NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Plans for the new Cumberland Farms on Ashland Street finally appear to be moving forward with the closing on the old City Yard last month.
The convenience store chain purchased the property at 227-245 Ashland St. on Friday, June 30.
Mayor Thomas Bernard had pushed for the Westborough-based convenience chain to close before the end of the fiscal year, rejecting the company's request for another extension on the purchase-and-sales agreement from October 2017.
Cumberland had offered $575,000 — $100,000 more than the assessed value — with the caveat that up to half that could be offset for cleanup. The chain had been looking for a larger location close to the downtown for several years.
In the final deal, the property went for $550,000 with the agreement that Cumberland would pay upfront taxes on a listed price of $575,000, as recorded at the Registry of Deeds. Administrative Officer Michael Canales said there are cleanup costs but the entire amount is not yet known.
The Ashland Street complex had been put to bid with five other properties in 2017 after the city bought the former anodizing plant at Hodges Cross Road to serve as the new City Yard. The former plant has been largely retrofitted to accommodate Highway, Cemetery, Building, and Parks and Recreation Departments and the animal shelter with room to spare.
Cumberland Farms was approved for a 5,800-square-foot store and eight gas pumps last fall but returned to the Planning Board earlier this year with modified plans to reduce the building to around 4,600 square feet and by one parking spot.
The original plans had been to start construction in the spring but is now expected sometime this summer. Two historic place markers on the buildings are set to be preserved and relocated to prominent locations in the new City Yard.
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New York Times Bestselling Author to Speak at MCLA's MOSAIC
NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host a special lecture, "The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Countercultural Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary," featuring New York Times bestselling author Susannah Cahalan.
The event will take place on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the MOSAIC Event Space on 49 Main St., North Adams. This event is free and open to the public.
According to a press release:
Presented as part of the Politics of the Visual: Lecture Series in Visual Culture, this talk will explore the legacy of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, a key but often overlooked figure in the 1960s counterculture movement.
Known primarily as the wife of Timothy Leary, Rosemary played a pivotal role in the psychedelic movement, from her participation in peyote ceremonies with Beat artists to her involvement in Leary's infamous acid commune in Millbrook, NY, and her eventual status as an international fugitive. Drawing from archival materials and an unfinished memoir, Cahalan will reconstruct Rosemary's journey, shedding light on her contributions to the cultural and political landscape of the era.
Bailey explained that this change will allow police officers more flexibility when responding to non-emergency calls, reducing wait times at the traffic light and reducing potential traffic congestion when emergency vehicles need to pass through.
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First Congregational Church of North Adams' fourth annual "Share the Love" campaign concluded with over $9,000 raised to support local organizations serving individuals in need. click for more