Month: October 2020

SPRINGFIELD — Home City Development Inc. (HCDI), a Springfield-based affordable-housing development organization, was awarded resources from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to adapt and rehabilitate the former Elias Brookings School into 42 affordable rental housing units, to be known as Elias Brookings Apartments.

The award includes $1 million in low-income housing tax credits (to generate more than $9 million in equity), $4.4 million of soft debt, and project-based rental vouchers. Other funds for the project include state and federal historic tax credits, city of Springfield HOME and Community Preservation Act funds, and construction and permanent loans. MassHousing will provide the permanent first mortgage loan and a subordinate workforce-housing loan. HCDI plans to begin construction in early 2021 and complete the work in 12 months.

The project will serve a range of incomes, including extremely low-income households, low-income households, and workforce housing. Select apartments are reserved for clients of the Department of Mental Health, people with disabilities, and homeless households. HCDI will offer a variety of supportive services to all residents. The property will be managed by Housing Management Resources, an organization with extensive experience managing comparable properties.

Built as the Elias Brookings School in 1925, the building was severely damaged in the June 2011 tornado and was closed. This redevelopment aims to contribute significantly to the revitalization of the of the Maple Hill, Six Corners, and Old Hill neighborhoods, which were heavily impacted by the tornado.

HCDI is working with Davis Square Architects, development consultant Gerry Joseph, Allegrone Construction, Klein-Hornig LLP, and Shatz, Schwartz, and Fentin, P.C., as well as many other partners on this project.

Home City Development Inc. is a nonprofit, resident-centered developer of multi-family and mixed-use properties in Western Mass. HCDI was founded as Better Homes Inc. in 1968 by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Over more than 50 years, HCDI has worked to facilitate community stability and growth in collaboration with numerous partners and residents.

Elms College to Hold Virtual Career Fair on Nov. 4

By BusinessWest Staff October 30, 2020

CHICOPEE — On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Elms College will hold its annual fall Career & Internship Fair as a virtual event from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Due to the pandemic, Elms College’s Career Services Department is partnering with Career Fair Plus to host the virtual career fair, which will create a user-friendly experience for students and employers.

“Our fall 2020 virtual Career & Internship Fair will connect area employers with talented students from all majors who are seeking employment and internship opportunities,” said Justin Monell, director of Career Services at Elms.

According to Monell, registered employers will have the ability to virtually screen candidates, receive electronic résumés, and schedule interviews with students. Likewise, registered students can review the employment and internship offerings from area companies and schedule screening interviews.

So far, 30 companies have signed up to participate in the virtual career fair, including Baystate Health, Hartford Healthcare, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, Springfield Museums, and Springfield Public Schools, just to name a few.

“This virtual career fair has generated a lot of interest around campus, and I have received several requests from students for help updating their résumés and cover letters,” Monell said.

Area companies interested in registering for the virtual Career & Internship Fair can contact Monell at [email protected] or (413) 265-2272.

Connecticut Issues New Travel Restrictions on Massachusetts Residents

By BusinessWest Staff October 30, 2020

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut updated its travel advisory this week to include Massachusetts among the states triggering travel restrictions.

Massachusetts residents spending more than 24 hours in Connecticut are required to complete the Connecticut Travel Form prior to arrival. Massachusetts residents are also required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival — or for the duration of their stay, if shorter — or receive a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours prior to arrival in the state and provide that documentation by e-mail to the commissioner of Public Health. Connecticut residents spending more than 24 hours in Massachusetts within 14 days prior to returning home are also required to complete the form and quarantine or provide a negative COVID-19 test result upon their return.

This travel advisory does not apply to workers who commute back and forth between Massachusetts and Connecticut as long as they spend no more than 24 hours within Massachusetts. It also does not apply to Connecticut residents who travel to Massachusetts for work-related travel and who qualify as essential workers as designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. However, it does apply to students returning home to Connecticut from Massachusetts if their stay in Massachusetts was more than 24 hours.

Connecticut updates its list of restricted states each Tuesday.

UMass Donahue Institute Receives $32.5 Million from Office of Head Start

HADLEY — The UMass Donahue Institute has been awarded a new five-year, $6.5 million per year cooperative agreement to direct the Head Start National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations (NCPMFO), a role it has filled for the past five years under an earlier award. Under the new cooperative agreement, the institute will continue to work in collaboration with its partners: Family Health International 360, Zero to Three, and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

NCPMFO will continue to disseminate clear, consistent guidance, materials, and trainings on Office of Head Start priorities for the development and implementation of sound management systems and strong internal controls in Head Start programs across the country. NCPMFO’s work addresses topics such as risk management, governance, data collection and analysis, budgeting, management of multiple funding sources, and leadership, including the annual Head Start Management Fellows Program conducted at UCLA.

NCPMFO’s work reaches approximately 1,700 grantees of Early Head Start and Head Start programs located in all states, including those programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and migrant and seasonal workers. NCPMFO is one of four national center cooperative agreements recently awarded. The others address early childhood development, teaching, and learning; early childhood health; behavioral health and safety; and parent, family, and community engagement.

“The UMass Donahue Institute is extremely proud of our longstanding relationship with this vital national program that is Head Start, including also serving as the regional training and technical assistance provider for New England for close to 20 years, work that was also recently re-awarded to us,” said Eric Heller, executive director of the UMass Donahue Institute. “We are thrilled to be selected once again to lead this national center and look forward to building upon the tremendous work our team has delivered during the past five years. Head Start programs, their staff, and families face tremendous challenges during the pandemic, and we are committed to supporting them in every way possible during these terribly challenging times.”

Elms College Taps Peter DePergola to Lead Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the appointment of Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, as executive director of the newly created St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC).

“I look forward to working with Dr. DePergola, an internationally recognized bioethicist, as he leads the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “In his career, Peter has been at the forefront of bioethics in the region, having developed ethical guidelines for treating COVID-19 patients at both Baystate Health and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at large.”

DePergola is also associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the director of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities program at Elms.

CERC was launched on Oct. 13 to increase engagement and discourse on the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society, and to lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging dialogue. A $1 million naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions from Carolyn Jacobs, and B. John (Jack) and Colette Dill and family helped the college establish the center.

In addition to his appointment as CERC executive director, DePergola has been named the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, which is the college’s only endowed chair. The Shaughness Family Chair was funded in 1994 by the late L. Stella Shaughness, and the endowment income is to be used to promote academic excellence by supporting teaching, publishing, and/or research in the humanities.

“I am delighted to be leading the CERC and look forward to creating innovative programming that will explore how fundamental ethical, religious, and cultural issues challenge and shape our traditions and norms,” DePergola said. “I am also honored to be appointed as the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, a role in which I will work tirelessly to bring the indispensable perspective of the humanities to bear on how medicine should recognize, diagnose, treat, support, and protect those who are most vulnerable in society.”

At Baystate Health, DePergola serves as chief ethics officer, senior director of Clinical Ethics, chief of the Ethics Consultation Service, and chair of the ethics advisory committee. He also holds secondary academic and research appointments at UMass Medical School, Sacred Heart University, the American Academy of Neurology, and TEDMED.

