Westfield Community Preservation Committee considers $85,000 grant to Stanley Park
A grant request of $85,000 to help restore and repair the Colonial Village at Stanley Park was tabled by the Community Preservation Committee late last week. CPC members wanted more time to mull over changes to the grant requirements proposed by the Stanley Park board. The standard CPC agreement requires the grant recipient to make the…
SilverBrick plans renovations at former YMCA at 122 Chestnut St.
“Exquisite historic detail” inspired The SilverBrick Group to buy the former YMCA building at 122 Chestnut St., said Aaron J. Papowitz, the company’s founder and managing principal. SilverBrick bought the 99-unit apartment building, which served as the Springfield YMCA from 1919 to 1951, in December for $4.8 million. The company already owns the nearby SilverBrick Lofts on…
Springfield cultural organizations hope to boost region’s economy through ‘cultural…
The Springfield Central Cultural District, Springfield Cultural Council, city of Springfield and the Mass Cultural Council are embarking on a new and formal cultural relationship. All three partners, while formerly working on cultural activities to boost the local economy through creative expression separately, signed a “cultural compact” on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at Springfield City Hall,…
Dress for Success Graduates 14 from Foot in the Door Program
The third cohort of the Western Mass. Dress for Success Foot in the Door program celebrated its graduation at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). Fourteen women recently completed the nine-week training. Graduates already have interviews scheduled with TD Bank, MGM Springfield, Sunshine Village, Baystate Health, and Smith & Wesson. One participant said she’s decided to…
Mercy Medical Center names Harvard graduate to top post
Dr. Mark Dumais has been named chief medical officer for Mercy Medical Center. A Harvard Medical School graduate who also holds a master’s degree in business administration, Dumais will provide clinical and administrative leadership at the 182-bed acute care hospital as well as its affiliated facilities, including the 126-bed Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke.…
Westfield accepting applications for community development grants
Westfield Community Development Director Peter J. Miller anticipates approximately $345,000 will be allocated to the city, which amounts to about $280,000 in grants after administrative and other costs. This is typical of the past few years. “For years we received $400,000 and into the $500,000s,” said Miller. “Since 2000 the program has been cut significantly.”…
MGM Springfield opens administrative building at 95 State St.
MGM Springfield has opened its administration offices at 95 State St., becoming the first occupied building of the $960 million casino project. The opening and use of the 11-story building is the first casino building to open on the site which follows approximately a year of renovations. The full casino is scheduled to open in…
SilverBrick buys former YMCA building in Springfield
The SilverBrick Group has purchased the former Springfield YMCA at 122 Chestnut St. for $4.8 million, according to documents filed at the Hampden Registry of Deeds Dec. 29. Aaron J. Papowitz, SiverBrick’s founder and managing principal, confirmed the sale Monday but didn’t go into detail about the company’s plans for the building, which currently houses 99 apartments. Read…
Coming for Holyoke E.N. White School students: STEM middle school
Courses in science, technology, engineering and math — known as STEM — will be the focus of a new middle school that will begin in the fall at Dean Technical High School, officials said Monday. “A STEM experience will offer our students highly engaging, hands-on learning that promotes strong problem-solving and communication skills,” said Stephen…
Chicopee Electric Light working to offer municipal Internet to businesses then residents
The city’s electric company hopes to begin offering high-speed broadband Internet this year, first making the service available to local businesses and then building out a network neighborhood-by-neighborhood. But one City Councilor who has studied how communities throughout the country have offered Internet services to their citizens said he will push to take a more…
People in Business: Michael E. Tucker has been named a Class A Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Michael E. Tucker has been named a Class A Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Tucker is president, chief executive officer, and director of Greenfield Cooperative Bank and its parent company, Greenfield Bancorp MHC, a position he has held since 2003. A lawyer by training, Tucker began his career at the Springfield Institution…
2018 Hoophall Classic brings thousands – and millions – to Springfield, Convention & Visitors Bureau says
College coaches from across the country converge on the birthplace of basketball every January to assess what several highly touted high school players could be worth to their programs. But before anyone even arrived at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2018 Hoophall Classic, the value of the event itself was calculated by the…