NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is hoping to begin discussions late in the summer on the best ways to reuse the former state Armory building as a community center.

The former National Guard headquarters on Ashland Street is in the midst of an estimated $5 million overhaul — but the going's been tough because the funding has been dribbling in through Community Development Block Grants.

"We can't get our arms around $5 million at a clip," said Michael Nuvallie of the city's Office of Community Development in his presentation to the Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday night. "We can get our arms around $300,000, $200,000, another $150,000 and we keep fixing that old car."

The city bought the structure from the state in 2007 with the vision of turning it into a community center. The building's gym has long been used for high school and youth sports and its location within walking distance of the downtown, senior housing and the college, and along public and school bus routes.

The project has gone through four phases of work already: the repair and replacement of the roofs; rebuilding of the front and side stairs; the design of an elevator; and the installation of the elevator to address handicapped accessibility.

The fifth and more substantial phase is being prepared for bidding in the next few weeks. It will include the installation of new gas heating systems, a three-phased electrical system, new handicapped restrooms on the first floor near the elevator and new concession stand for the gym. The total cost is estimated at $800,000.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring and continue through the summer. The expectation is the gym and new entrance area by the elevators will be completed for the youth basketball league to move back in.

The city is already applying for more block grant funds to continue the ongoing project, said Nuvallie. "The building is old, it needs to be updated in every shape and form."

While the vision has always been to transform the building into a community center, the youth basketball league is the only concrete use decided so far. The amount of work ("very grinding") necessary on the building has kept the focus on construction, not reuse.

There is extensive space in the basement and first and second floor that could be used for leasing purposes for agencies or groups or programs. The goal would be to make the building sustainable in the same way the skating rink is. It might also become the headquarters for the Parks & Recreation Commission and the Youth Commission.

"My initial vision is the fact that you'd want agencies in there that not only would obviously do what they do but could establish programming and be there for the building," said Mayor Richard Alcombright. "Whoever is in there would have to sustain this kind of community model."

Residents, particularly the new Youth Commission, the mayor assured commission member Kate Merrigan and Councilor Michael Boland, would have input into what type of programming would be used.

"Over the next six months or as this new phase begins, that's when we can really start to have some community conversations of what this can become," he said.

A lot more work is required. The second-floor offices have extensive water damage, the basement has been neglected but offers a mess kitchen and lots of activity space and the parking area needs an estimated $400,000 in paving and landscaping.

"We want it to look quite spectaular when it's done," said the mayor.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Thursday is the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inaugural address but we remember him from back in the day.

Attorney Richard Taskin and iBerkshires were talking about the upcoming anniversary when he brought us this picture from 1958 — when the scion of the Irish-American dynasty was referred to as U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Taskin can't be seen because he's hiding behind the police officer in the back but his brother Howard and his mother Edith are in there. Edith is in the dark glasses next to the officer; Howard is in front of her to the left.

Taskin said Elias Sabin, a mailman, is in the light coat next to Kennedy. The Taskins have had the picture framed on their wall for decades.

The rest of the people? We don't know! Do any of our readers recognize anyone in the picture?

Here's what we've uncovered about the photo: It was taken by United Press photographer Ted Polumbaum on assignment for Life Magazine. Polumbaum documented Kennedy's 1958 Senate election campaign. The up-and-coming senator had already vied for a vice presidential slot in 1956 and was easily taking the national spotlight.

That photo ran in the magazine's inside pages on Feb. 23, 1959, with a story about Kennedy being a front-runner to be the Democratic candidate for the 1960 presidential election. It's on Page 102 if you're too impatient to look through the entire book. A slightly different shot in color can be found here. 

According to Berkshire Eagle and Transcript archives, JFK spent the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28 in the area. Some 500 people greeted him at Bousquet on Saturday night. On Sunday, he apparently greeted well-wishers at the Richmond Hotel. 

He walked in the Fall Foliage Parade and then flew (yes, flew) to Springfield from Harriman-West Airport. That was in Sprague Electric's heyday when the parade drew more than 10,000 people.

We don't know if this picture was taken during this trip but it seems likely, based on another picture from that day taken by Polumbaum.

Also of note, Edward "Ted" Kennedy was the campaign manager for the 1958 Senate election and walked in the parade, too. 

Brown, left, with Fire Director Stephen Meranti, Mayor Richard Alcombright and Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco in what passes for the station's exercise room.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The ceilings are leaking, the windows are drafty, the lockup woefully out of date — and those are just the most striking issues for the 55-year-old public safety building.

When it opened in 1955, it was considered state of the art. Firehouses scattered about the city were consolidated into the new structure on American Legion Drive along with a new police station.