A professional member of several international academic societies and associations, DePergola earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies at Elms College, his MTS in ethics at Boston College, and his Ph.D. in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University. He completed his residency in neuroethics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, his fellowship in neuropsychiatric ethics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and his advanced training in neurothanatological ethics at Harvard Medical School.

A video of the official launch ceremony for the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture will be available starting Friday, Oct. 30 on the college’s YouTube channel and social-media accounts.

Educare Springfield Executive Director Joins National, Local Boards

SPRINGFIELD — Nikki Burnett, executive director of Educare Springfield, the nation’s 24th Educare early-education center, has been appointed to a number of national Educare-related boards, including the Educare Learning Network (ELN) collaborative fundraising advisory board, which finds opportunities for greater financial sustainability of the ELN through enhanced fundraising programming.

Burnett, the first executive director of Educare Springfield, has also joined the Red Nose Day advisory board, which provides guidance over the grant from Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Fund on behalf of the ELN. Burnett has also joined the Educare Policy Work Group, which guides and supports the collective network’s engagement in early-childhood policy and advocacy, and the Educare Learning Network steering committee, which informs the direction of the annual meeting.

Locally, Burnett has also joined a number of local serving boards, including the board of trustees of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, as well as the boards of Holyoke Community College Foundation and Dress for Success.

Burnett was raised in the Mason Square neighborhood, attended neighborhood public schools, and earned her undergraduate degree in leadership and organizational science from Bay Path University. She will be completing her master’s degree in leadership and negotiation from Bay Path in 2020.

Before joining Educare, Burnett served as regional vice president of Multicultural Initiatives for the American Heart Assoc., where she worked throughout the New England region to build capacity and support revenue generation around community health and education initiatives.

She has more than a decade of leadership experience and, prior to her position with the American Heart Assoc., worked at Baystate Health as education coordinator of Cardiopulmonary Services. At Baystate, she managed three cardiology fellowship programs.

Burnett also has been actively involved in other community organizations in Springfield and in the region, having served on the board of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Baystate Health community benefits advisory board, and Live Well Springfield, an organization that promotes a culture of health in Springfield.

Located at 100 Hickory St., Educare Springfield opened in January 2020 and offers a full-day, full-year program for children birth to age 5. Currently, there are 24 Educare schools located in 15 states across the country, including urban and suburban communities.

HCC RN Program Ranked Best in Western Mass.

HOLYOKE — Nursing Process, a national online guide to healthcare education, ranked the registered nursing program at Holyoke Community College (HCC) as the best of its kind in Western Mass.

In its nursing-school rankings for 2020, Nursing Process lists HCC’s program fifth overall out of the 60 accedited associate-degree nursing programs in Massachusetts that it considered for review, according to the independent organization’s website. HCC’s associate of science in nursing program was the highest-ranked community-college nursing program in the four counties of Western Mass. Graduates of the ASN program qualify to take the NCLEX-RN test to become licensed as registered nurses.

“We’re grateful for the recognition,” said Clare Lamontagne, dean of Health Sciences at HCC. “We take great pride in our nursing program at HCC and work very hard to make sure we offer our students an unparalleled educational experience.”

According to its website, Nursing Process considers factors such as graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, affordability, reputation, and NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate in its ranking methodology.

HCC’s nursing programs — associate of science in nursing and practical nursing — are based in the Center for Health Education & Simulation, a state-of-the-art education and training facility the college opened in 2015.

For anyone interested in nursing or one of HCC’s other health-science programs — foundations of health, radiologic technology, or veterinary technician — the college will be holding health-career information sessions over Zoom on Thursday. Nov. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up for a session, visit hcc.edu/info-sessions or e-mail [email protected].

Registration begins Monday, Nov. 2 for HCC’s two-week January Wintersession and the spring 2020 semester.

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield Wins Community Service Award

CHICOPEE — The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce announced that Mercedes-Benz of Springfield was chosen as its Community Service Award recipient. This award honors a business, nonprofit, or individual which has benefited the lives of the Amherst-area community through their work and outreach.

“We are proud to honor Mercedes-Benz of Springfield in recognition of their outreach efforts through their ‘Driven by Community’ platform,” the awards committee noted. “The lives and jobs of the Amherst-area community benefited greatly, especially at this difficult time.”

The Driven by Community platform officially launched in March, although it has been implemented at the dealership since the doors opened three years ago.

Since then, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield has partnered with more than 250 local organizations, raised more than $20,000 when COVID-19 impacted local businesses, and hosted numerous fundraising and charity events at the dealership — most recently, a drive-in movie night with proceeds donated to the Urban League of Springfield to support its mission.

The virtual A+ Awards Show will be livestreamed from Hadley Farms Meeting House on Thursday, Nov. 12. Mercedes-Benz of Springfield is proud to be honored alongside Lifetime Achievement Award winner Betsey McInnis of Family Outreach of Amherst, Leader in Innovation Award winner Phoenix Fruit Farm of Belchertown, Leader in Sustainability Award winner Kestrel Land Trust of Amherst, Young Professional Award winner Ash Crawford of Amherst Coffee, Chamber MVP Award winner Lisa Eugin of Encharter Insurance, and a COVID Hero to be announced live.

bankESB Celebrates Grand Opening of First Amherst Branch

AMHERST — Last week, bankESB celebrated the virtual grand opening of its newest branch location at 253 Triangle St., Amherst. The event was commemorated in a Facebook Live broadcast hosted by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.

The full-service banking office, which opened in late August, marks bankESB’s first Amherst location and joins 11 other branch offices throughout Western Mass. The new branch provides full-service banking to retail and business customers within 3,300 square feet of space that includes three private offices, a drive-up teller window, and a 24-hour walk-up ATM.

During the event and to mark the bank’s entry into Amherst, bankESB President and CEO Matthew Sosik presented a $10,000 donation to the Amherst Relief and Resiliency Microgrant Program, a fund established to provide financial relief to the town’s small businesses affected by the COVID-19 state of emergency. The donation was the second the bank has made to the program since its inception and brings the bank’s total contributions to the fund to $12,500. Over the past five years, the bank has demonstrated a continued commitment to Amherst by donating nearly $100,000 to the community.

“This branch adds another opportunity for bankESB to be part of the steady growth happening in Western Massachusetts and further reinforces our commitment to community banking in the Pioneer Valley,” Sosik said. “We’re thrilled to add convenience for our existing Amherst customers and are excited to share our unique, community-focused brand of banking with the residents and small-business owners of this great town.”

As part of the ongoing celebration, the bank is offering a variety of special offers and promotions to both retail customers and businesses, available only at the Amherst location.

Jessica West has been named assistant vice president and branch officer of the Amherst office. She previously was the branch officer of the bank’s 241 Northampton St., Easthampton location.

Wellfleet Teams Up with binx health to Keep College Students Safe and Campuses Open

SPRINGFIELD — Wellfleet Insurance has teamed up with binx health to offer college clients access to easy at-home/in-dorm sample collection for COVID-19 testing using binx’s enterprise solutions for population health screening.

The ‘binx boxes’ are showing up in dorm rooms of thousands of students on Wellfleet’s college client campuses, offering school officials a quick, easy way to test a campus population, with oversight and test ordering by on-site university clinicians.

