Letter: Vote for Right Team for North Adams

To the Editor:

Hi there! How many North Adams folks know that Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 7? How many residents realize that the current mayor is up for re-election? Luckily for us, the signs on the lawn of City Hall remind us of our civic duty.

Me, I voted early right there in City Hall, for nine members for City Council (phew!) plus the city mayor. I'm eager to earn bragging rights for electing the right team. Because, coming soon, North Adams will be reviewing the 10-year update to our Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

We have made progress, despite the COVID-19 setback, and now we are looking ahead to a prosperous future. Vote, and get the right team on board in City Hall. Thank you.

Alice Bojanowski
North Adams, Mass.

North Adams Planners OK MCLA Arts Center, Italian Restaurant

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Nick Moulton, left, and Peter Belmonte were introduced as the chefs for the new Zio Roberto. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' new arts center was given the go-ahead by the Planning Board on Monday, along with a new Italian restaurant on Marshall Street. 

 

The 7,500-square-foot Campagna Kleefeld Center for Creativity in the Arts will be located at the corner of Porter and Church Street. 

 

The center, funded by California artist and writer Carolyn Kleefeld and the MCLA Foundation, will be a stepping stone for the college to build a graduate program in arts management, said Robert Ziomek, vice president for institutional advancement.

 

"The center will be a vital focus for faculty to engage in the arts, offering a dynamic and flexible space that will serve as a catalyst for curricular innovation and will provide a compelling teaching and learning environment," he told the planners.

 

"It's going to allow for an expanded visiting artist program that we're trying to do, and plus our graduate program will be able to grow as we will apply for, once this building is online, for a graduate program in arts management."

 

He said Kleefeld is "really excited about having students engaged with artists of all of all types, but also giving faculty the ability to be creative with the curriculum around arts."

 

Designer George Dole of Jones Whitsett Architects and landscape architect Rachel Loeffler, principal at Berkshire Design Group presented the plans.