But the building hasn't caught up with the times, and a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice about the structure's lack of compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act has brought its woes to the forefront. There are tight hallways, rickety stairs, and too many nooks and crannies. It can't expand easily because it's locked between private property and public ways.

It's no secret city officials want a new location and a new building.

"You'll notice these cells as well as the cells on the other side, they were up to date and fully functional in 1954 but today they barely meet ...," Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morroco shrugged his shoulders on Wednesday as U.S. Sen. Scott Brown looked into the tiny holding cell. In another room, he poked at the duct tape covering the aluminum frame on the windows.

"The person who sits here ends up with snow on him," said the commissioner. "But it is a 1955 original frame."

Downstairs, water is leaking on gear, old piping runs below the ceiling. "We roll for everything, we go to car accidents," said Fire Director Stephen Meranti, who added the department responds to 1,200 to 1,400 calls a year. "We had two building fires in the past month ... "You can see what the condition of our building is."

"We actually were in line for a grant to get money to redo the windows but the problem is under the law, we invest so much money into the windows the ADA compliance [kicks in]," Alcombright told the senator. "So the couple hundred thousand to do the windows turns into a multimillion-dollar project. With that we might as well invest in a new facility."

Brown, a selectman in Wrentham before being elected to the state Legislature, said that town had also had to deal with building a new facility. "I went through this before with a couple towns," he said.

"Obviously, you have a building that's struggling to be functional and it comes down to people's health and well-being, too, and their own personal safety," said Brown, who toured the facility as part of his swing through the Berkshires this week. "At some point you're going to need to make some very tough decisions to provide the adequate tools and resources for your public safety personnel to do their job safely."

The senator offered sympathy but nothing concrete. It was up the city — and the voters — to determine the next step, he said. Once they have a plan, "it's imperative for us as a federal delegation to work together to try to find the resources to help.

"We're not going to be the only answer, we're going to be part of the answer, that's my hope."

Top, from left, a holding cell in the police station; Brown with Meranti; picking at a duct-taped window on the second floor. Below, construction is being completed on public restrooms (now the firefighters' break room) on the side of the building in 1955.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council will research the possibility of making the mayor a four-year term.

The mayoral assignment was one of several handed down, including investigating the public safety office structure to determine if commissioner is needed, by just re-elected President Ronald Boucher as the council set out its own goals for the year.

"I've always felt this way, even before Mayor [Richard] Alcombright took office," said Boucher afterward. "I think that a mayor's position, two years, it's tough to get adjusted to the position and then the second year, you're running for your job again."

Alcombright said a four-year term would give a mayor the breathing space to deal with issues without having worrying about campaigning. "I think what it does is it takes the leader out of government for a pretty good period of time."

He was surprised to learn that only 11 of the state's 46 mayors have four-year terms. "I think a four-year term would be great right now because you wouldn't have to be dealing with what you're dealing with ... and thinking about the possibility if someone is going to run against you."

Alcombright assumed that was just the case for his predecessor, John Barrett III, who was fending off a challenge will maintaining his office. Barrett, however, had plenty of experience as the state's longest-serving mayor and few challengers during his tenure.

Boucher said that was a reason to extend the term. "It's tough, really tough, especially being a new mayor," he said. "Replacing someone with a lot of years of experience, you're going in learning and then the second year out [campaigning].

Voters would decide if the change should be made by ballot; it wouldn't go into effect until the next election.

The annual organization of the council took place on Tuesday night and ended with the mayor giving his "state of the city" address.

Lisa Blackmer was re-elected vice president and the seat positions were drawn by Councilors Gailanne Cariddi and Alan Marden.

Boucher charged the General Government Committee, headed by Councilor Keith Bona, with looking into mayoral question and the Public Safety Committee, led by Councilor Alan Marden, to make recommendations regarding the position of public safety commissioner.

Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco, who was due to retire, had his tenure extended two years by home-rule petition to give the city time to decide if it needs the position.

"I think we need to look at that," said Boucher. "A city this size, is there a need? It's nothing against Commissioner Morocco and what he's done ... It's, I think, moving forward if we can support that kind of position."
 
The Community Development Committee, chaired by Blackmer, will develop a marketing and event plan in conjunction with Develop North Adams, and the Public Services Committee, chaired Councilor David Bond, will investigate ways to wring revenue from the transfer station and the benefits of joining the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste District.

As for the Finance Committee: "You've got enough on your plate," said Boucher.

Boucher also reinstituted liaisons to various boards and organizations and asked councilors to attend their meetings.

"It's not only for us it's the people who watch these meetings, the people that put you in these seats, to show them we are involved we can make a difference."