The model amplifies the power and reach of university administration in their efforts to test, track, and trace the COVID-19 infection status among students, faculty, staff, and vendors. Students ‘activate’ binx boxes online, complete sample collection in their dorms or at home, then drop off completed kits at centralized locations for lab processing. Results are rapid, often under 24 hours from sample receipt.

Wellfleet, one of the nation’s leading student health-insurance carriers, worked with binx on behalf of client colleges and universities to deliver a first-of-its-kind platform that makes population testing a reality for the nation’s college campuses.

The testing platform offers a unique, modular approach enabling tailored rollout and customized deployment based on university population needs. Serving as a ‘digital hub,’ binx enables seamless linking of patients to university administration via clinician ordering tools, global logistics, at-home/in-dorm sample collection, viral trend analysis and reporting, rapid lab testing, contact tracing, and live customer service and support, all offered at an affordable, per-test fee by university.

“As a health plan built exclusively for the student population, we know the unique challenges our client college administrators face,” said Drew DiGiorgio, Wellfleet’s president and CEO. “As clients face additional expenses with testing, we saw the need to help them find a fast, efficient, accurate, and cost-effective option.”

binx’s deployment in COVID-19 was adapted from its innovative platform for sexually transmitted infections, which also serves the college health community with similar tools.

“The best healthcare solutions are convenient, motivate patients to act, and provide valuable insights to those on the frontlines of care,” said Jeff Luber, binx president and CEO. “To achieve those objectives, schools need tailored, technology-driven testing solutions that reach students and faculty where they live and work to keep in-person learning a reality.”

In addition to introducing clients to tailored COVID-19 testing solutions, Wellfleet has also adapted policies to help members, including helping to ensure student members aren’t saddled with out-of-pocket costs related to COVID-19, and enhanced coverage for telemedicine visits.

Red Sox Foundation, Museum of Science Distribute Science and Engineering Kits to Kids

BOSTON — As a way to celebrate STEM Week in Massachusetts last week, the Red Sox Foundation and the Museum of Science in Boston partnered to distribute nearly 650 at-home science and engineering design-challenge kits to children at Springfield’s Square One, the Lawrence YMCA, and the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club.

“From the start of the pandemic, we have worked to support children with their distance-learning needs,” Red Sox Foundation Executive Director Bekah Salwasser said. “The Museum of Science has designed and developed incredible online and at-home resources for children specifically focused on science and engineering, and we were thrilled to partner with them to get their Try It! kits in the hands of kids in Lawrence and Springfield.”

The Try It! kits are a part of the virtual learning resources the museum has developed through its curricular division, EiE, and its MOS at Home digital platform, to provide families with all the materials needed to enjoy fun and engaging science education any time, any place. An extension of its award-winning “Engineering Is Elementary” curriculum, the Try It! kits are available in both English and Spanish.

“The Museum of Science’s mission is to instill a lifelong love of science in everyone. Through our digital platform, MOS at Home, and with our at-home EiE Try It! Kits, we are able to engage with the public beyond our walls and bring the museum directly to them,” said Tim Ritchie, president of the Museum of Science. “In celebration of Massachusetts STEM Week, with support from the museum’s generous annual fund supporters, and with the help of trusted community partners like the Red Sox Foundation, we are able to break down barriers to science and empower our community to see themselves in STEM.”

MassDevelopment Announces Leadership Transition

BOSTON — MassDevelopment announced that, after three years as president and CEO, Lauren Liss will step down from this position at the end of the calendar year. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of MassDevelopment, will lead the search for the next head of the state’s finance and development agency.

“Lauren has been an incredible partner and leader as she has put MassDevelopment’s many programs and resources to work creating jobs for our residents, increasing investment in our communities, and spurring economic growth statewide,” Kennealy said. “From providing critical financing to growing businesses to supporting the construction of new housing units, Lauren and the MassDevelopment team have played an essential role in our administration’s work on countless projects and initiatives.”

Before taking the reins at MassDevelopment in 2017, Liss held leadership positions in both the private and public sectors, including commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and a partner in a Boston law firm.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to return to public service to lead MassDevelopment during a period of such tremendous growth,” she said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure, working with the Baker-Polito administration, the MassDevelopment board, and all our dedicated colleagues and staff to spur economic development across the Commonwealth, particularly in our underserved communities.”

In fiscal year 2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects, generating investment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,871 jobs and build or preserve 1,787 housing units. As president and CEO, Liss expanded its work in gateway cities through an array of finance programs and real-estate services, such as the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and Commonwealth Places program, and oversaw tremendous growth at Devens, MassDevelpment’s iconic mixed-use redevelopment of the former Fort Devens.

This year, under Liss’ leadership and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MassDevelopment pivoted programs and tools to support small businesses in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities and aid in economic recovery. These efforts helped to stabilize businesses in TDI districts and created crowdfunding opportunities for community partners to prepare public spaces and commercial districts to safely serve residents and visitors.

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.

Big Y Announces Another Two-day Break for Employees

SPRINGFIELD — Big Y announced it will close all its stores, including Big Y World Class Markets, Table & Vine, and Fresh Acres specialty market, on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, as well as Friday, Nov. 27. Big Y Express Gas & Convenience locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day as well.

In order to thank their thousands of employees for their continued hard work and tenacious efforts throughout the challenges of being an essential service throughout the pandemic, Big Y has decided to close its markets to the public on Thanksgiving and the day after so employees can rest and spend more time with their families. In addition, the closure will allow time for extra cleaning, restocking, and preparations for the remainder of the holiday season.

According to Richard Bossie, senior vice president of Operations and Customer Experience, “we are humbled by the extraordinary work of our frontline employees throughout this past year. Being able to close to the public for an extra day or two helps them to relax and spend time with loved ones. It also gives us an opportunity to clean and restock. The resilience of our teams has been remarkable, and we are thrilled to be able to thank them with a well-deserved break.”

Big Y closed for its last two-day period in April for Easter Sunday and Monday (April 12-13) in order to give teams some much-needed rest. In addition to these days of rest for employees, Big Y has provided thank-you pay and now thank-you bonuses for frontline workers in recognition of their continued commitment to each other and to customers.

Bay Path Celebrates 2020 Graduates in Virtual Style

LONGMEADOW — On Oct. 17, the Bay Path University community celebrated what may be the most resilient graduates in recent history: the class of 2020. Although the celebration was viewed on screens instead of in person, and graduates were sent texts and Facebook comments of congratulations instead of hugs and high fives, it was an event to remember.

The ceremony — Bay Path’s 123rd — was held live on campus with a production team from Zasco Productions safely bringing the event to graduates, friends, and families all over the globe. A small group of Bay Path administrators, trustees, and faculty members donned their celebratory commencement regalia to bring the event to life, delivering encouraging messages of hope and resilience to the 1,010 graduating students.

Six graduating seniors from the class of 2020 kicked off the ceremony with a moving virtual rendition of the national anthem, followed by a special invocation of the Nipmuck Prayer delivered by Gentle Running Deer and Aprell Mumford (class of 2021), both members of the Mohawk tribe from the Iroquois Confederacy. Local dignitaries and faculty members gave virtual well wishes, reminding the graduates of what they had to overcome to make it to this moment.

“I want you to take a moment to celebrate this moment because it represents the absolute joy that comes from completing a journey that once seemed overwhelming. I want you to celebrate achieving something that is life-changing,” Bay Path President Sandra Doran said.

