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…
CRRC to start production of MBTA cars in Springfield in 2018
Technicians at the Great Boston transit system’s rail yard are test driving Springfield’s future. The prototype Orange Line cars represent a step toward greater reliability and frequency of service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. What’s more, the cars carry with them the hopes CRRC, the largest manufacturer of railroad rolling stock in the world,…
People in Business: Springfield College names Brooke Hallowell Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies
Springfield College announces that Brooke Hallowell, PhD, has been named Dean of the School of Health Sciences and rehabilitation studies, effective Jan. 2. As dean, Hallowell, will collaborate with leadership of other divisions and units of Springfield College to participate in strategic planning and implementation activities that further the overall mission of the institution. She…
Women Remain Underrepresented in IT — but Why?
Despite the fact that women comprise roughly half the workforce and the majority of college enrollment, the world of computers and information technology remains a largely man’s world, with women accounting for just over one-quarter of all professionals. Many reasons have been posited for this disparity, but most industry leaders agree that opportunity abounds for…
Southworth sells Agawam plant for $1.9M; Turners Falls paper mill sold for $4M
Bankrupt Southworth Paper Co. is selling its Agawam plant for $1.88 million to investors from Adams. The city of Agawam has first claim on $140,000 it’s owed by Southworth. Papers field this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Springfield detail the sale. Southworth needed court permission to transfer its assets after filing in September for federal…
Baystate PURCH Program Puts Focus on Population Health
Like most first-year students, Kathryn Norman entered medical school in August not knowing exactly what to expect. But there were certainly some things she never expected. Like a curriculum that included a visit to the Hampden County jail in Ludlow, where she and fellow classmates talked with inmates about their health and well-being and learned…