The council accepted effective immediately the resignation of Gailanne Cariddi, who was sworn in last week at the State House as the representative for the 1st Berkshire District. The 22-year council veteran was presented with flowers and a gift and warm parting words on her service to the city. 

"You not only served the council well you served it with particular distinction as a member of several committees and as president on six occasions," said longtime colleague Marden. "You are uniquely our unofficial codifier, laboring tirelessly and continuously to put our wishes and actions in proper form."

Bloom, who was elected to the council in the same year as Cariddi, said "I think we were very lucky to have you. I was proud to serve with you and I wish you the best of luck."

A replacement for Cariddi will be appointed by the council.

In other business, the council:

• Approved bonding for the city's finance officers
• Adopted and passed to second reading an amended vendor ordinance.
• Referred to the city solicitor a request from Charles Fox and Gordon Leete, partners in Curran Highway Development LLC, to eliminate the I-1 zoning that covers the rear portion of their 2.91 acres (the former K-K Home Mart) on Curran Highway. The partners said the property has two zones, I-1 and CC-1, with CC-1 being the dominant zone and covering its frontage. "It would eliminate a zoning designation no longer appropriate," they stated in a letter to the council.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city must become a major player in the area's economic development planning and find ways to market itself while keeping a sharp eye on spending.

Those are the goals outlined by Mayor Richard Alcombright as he enters the final year of his two-year term and prepares for another run.

"We cannot continue to sell ourselves short by saying we can't afford this or we can't afford that," the mayor said Tuesday night during his "state of the city" address in the City Council chambers. "There are communities all over this country that are doing unique and interesting things to grow."

Alcombright's finishing a bruising first year that saw the city raise taxes and institute a sewer fee to cover a $1 million budget gap. He settled with the public unions over underfunding the health insurance trust that he said "might have been the largest and most grossly underreported fiscal fiasco North Adams has ever encountered."

He took over, he said, a city with "one of the lowest cash reserves in the commonwealth, significant housing and blight issues, a disengaged business community, a detached North Bekshires county."

Alcombright had to trim people off insurance lists and took city out of self-insurance; hired police, firefighters, assessor, treasurer and a new public services commissioner while making cuts in departments; fielded complaints over traffic disruptions for a streetscape project he hadn't planned and found that not only was Crane & Co. pulling out its North Adams division, two state offices were planning to close as well.

"Last year, many speculated I was not tough enough to be mayor of this fine city," he told the City Council, family, friends and city employees seated in the audience, as well as viewers at home. "And I would argue in one short year I've earned my stripes."

The address was given at the end of the City Council's annual organization, that also saw the resignation of Councilor Gailanne Cariddi as she takes her post as the district's new state representative.

The future budget isn't looking much better, Alcombright said, as North Adams faces a structural deficit that could balloon to $2 million. "The reality is we're taxed to the max and we don't have the ability to raise revenue much beyond what we already have. I will be looking at every department, every service to see what we can cut and I will continue to look at ways to create efficiencies. ... I am certain I will be once again faced with tough and unpopular decisions."

It's been challenging but not all bad: The streetscape project is nearly complete; updating has begun at the Historic Valley Campground; Juvenile Court and state transitional assistance will be staying in some form; the Armory project is moving ahead; architects are drawing up preliminary plans for school options; and a Community Ecomonic Advisory Board and Youth Commission have been appointed.

More importantly, said Alcombright, is the energy and optimism that flooded the city. It's resulted in the creation of Develop North Adams, which has spearheaded the expansion of popular events, put benches downtown and pursued marketing ideas for the local merchants. On Monday, the city announced the Partnership for North Adams, a cooperative venture of cultural, educational and community leaders to draw investment to the area.

The mayor's also "dusting off" development plans that have been sitting on shelves for decades. The long-range goal is to revive the planning process and bring the city into alignment with the county's regional planning commission.

"I saw this as an opportunity for the regional planning commission to look at all of our plans and come up with the new document that would be the catalyst for the city to re-engage in the planning process, with our residents and our North County neighbors."

The first step will be a joint meeting of the City Council and the Planning and Zoning boards in February; the public will have input later in a series of "visioning" sessions.

The city is also pursuing a grant to develop a marketing campaign to brand it as a destination. Plans for one of the city's jewels, the Mohawk Theater, could be announced as early as this quarter.

As for the budget, the mayor said the same process would be followed as last year, with his finance team and the council's Finance Committee working together.

"Despite all the challenges I've very,very much enjoyed my first year as mayor I'm very proud of the fact I've been able to excite and energize and motiviate and open up many of the democratic processes for so many in the city," said Alcombright. "It has been said that one cannot run a city by consensus, I would suggest with strong leadership one can."

The full text of the mayor's speech can be found here.