During the ceremony, two students received awards for their hard work and exemplary character. Traditional undergraduate student Lilly West received the Eagle Award for her positive attitude and community leadership on campus and in athletics, while maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA. Karen Vecchitto, a non-traditional student at the American Women’s College, received the Pathfinder Award in honor of obtaining academic excellence of a GPA of 3.5 or higher while balancing her family life, career, and community-service responsibilities.

After a benediction from Fr. Christopher Waitekus of St. Mary’s Church in Longmeadow, the event ended with special remarks from the guests of honor — the graduates themselves. More than 50 graduates submitted videos thanking their families, friends, professors, and the Bay Path community for helping to make their success a reality. As one Bay Path graduate shared, “special thanks to my friends, family, and BPU faculty. Congratulations 2020, we finally did it! It’s time to conquer this world — be great, not average!”

STCC Nursing Program Ranked Eighth in Massachusetts

Special Coverage Women in Businesss

SPRINGFIELD — A national independent nursing information and education website listed Springfield Technical Community College’s (STCC) nursing program as one of the best in Massachusetts.

Nursing Process ranked STCC’s program eighth in the state for 2020. The ranking was established after thoroughly evaluating 60 nursing programs across the state, according to a Nursing Process Communication Officer Shehnaz Reddy.

“We applaud the efforts of Springfield Technical Community College toward nurturing the academic and career goals of nursing students,” Reddy said. “Congratulations to the students, faculty, and administrators of the college!”

Nursing Process is an online resource for aspiring students and their families to access information about nursing education and careers. Currently, the site reaches out to more than 100,000 students every month, from all over the country.

Other resource websites have ranked STCC’s nursing programs among the best in recent years. This past spring, Nursing Schools Almanac ranked STCC as one of the top associate-degree nursing programs in Massachusetts. In 2018, Nursing Schools Almanac ranked STCC’s program among the top 75 in New England.

Lisa Fugiel, director of Nursing at STCC, said it was an honor to be recognized again for excellence. “I’m proud of our talented faculty and staff who have gone the extra distance to make sure our students get the best educational experience possible. Our program has served as a launching pad for many successful careers in healthcare.”

The nursing program prepares students to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the U.S. must pass this examination before they may commence practice.

The program, which starts each fall, is offered only on a full-time basis. STCC offers extensive experiential, hands-on learning at the SIMS Medical Center on campus, which allows students to practice on robotic patient simulators. Students also train at clinical sites that include hospitals and healthcare centers in the Springfield and Pioneer Valley region.

Companies Find Imaginative, Fun Ways to Help Employees Cope with a Crisis

By George O'Brien October 27, 2020

Coronavirus Cover Story

Battle Fatigue

Employees at Meyers Brothers Kalicka crowd around a food truck offering gourmet grilled cheese, one of many initiatives on the part of the company to help boost morale during the pandemic — and a long, difficult tax season.

The food truck from the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House pulled into the north parking lot of the PeoplesBank building in Holyoke around 2 p.m. on Oct. 15.

By 2:30, a large number of employees from the accounting and tax-planning firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka had gathered to enjoy gourmet grilled cheese, tomato soup, hard cider, and some pumpkin beers, and to play a little cornhole.

The occasion? The last day of filing for those who sought extensions on their tax returns, and thus another milestone during what has been labeled by those in the accounting realm as the ‘never-ending tax season of 2020.’

But in many ways, the grilled cheese, trimmings, and camaraderie were part of what has become a multi-pronged effort at MBK to help employees cope with all the stress and strain — the battle fatigue, if you will — of what has been the most trying year anyone can remember.

And the company is certainly not alone in this mindset.

Indeed, businesses and nonprofits large and small have been addressing this matter of fatigue and helping employees cope with stress in ways that range from loosened dress codes to those food trucks; from pumpkin-decorating competitions to the ‘concert T-shirt day’ — no explanation needed — staged by MBK.

“There’s a lot of stress, and initially, people were trying to do everything and be 100% in everything, and I think most are now acknowledging that this is not realistic or sustainable.”

Overall, business owners and managers are recognizing that their valued employees — the ones who remain after many others have been furloughed or laid off — are tired, worried about the future, ‘Zoomed out’ (another phrase you hear a lot these days), unable or unwilling to take paid time off, and unable or unwilling to leave work behind when they leave work — whether they’re at the office or at home, said Meredith Wise, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE).

And they’re responding, as she is responding herself (EANE has 22 people on its payroll), with policies, formal and informal, and action plans focused on providing some stress relief and perhaps a sense of normalcy in a year when some companies and agencies are offering ‘mental-health days’ in the office instead of at home.

“Our team is feeling it,” said Wise, using ‘it’ to refer to the sum of the stress incurred at work and at home. “We’re having a difficult year here, and everyone is pushing for the numbers and pushing for the registrations and pushing to connect with our members and provide the best service. And then, at home, it’s not like they’re going home and then relaxing and getting away from the pressures and having time to rest and refuel. They’re going home, whether they’re working remotely or working at the office, and they’ve got all the stuff in their personal life.”

Elaborating, she said this collective ‘stuff’ constitutes everything from fear of contracting the virus to negativity on the nightly news, to the inability to do the things they want to do and go to places they want to go.

Add it all up, and it’s exhausting and often overwhelming, she said, adding that, as an employer, she considers it her responsibility to help valued employees cope with all this.

Amy Roberts, senior vice president and chief Human Resources officer at PeoplesBank, agreed. She told BusinessWest that the focus for businesses over the past few months has shifted from dealing with an emergency — getting everyone home and making sure they’re safe — and setting up people to work from home if needed, to coping with this fatigue that has settled in.

The dress code has been thrown away at MP CPAs in Springfield, one of many steps taken to help employees feel more comfortable in the office during these uncertain times.

“One of the things we’ve tried to do through the whole situation is be flexible and creative in working with each person as their own needs evolve,” she explained. “You have parents who have kids in school or at home, or a combination of both, and then you have employees with significant others who are exposed or working in situations that put them in potential harm. There’s a lot of stress, and initially, people were trying to do everything and be 100% in everything, and I think most are now acknowledging that this is not realistic or sustainable.”

“We don’t meet with people in the office generally — we’ve closed our doors. So as long as you’re looking good from the waist up on Zoom meetings, it doesn’t really matter what else you’re wearing.”

As companies continue to find ways to assist employees, they acknowledge that, as the pandemic continues, fall turns to winter, the holidays and all the additional stress they bring on approach, and the days get shorter and darker, these efforts will have to continue and probably expand.

Forever in Blue Jeans

Doug Theobald says MP CPAs, the Springfield-based accounting firm, has long had a casual-Friday policy, and it has become quite popular.

These days, though, every day is casual as the company tries to make employees feel happier and more comfortable during this stressful time. And allow them to dress like their colleagues, who are working at home.

“We’ve thrown our dress code out — people have been in shorts and sweats since we came back in May,” Theobald, a principal and president of the company, explained. “We’ve always been business casual, and one of my biggest concerns was that people would be nervous coming back to the office; we wanted to make it as comfortable an environment as possible. We don’t meet with people in the office generally — we’ve closed our doors. So as long as you’re looking good from the waist up on Zoom meetings, it doesn’t really matter what else you’re wearing.

