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The former St. Francis Rectory on Union Street is going to be razed.

Former Rectory in North Adams on Demolition List

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The last vestige of St. Francis' Church, its rectory, is being demolished.
 
Crews were at the long-vacant brick structure on Union Street last week removing windows and other materials but halted until their permits are in place. Building Inspector William Meranti said they were beginning to remove materials in preparation of asbestos abatement but "didn't have all their ducks in a row." He confirmed that they were in the process of applying for a demolition permit.
 
The corner property was purchased by Colvest/North Adams LLC of Springfield in 2018 for $1.3 million from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. 
 
Historical Commission Chairwoman Justyna Carlson said the commission had been contacted by John Dias of Western Mass Demolition and that commissioners had separately reviewed and affirmed the demolition. The commission has the right to impose a demolition delay on any structure 50 years or older to encourage alternative uses or alterations (concerns about the church being demolished for a CVS prompted the fast-tracking of the ordinance in 2012.) 
 
"Built in 1964, it barely makes the need for our approval (unlike the hotel addition which is not even 50 years young)," she wrote. "The building was poorly secured after the passageway to the church was removed so mold had entered and spread."
 
Carlson said she had contacted the owner last December, acting as a member of the Historical Society, to see if the building could house the history museum that was being forced out of the hotel. She said she had been told then that the owner was deliberating on demolishing the structure. 
 
The rectory is all that's left of St. Francis, which was the oldest Catholic church in the city — and the largest in New England at one time. The church was an imposing structure at the entrance to the downtown for more than 150 years before its demolition in 2016 over concerns about its structural integrity. It had closed in 2008 along with a number of other diocesan churches. 
 
The rectory is far younger, having been built in 1965 as part of a $750,000 building program undertaken by the parish. The original rectory fell victim to the Central Artery project and the convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph at that same location came down shortly afterward. A new convent was constructed for the 35 sisters at St. Joseph's School across the street (now an affordable housing complex) and the rectory raised in its place at an estimated cost of $300,000. 
 
In between, the diocese purchased a two-story home in front of Drury High, at 191 East Main St., in 1958 as an interim rectory. It had been the home of Dr. Joseph Crawford, who introduced the use of X-ray machines to the local medical community. He died in 1940.
 
This property was taken by the city in the 1960s for use as a school administrative office and parking, and later razed. 
 
The rectory had included a garage and connecting structure to the church that were taken down prior to the church's demolition. The building is currently assessed by the city at $519,900.

Tags: demolition,   

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North Adams Schools Prep for Budget, Review Grants

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee was presented the timeline for the fiscal 2026 budget on Tuesday. 
 
"The cabinet and members of the district leadership team have been very, very busy with starting to kind of proactively prepare for FY 26 budget cycle," said Superintendent Barbara Malkas. "We're still in the area of some unknowns, not having yet received the governor's budget or, you know, an understanding of where Chapter 70 [state education aid] may land."
 
Gov. Maura Healey is set to release her budget proposal on Jan. 22; the administration will meet with principals and department heads in February to develop a draft spending plan. 
 
A public hearing and final approval will be in May or June. 
 
"We've been working on it for the last couple of months, and the starting point is really looking at where we are in FY 25, look at our current staffing and making adjustments based on the current status," said Director of Finance and Administration Nancy Rauscher. "One of the key dates that we're looking forward to is Jan. 22 which is when we expect the governor to submit her budget. And that will really help inform us from a funding standpoint, in terms of what our Chapter 70 will look like."
 
She said they were looking not only at the operating budget, but other funding sources, including school choice and circuit breaker funds, with a goal of establishing a best practice of rolling over circuit breaker revenue to better support out-of-district tuition. 
 
A third funding source is grants and Carrie Burnett, grants, special projects and procurement officer, gave a presentation on grant funding for fiscal 2025.
 
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