal Bank, Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins and True North.

According to Crowe, "Both Don and John have been an integral part of the MountainOne affiliation since its inception in 2002. In their new roles, they will be able to focus on the strategic objectives of each individual bank and market, while maintaining their current functional responsibilities on a companywide basis."

Keagan will also continue as executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of MountainOne, where he oversees financial, operational, and administrative functions. He has been executive vice president and CFO of MountainOne since 2002, and was CFO of Williamstown Savings Bank prior to that.

Keagan has worked in banking for almost 30 years, including at the Bank of Hartford (Conn.), and Fiserv.

He holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Hawaii and an master's of business administration from the University of Hartford. He was an honors graduate of America's Community Bankers National School of Banking at Fairfield (Conn.) University. 

In the community, Keagan serves on the North Adams Planning Board and is chairman of the Northern Berkshire Healthcare annual golf tournament. He also serves on the Northern Berkshire Healthcare Finance Committee. A resident of North Adams, he and his wife, Pamela, have two children.


Law will continue as executive vice president of MountainOne with overall responsibility for retail banking and marketing functions. He joined Hoosac Bank as vice president and director of marketing in 1999 and was promoted to executive vice president in 2001. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, including marketing and financial management positions with Charter One, KeyCorp, and Fleet Financial Group.  

Before specializing in financial services, Law worked on the staff of then U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. in Washington.  

Law serves on the boards of directors of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and Northern Berkshire YMCA. He served two-year terms as president of both the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and Northern Berkshire United Way. In addition, he is a corporator of Northern Berkshire Healthcare and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where he has been active on several committees.

Law holds a bachelor's degree from Williams College and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Donna, have three children, two of whom are students at Williams College.

Crowe said that, with Keagan and Law focused on Hoosac Bank and Williamstown Savings Bank, respectively, he will be better able to focus his energies as president and CEO of MountainOne on the future growth and strategic plan of the overall company, including possible additional affiliations. 

MountainOne Financial Partners, headquartered in North Adams, has combined assets of $860 million and approximately 200 employees.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.

Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.

The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.

Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is  appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.

Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.

Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.

Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.

The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.

The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.

Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.

Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years. 

He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.

Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.

Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve  a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.

Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.

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