“That’s probably been the most beneficial thing we’ve done,” he went on. “If we get back to a new normal at some point, that might be my biggest hurdle — putting business casual back in place once client meetings start again.”

Meagan Tetreault, standing outside Big Y’s West Springfield store, says the company has taken an individualized approach to helping its thousands of employees cope with the stress and strain of the pandemic.

In some ways, this new dress code, or lack of one, is merely an extension of strategies put in place before the pandemic, aimed at creating a more appealing workplace at a time when attracting and retaining employees, especially in this sector, was becoming increasingly difficult as the job market tightened.

But it’s also part of a broad effort to help employees cope with all that 2020 is throwing at them, including that never-ending tax season, which will soon give way to the next tax season.

“My team is wiped,” Theobald said on Oct. 15 — again, the last day for those who sought extensions, and there were many in that category this year. “They work hard, and we are the one firm in this area that has a really, really busy fall season; it’s almost busier than April.”

He was planning to close the office down for a few days and give his team a break, another attempt to help them get rest and recreation in a year when there has been much less of both.

“There’s so much stress going on in this world right now, we’re just trying to make it as stress-free in the office as we can,” Theobold went on, noting that efforts ranging from the new dress code to flexible hours; from bringing food into the office more often (even if people can’t eat together) to delivering care packages (mostly snacks) to those working remotely, are efforts that will have to continue as the pandemic wears on.

“A lot of places are scaling back on these kinds of things for various reasons, and I don’t think it’s the time to do that. I think it’s time to put a little more gas on the fire because you don’t want to lose engagement or enthusiasm with your organization.”

Wise agreed, noting that, between work and home, many employees simply don’t seem to be able to get a break from the pressure and stress.

This leads to lack of sleep and even more mental and physical fatigue, she said, adding that matters are compounded by the fact that traditional vacations have become far more difficult to undertake. Indeed, trips to Disney World, cruises to Europe, weeks on the Cape, and even visits to relatives in other states have become daunting, if not impossible, because of the pandemic.

As a result, people are vacationing at home, which is good for the region and its tourism venues — the ones that are open, anyway; Six Flags, the Big E, and many others have not been — but the time off is, in many cases, not as relaxing and therapeutic. Meanwhile, with technology and the pandemic both being what they are, time off is usually not time off from many work stresses.

As a result, Wise and others in positions of leadership are strongly encouraging employees to completely unplug when they are taking a day or a week off.

“We try to encourage people to take their time off and to completely disconnect from the office,” she said. “We’re requiring people, when they’re taking a day off or a half-day off or a week off, to put an ‘out-of-office’ message on all of their devices. And that message should say that they will not be responding to e-mails. I don’t necessarily want to cut off people’s access, but we’re saying, ‘put that out-of-office message on, and don’t respond to anything.’ I can’t stop you from checking, but don’t respond.”

Roberts agreed, and said PeoplesBank has been pushing its workers to use their paid time off.

“When there’s nowhere to go, people are inclined to say, ‘I’ll just work,’” she said. “But over the summer, we were encouraging, and in some ways pushing, people to just take a staycation and unplug from work.”

Stressing Some Points

Roberts told BusinessWest it was only a few months into the pandemic when upper management at PeoplesBank recognized that fatigue was becoming an issue and needed to be addressed.

“We’ve had some pretty deliberate management conversations where our president, Tom Senecal, has said to team managers, ‘make sure you’re paying attention to the fatigue factor and that you’re communicating with people in a way that they know you understand that this is a very unique and evolving situation.’

“While we want obviously to meet the needs of the customers and do everything we need to do as a business, we recognize that there’s another side to this,” she went on. “Just acknowledging this and having that conversation with managers gives them that awareness and pushes them in a direction where they’re taking a more flexible approach with their people.”

Meagan Tetreault, senior Employee Services field manager for Big Y Foods, agreed. She told BusinessWest that, as an essential retail business, the company has obviously been open for customers and focused on their safety. But it has been focused on employees and their various needs as well — everything from steps taken to keep them safe to flexibility with schedules to enable them to successfully balance work and life.

“Our first priority was making sure we’re putting in place different protocols to make sure that the environment is as safe and secure as possible — from sanitizing and cleaning to plastic barriers to maintaining that social distance,” she explained. “And at certain points, we limited our staff to maintain that social distancing; in retail, it’s natural that you have to have that interaction with the public, and that can be scary. How do you support them through that? It starts with safety and wellness, and promoting that wellness.”

But, as noted, support has come in many different forms, she noted, including efforts to help the company’s 12,000 employees manage the pandemic. And as she talked about it, Tetreault stressed the need to address each employee individually and, when possible, customize a response.

“We found that it comes down to each individual employee’s needs and wants, and our store teams are a big part of that,” she said. “Our employee-services representatives are in each store to assist with employee needs, identifying opportunities and having some of those individual conversations to find out what works for that particular individual.”

Elaborating, she said the company amended its attendance policies; established something called ‘COVID leave,’ which enabled employees to take time off without losing their status; and created more flexibility for workers.

“Our store hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but we have people who come in and work overnight shifts as well,” she explained. “And we’re able to work with employees to find a schedule and position them to support their individual needs, be it childcare or even wishing to limit contact with customers.”

COVID Coping

Overall, while morale is an issue some companies address at least some of the time, it has become more of a front-burner topic during the pandemic, out of necessity, said those we spoke with.

“We’re seeing morale dip a bit; people are trying to put a good face on it, but it’s becoming harder and harder to do that,” Wise told BusinessWest. “So we’re trying to find things we can be doing to raise morale.”

Such efforts include e-mails on Wednesday reminding people that they can almost see Friday, and other e-mails on Friday telling people to turn their computers off at 4:30, go home, and not think about work over the weekend, or even watch the news.

PeoplesBank conducted its annual Employee Fest this year, but it was decidedly different, with many of the activities carried out remotely.

Region-wide, morale-building efforts run the gamut from food and games to team-building exercises, either in person or the remote variety.

At PeoplesBank, the week-long event known as Employee Fest was staged as always, but it did look and feel different, said Roberts, noting that many activities were carried out remotely, with gifts delivered to all employees, whether they were working at the office, in one of the branches, or remotely.

At MBK, morale-building has been a year-long priority, said Sarah Rose Stack, Marketing & Recruiting manager, adding that it comes in several forms, from so-called social-media holidays, where people post pictures of pets, children, or travel destinations; to the concert T-shirt day, flip-flops day, and alma-mater day; to food trucks, which have come on several occasions.

The company has traditionally done such things, and it has long had what’s been called the ‘Fun Committee,’ which arranged an axe-throwing competition and visit to a brewery last year, for example. This year, the activities are different, but there are more of them, with good reason.

“A lot of places are scaling back on these kinds of things for various reasons, and I don’t think it’s the time to do that,” she noted. “I think it’s time to put a little more gas on the fire because you don’t want to lose engagement or enthusiasm with your organization.”

Many of the initiatives at MBK and elsewhere fall into the broad category of connectivity, an important ingredient for success at any business, and something that’s been lacking due to the pandemic.

