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The Gordman's sign is still up on the largely empty department store building off Main Street. A realty company has purchased the entire plaza for $2 million.

Former Kmart Plaza Sold to Connecticut Realty Company

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Steeple City Plaza was sold last month to a Connecticut realty company for $2 million. 
 
NRT Realty LLC of Avon, Conn., closed on the parcel on April 28, according to records at the Registry of Deeds. The manager is identified as N. Robert Trigg of Avon; a phone number listed for Trigg was not in service. 
 
Thomas Krens had indicated interest in purchasing the former the Kmart plaza as a site for his Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum. The offices for the proposed museum are located on the Main Street side of the L-shaped mall. 
 
The potential for using that location had been part of a presentation to downtown business owners and the mayor more than a year ago but it's not clear if that is still in the works. EMRCAM had initially been planned for Western Gateway Heritage State Park and there had been talk about it shifting southward toward the old Sons of Italy and the now closed Apkin scrapyard. 
 
The more than 7-acre site on Main Street includes the L-shaped mall along Main and American Legion Drive and the former 93,000 square-foot Kmart building, which currently houses V&V liquors, a Rent a Center and a Planet Fitness.
 
First Hartford Realty of Manchester, Conn., bought the plaza in 2005 for $10.58 million, three years after Kmart had closed its operations there. The realty company deals in commercial development, shopping centers and multifamily housing.
 
First Hartford brought in a number of stores to fill the vacant department store, including Peebles, Olympic Sports, a small  Sears store and Staples. The company's owner Neil Ellis had been interested in commercial development of North Adams since urban renewal in the late 1960s.
 
Over the past decade, Staples moved out and the liquor store moved in, Peebles was briefly replaced by a Gordmans that closed in 2020 only a few months after opening, Olympia and Sears shuttered and the North Adams Cinemas closed earlier this year. Ellis had kept the movie theater afloat for years after it moved into the east end of the building.
 
The L-shaped mall has had a number of tenant changes over the years and it currently houses longtime tenant Papa Gino's, a dollar store, Label Shopper, T-Mobile and an H-R Block. A Greylock Federal Credit Union drive-up and Burger King are located in separate buildings. 
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McCann and Taconic Awarded CTI Grants

Staff Reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $525,482 in Career Technical Initiative (CTI) implementation grants awarded to two organizations in the Berkshires to train 80 individuals for careers in high-demand occupations within the trades, construction, and manufacturing sectors in the region. 
 
In North Adams, McCann Technical School was awarded $344,871 to provide training to 60 participants for Automotive Technician, Advanced Manufacturing, and Welding positions. They will partner with T&M Auto Sales Inc., Berkshire Bridge & Iron Co. Inc., Haddad GMC, Haddad Subaru, Bedard Brothers Auto Sales Inc., Lenco Armored Vehicles, TOG Manufacturing, Sinicon Plastics, Adams Plumbing & Heating Inc., and Gills Point S Tire.
 
"We are excited to be working with our MassHire team to continue to address our workforce needs and build talent pipelines and career pathways in Advanced Manufacturing, Welding and Automotive Technician," McCann Superintendent James Brosnan said. "This CTI award will provide hands-on training and support as we continue to expand our skilled talent pool for employers in the Berkshires."
 
In Pittsfield Taconic High School was awarded $180,610 to provide training to 20 participants for Metal Fabrication and Auto Technology positions. They will partner with O.W. Landergren Inc., Lenco Industries Inc., Bedard Brothers, Haddad's Auto Group, and RW's Auto Inc.
 
"Pittsfield Public Schools is incredibly grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Commonwealth Corporation for the CTI award to Taconic High School. This grant will have a significant and lasting impact on our community by providing skilled technicians to address critical shortages in Berkshire County," said Superintendent Joseph Curtis. "We are excited to partner with Lenco Industries, Haddads, Bedards, RW Auto, O.W. Landergren, Northeast Fabricators, and the MassHire Berkshire Career Center. These partnerships will serve as a catalyst for positive change, ensuring that our trainees are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century workforce, while simultaneously strengthening our local economy."
 
The CTI grant program, a state-funded workforce initiative, partners with career and technical education schools to provide adult learners, especially unemployed and underemployed individuals from underserved populations and underrepresented groups, with career training and technical skills to meet the needs of Massachusetts employers. The program transforms career and technical education schools across the state to become "Career Technical Institutes" that run after dark programs in the construction/trades, manufacturing, and skilled trades career pathways. 
 
"Addressing our workforce needs and building talent pipelines and career pathways in construction, trades and manufacturing sectors is a priority for this administration," said Governor Maura Healey. "CTI offers hands-on training that will support our jobseekers, workers and employers. We're proud to expand the CTI awards to these two schools in the Berkshires to strengthen our workforce and grow our economy throughout the state."  
 
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