Monica Borgatti, chief operating officer for the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, said the small staff of three full-time and three part-time employees has mostly been working remotely since March. That means no water-cooler talk — literally, anyway, she said, adding that the nonprofit has tried to incorporate those types of discussions into the regular Zoom meetings in an effort to help people connect in ways beyond what they’re doing for work every day.

“We always, always make sure to start those weekly meetings with a virtual water cooler,” she told BusinessWest. “Everyone takes turns sharing something, whether it’s an article they’ve come across over the past week or something personal — they got a new dog and they want to show off the pictures, or some household project that they’ve finally completed.

“We make sure to create time for that at all those staff meetings, so we’re connecting with each other as people and not just as co-workers,” she went on, adding that the agency also allows for very flexible schedules and encourages employees to stop and step away from their work when they need to, and not stare at a computer screen for hours on end.

At MBK, one of the partners, Jim Krupienski, stages a monthly check-in social, Stack said, during which the company has a cocktail hour of sorts where those working from home can join in remotely. “It’s just really to check in and talk about anything other than work,” she noted. “It’s a mental-health check-in with adult beverages.”

Scanning the landscape, Wise believes many companies are struggling in their efforts to maintain morale among their employees. It’s easier for a smaller business to undertake initiatives in this regard than those with several hundred employees, she noted, but most are trying to do something.

It might be a food truck or two coming to the parking lot — even sharing a large pizza box can be risky during a pandemic — or more communication from the C-suite, she said, adding that there is more ‘management by walking around’ in this environment, or at least there should be.

Meanwhile, employers are pushing people to take time off and providing more one-on-one employee counseling, duties now falling in many cases to human-resources professionals, especially at smaller companies that do not have employee-assistance programs.

“They’ve had to put on their social work, psychologist’s hat,” she noted. “And it’s not something that they’re used to. But some employees just need to vent; they’re saying, ‘I don’t know what to do or where to go.’”

Bottom Line

While no one really knows when the pandemic will subside and something approaching normal returns to the workplaces of Western Mass., what most business owners and managers do know is that their valued employees will need some help getting to that point.

At a time when most e-mail messages end with the message ‘stay safe and stay sane,’ or words to that effect, achieving those goals has been anything but easy.

Addressing this battle fatigue has become an important, and ongoing, assignment for many businesses, and the smart ones understand that the fight is far from over, and they need to keep finding ways to be attentive and creative — and even fun.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Amid Endless Questions and Challenges, Thunderbirds Plan for the Future

By George O'Brien October 27, 2020

Features Special Coverage

A Season on Ice

Nate Costa, president of the Thunderbirds

The wall opposite Nate Costa’s desk is covered in a wrap depicting action from the American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star Classic, played at the MassMutual Center in January 2019 — probably the high point of the five-year re-emergence, and renaissance, of professional hockey in Springfield.

Costa pointed toward that wall several times as he tried to explain just how the Springfield Thunderbirds, which he serves as president, might place spectators so they are at least six feet apart — if, and it’s mighty big if, the governor, the city, and whoever else might need to sign off on such a plan gives the proverbial green light. And he also pointed while talking about the many subtleties and challenges that go into such an exercise.

“It’s almost like a puzzle,” he explained. “We have 6,700 seats, and our season-ticket holders are typically jammed into the best seats. All our center-ice seats are completely taken … so what do you do in a six-foot distancing model? — everyone can’t get the seat they would normally want to have, and that’s just one of the challenges.”

As he talked with BusinessWest on Oct. 15, five days after the 2020-21 season was supposed to start, Costa acknowledged that trying to put together this puzzle is just one of the myriad questions and challenges he and a now considerably smaller staff are working to address.

“The ownership has given a commitment to Springfield — we’re not going anywhere. It’s going to be a challenging year for us, like it is for everyone else, but the commitment is there to get through this year and plan for the long term. We’ll get through this … it’s just going to be tough.”

Indeed, Costa admitted he has no real idea if or when he might be able to put such a plan into action. In reality, he has no idea when or under what circumstances hockey might again be played on Main Street. He was told in July by the National Hockey League, parent to the AHL, that games might be able to commence by early December, but he’s very doubtful about that date.

He believes January or even February is a far more likely start time. But beyond that, he cannot say with any degree of certainty how — and how many — games might be played, and how late into 2021 the season might go. Instead, there are only question marks — many of them, involving everything from if and how many fans can sit in the stands to if and how this team can travel to away games in other states, let alone Canada.

All these questions, most of them difficult if not impossible to answer at this juncture, make this a difficult, very frustrating time for Costa and all those involved with a franchise that had become one of the feel-good stories in Springfield over the past several years.

While the AHL is expressing hope that games might be played in early December, Nate Costa, president of the Thunderbirds, believes January or early February is a more likely target for a return to action at the MassMutual Center.

Under Costa’s stewardship and the backing of a large, committed ownership group, Springfield had gone from a city without hockey after the Falcons departed for Arizona more than five years ago, to one with a franchise that was not only filling the MassMutual Center with increasing regularity, but also becoming part of the fabric of the region.

Turning the clock back just seven months or so, although it seems like an eternity, to be sure, Costa said the team was clicking on all or most cylinders, meaning everything from ticket and merchandise sales to creating strong partnerships with a number of area businesses.

Listen to BusinessTalk with Nate Costa Podcast HERE

“We were, fortunately, in a really good position when the season ended last year,” he noted. “We were ahead of budget, we were on track to make a profit, which was three years in the making. We were in great shape — we had nine sellouts through March last year, which was our previous record, and we had three weekends left and were expecting three more sellouts. The business was in great shape.”

In the proverbial blink of an eye, though, everything changed. The season, and the MassMutual Center, were shut down. Initially, the Thunderbirds, like most businesses closed down by the pandemic, thought it might be a matter of several weeks before things went back to something approaching normal. As it became clear this wouldn’t be the case, the team — again, like many other businesses — had to make some hard decisions and eventually furlough several employees; once a staff of 19, it is now down to seven.

“The thing that has been frustrating and challenging — to everyone, but me in particular — is that we don’t have a lot of control over much of anything at this point. You’re beholden to the state and other states and also to the league … you can have all the best plans in the world, but if we don’t have the ability to do it and do it safely, then it’s going to be a challenge.”

Those who remain are trying to carry on as they did seven and half months ago — selling season tickets, planning events, working within the community, and building the team’s foundation. But it’s all different. For the most part, the staff is trying to prepare for contingencies, plan what can be planned, and, perhaps above all, work tirelessly to remain relevant while waiting for games to commence and the pandemic to run its course.

“The ownership has given a commitment to Springfield — we’re not going anywhere,” Costa said. “It’s going to be a challenging year for us, like it is for everyone else, but the commitment is there to get through this year and plan for the long term. We’ll get through this … it’s just going to be tough.”

Setting Goals

When asked about how he’s apportioning his time these days, Costa said he spends much of it on the phone.

Many of those calls are to and from other team executives in the AHL — he knows most of them going back to the days when he worked for the league — who are looking to compare notes and share thoughts on how to deal with a situation unlike anything they’ve encountered.

“I’m seeing what other teams are doing, what they’re hearing from their states, and what the temperature is for us to play in the upcoming year,” he explained. “There’s a lot of conversation going on about how we can pull this off and how we can do it the right way. It’s a challenge that none of us have faced in our careers, and there’s no way to really plan for it.”

In addition to other AHL officials, Costa and others within the league are also talking with leaders from other sports, including the National Football League. From these conversations, they’re learning it’s been difficult to sell even those comparatively few tickets that states like Florida, Texas, and Missouri are allowing teams to sell.

Indeed, while the popular notion might be that there is considerable demand for those few seats, and that teams would struggle to figure out who might be awarded them, that is certainly not the case.

“They’re having a hard time selling the limited inventory that they have because people are just not mentally ready for it yet,” Costa said. “Even the Cowboys are facing challenges; they’ve had to comp a lot of tickets. The Dolphins, the same thing. That’s what we’re seeing.”

Signage outside the MassMutual Center still displays the 2019-20 Thunderbirds’ schedule because the slate for this year remains clouded by question marks.

This harsh reality brings yet another layer of intrigue, and questions, to the discussion concerning just when, if, and under what circumstances the AHL might be permitted to carry out its 2020-21 season. Indeed, while the league wants to commence action and get fans back in the arenas, if they start too early, fans will not be eager to come back.

And the harshest reality of all is that this league — and the NHL as well — simply cannot operate for any length of time without fans in the stands.

The AHL is a league with no national television contracts and only some smaller, regional deals. The vast majority of revenues come from sponsorships and sales of tickets, concessions, and merchandise. And without fans in the stands … well, it’s easy to do the math.

Meanwhile, the inability to play in front of fans is also presenting a major challenge to the parent league, the NHL, whose franchises own the bulk of the teams in the AHL, with a dozen or so, including the Thunderbirds, being independently owned.

“Even though the perception is that the NHL is this huge entity that can just sustain losses, with them not having the ability to put fans in the stands, that impacts everything,” he explained. “That’s the trunk to the revenue tree. If you don’t have fans, it’s hard to sell sponsorships, and you can’t sell merchandise and concessions. And at our level, that’s what really drives our business — it’s butts in seats.

“In this league, it’s crucially important to have fans in the arena,” he went on. “And that’s what we spent four years doing — rebuilding the fan base and packing this arena so that our business would be much more financially solvent.”

But playing games without fans in the stands remains one of the options moving forward, said Costa, calling it a last resort, but still a possibility, especially if he can negotiate with one of the local TV stations to televise some of the games. And talks along those lines are ongoing, he told BusinessWest.

The hope, though, is that, by January or February, the state will allow fans in the arenas with a six-foot-distancing model, he said, referring again to that image on his wall.

“It’s not going to be a ton of people, maybe 1,200 to 1,500 people from what we’re doing with our modeling,” Costa continued. “But at least it would get us started, and then the hope would be that, as the spring would move along, we’d be able to bring more bodies into the building.”

That’s the hope. But Costa and his team, as noted, are preparing, as best they can, for a number of contingencies.

“The thing that has been frustrating and challenging — to everyone, but me in particular — is that we don’t have a lot of control over much of anything at this point,” he said. “You’re beholden to the state and other states and also to the league … you can have all the best plans in the world, but if we don’t have the ability to do it and do it safely, then it’s going to be a challenge.”

Knowing the Score

Next spring will mark the 50th anniversary of the Calder Cup championship run authored by the team known then as the Springfield Kings, the minor-league affiliate of the then-fledgling Los Angeles Kings.

Costa said the team has been making plans to honor that squad and its accomplishment with a throwback game featuring the Kings’ colors and logos, an on-ice ceremony featuring surviving members of that team, and other events.

Now, most of those plans, as well as those to mark the fifth anniversary of the Thunderbirds themselves, are in limbo, like just about everything else concerning the 2020-21 season.

Indeed, even as Costa and his team try to prepare for the new season, there are still so many things beyond their control, especially the virus itself. By most accounts, a second wave has commenced, with cases on the rise in a number of states. Some of those states, and individual communities, have already put a number of restrictions in place as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus, and there may be even more in the weeks and months to come.

The ones already in place create a number of logistical concerns.

“Rhode Island has a 14-day mandatory quarantine, so if we play Providence, how does that work?” he asked rhetorically. “Meanwhile, the Canadian border is closed; we have Canadian teams, including one in our conference, Toronto. And then, there’s the challenge of air travel — Charlotte is in our division, and we would normally go there once or twice a year. How do you do that, and how do you do it safely?

“There’s a lot of things that we as a league have to work through,” he went on, and while coping with these day-to-day questions and challenges, he stressed the need to think and plan for the long term. He said the pandemic will eventually be something to talk about with the past tense, and he wants to properly position the franchise for that day, even while coping with the present challenges.

This mindset has dominated the team’s actions with regard to everything from refunding tickets sold but not used last season to managing the partnerships that have been developed over the years with corporate sponsors.

“We reached out to every season-ticket holder and gave them a number of options,” he said in reference to the seven games they missed at the end of last season. “They could roll the credit over to the following year, they could donate to our foundation, or, if they didn’t want to do any of those, we would be happy to give them a refund because, at the end of the day, it’s the right thing to do.

“None of us planned for this, so from a business perspective, we thought that any sort of pushback or anything like that is not the way to be,” he went on. “We want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the people who have supported us from the start, and we’ve been proactive and honest because, at the end of the day, it’s so important for us to be authentic through this process because we’re not the only ones dealing with this — everyone has their own challenges.”

This approach, coupled with the team’s strong track record over the past several years, has helped the organization maintain its strong base of support, said Costa, adding that the Thunderbirds have been able to retain roughly 85% of their season-ticket sales from last year, despite the question marks hovering over the upcoming season.

“It’s been incredible to see the level of support we’ve been given,” he said. “I think people were really seeing what we are able to do in the community and how much of an impact we were having. We’ve been given commitments by people that they’re going to be here when we’re back.”

Looking ahead to the day when the pandemic is over and he can once again focus on selling out the MassMutual Center, Costa is optimistic about his prospects for doing just that.

“I think it’s going to take some time — it might take until the summer for those people who aren’t diehards to come back to our arena, but I think that, by next fall, we’ll be able to pack this place again,” he told BusinessWest. “I think there’s going to be a lot of pent-up demand, and I think we’re positioned well. I think that, when people are ready to get back in the arena again, they’re going to think twice about driving to Boston and paying $300 to $400 for a ticket when they can get the same experience and see really good hockey right here in our area for a fraction of that price.”

Taking Their Best Shot

As he walked and talked with BusinessWest while showing off some of the many other wraps adorning the team’s offices on Bruce Landon Way, Costa stopped and reflected on the fact that last year’s schedule is still posted on the wall outside those facilities.

That schedule has become symbolic of how the NHL and the Thunderbirds have become frozen in time in some respects. No one can say when there will be new games on the slate, how the games will be played, or where.

What Costa does know is that, sometime soon — just when, he doesn’t know — there will be a new schedule in that space. Things will be different for some time to come, and the team is certainly not going to pick right up where it left off when the music stopped last March.

But he firmly believes that the solid foundation laid before the pandemic entered everyone’s lives has the team in a good place for when we’re all on the other side of this crisis.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Why the Economic Turmoil of 2020 Disproportionately Affects Women

By Joseph Bednar October 27, 2020

Impossible Choices

The Dress for Success Western Massachusetts digital-literacy program has helped numerous women like Carolyn, who was provided with equipment and coaching to start an online business.

It’s a setback that could take years, even decades, to reverse when it comes to economic equality for women.

About 617,000 women left the U.S. workforce in September, compared with only 78,000 men — nearly eight times as many. About half the women who dropped out are in the prime working age of 35 to 44.

“One of our strategic plans centers around economic security for women and girls,” said Donna Haghighat, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. “Obviously, that’s more important now, because many women are concentrated in low-wage jobs to begin with, and a lot of those jobs — ones traditionally filled by women — have disappeared because of the pandemic.”

According to a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the pandemic-fueled recession is tougher for women for two main reasons. First, as Haghighat noted, the crisis has battered industry sectors in which women’s employment is more concentrated, including restaurants, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. This was not the case in past recessions, which tended to hurt male-dominated industry sectors like manufacturing and construction more than other industries.

Second, the COVID-driven economic shutdowns have closed schools and daycare centers around the country, keeping kids at home and making it harder for parents — especially mothers, who tend to provide the majority of childcare — to keep working.

“The pandemic has really impacted women disproportionately in terms of not being able to go to work so they can help their kids learn,” said Margaret Tantillo, executive director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, an organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence. “It’s frustrating for parents to be sitting at home and trying to do what they need to do as well as help their children learn. A lot of women have several children at home.”

According to the study, among married parents who both work full-time, the mother provides, on average, about 60% of childcare. And when schools started up remotely last month, it further strained parenting demands. That contrast in accepted gender roles has contributed to a mass exodus of women from the work world that could have long-lasting ramifications.

“The pandemic has really impacted women disproportionately in terms of not being able to go to work so they can help their kids learn.”

“We have folks who are voluntarily dropping out of the job market, particularly women, because of the competing demands in terms of remote learning for children,” Haghighat told BusinessWest. “They have to navigate all that. Even if it’s a working couple, women tend to make less money, so if something has to give, and someone has to give up their job for a while, it tends to be the woman because she’s already making less money. That’s what we’re seeing.”

At the same time, according to a study by management-consulting firm McKinsey, while women account for 39% of the global workforce, they are overrepresented in three of the four hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic: accommodation and food services (54%), retail and wholesale trade (43%), and services such as arts, recreation, and public administration (46%). In addition, only 22% of working women have jobs that allow them to telecommute, compared with 28% of male workers.

The numbers get worse for women of color; while the U.S. female jobless rate remained at 8% in September, it’s higher for black and Hispanic women.

“Economic inequality was here before COVID-19. The pandemic just showed us how big this gap is and how deep the disparity goes,” said Tanisha Arena, executive director of Arise for Social Justice in Springfield, adding that some individual success stories have been wiped out.

“Some businesses will never open back up because they didn’t survive the pandemic,” she noted. “How many women own those businesses, or work at those businesses? The effect will be long-lasting. When you’ve lost your job and it’s not coming back, how do you pay your bills?”

Holding Up the Pillars

Still, last month’s massive decline in female employment is at least partially — and possibly mostly — due to the lack of childcare options, Russel Price, chief economist at Ameriprise, told CNN, noting that employment in child daycare services was still down nearly 18% in September from its pre-pandemic level.

One factor influences the next, Haghighat said, which is why the Women’s Fund has been working on a grant-funded project to create an ‘economic mobility hub’ in the region by identifying and bolstering key pillars — social determinants of either success or pain — that impact one’s ability to navigate the economy. “If one of those pillars is disrupted, like housing or transportation, that can be devastating for women and families.”

Arena agreed, noting the most obvious example — how a lack of daycare can lead to job loss, which can lead to an inability to pay rent or mortgage. “Now we’re talking about a housing issue in the middle of a pandemic — and with the moratorium being lifted, how many people are facing eviction and being homeless? I see the fallout of these economic challenges.”

“Economic inequality was here before COVID-19. The pandemic just showed us how big this gap is and how deep the disparity goes.”

In addition to distributing food to seniors, directing people to housing resources, and other programs, Arise has even paid some individuals’ routine bills. Arena used the example of an auto-insurance bill: an overdue bill can lead to a ticket, impound, or court date, all of which can generate costs far above the original missed payment, or even the loss of a job. Suddenly a life spirals out of control over $100 or less.

“It can derail someone’s life in a way that policymakers can’t grasp,” she added, citing their inability on Capitol Hill to come up with further stimulus — as if a $1,200 check in the spring adequately covered eight months of hardship. “It’s not their life.”

Haghighat said her organization’s work has uncovered some of the cracks in public support systems and how they impact not only employment, but food security, public health, and any number of other factors the pandemic has only exacerbated.

“It’s easy to say, ‘oh, it’s just an employment issue or a social-services issue.’ It’s more complex than that.”

Then there’s the broad issue known as the ‘digital divide,’ or the inability of many people to access the technology needed to function in today’s economy — an issue that’s come down hard on women since they’ve experienced more disruption.

Tantillo recalled that, as soon as Gov. Charlie Baker announced the shutdown in mid-March, “we picked up the phone and called our participants and found a lot of them had issues they didn’t have before. And one thing that came up was connectivity and being able to access and utilize the internet.”

Identifying digital equity as connectivity, access to equipment, and the knowledge and ability to use software, Dress for Success enlisted a group of volunteers to form a digital task force, providing one-on-one coaching for 25 women, 13 of whom have since enrolled in a local workforce-development program for job training.

Donna Haghighat

“We have folks who are voluntarily dropping out of the job market, particularly women, because of the competing demands in terms of remote learning for children.”

“Everyone has a different starting point,” Tantillo said. “We assess where they are and provide coaching to the point where they can do all the things they need to do for a job search.

“I can’t imagine what their lives would be like right now if they didn’t have access to the Internet and able to do all these things,” she continued, adding that the digital divide was a reality for many long before COVID-19.

“The women we serve, they had to go to the library to go on the computer and do a job search, with maybe a kid in tow. How are they working in the same playing field as everyone else? They’re not. And the majority of women we serve are women of color.”

Then, of course, all the libraries closed, and the pandemic further exacerbated that computer-access divide. While Dress for Success has donated equipment and provided coaching for area women, that’s only a micro-level solution.

“It illustrates what’s needed at the macro level. What we’re doing really highlights what is going on in our communities. When women are trying to get out of poverty, and they’re not able to connect to a job search, it leaves not just them behind, but their families, for generations.”

“If we want an economy that’s going to thrive,” Tantillo went on, “we need to have citizens participating in the new economy, and the new economy is going to be online. Everyone has a vested interest in this. It’s an injustice if we don’t fix it.”

Ripple Effect

The National Bureau of Economic Research survey suggests the ramifications of the pandemic’s disproportionate economic impact on women could be long-lasting. The authors estimate that 15 million single mothers in the U.S. will be the most severely affected, with little potential for receiving other sources of childcare and a smaller likelihood of continuing to work during the crisis.

Even if they do return, leaving the workforce for any amount of time — which, again, 617,000 American women did last month, by either choice or because their job disappeared — will affect their lifetime earning potential, which already lags behind that of men.

All that piles on top of the health impacts — both physical and mental — of this challenging time, an area where the digital divide creeps in as well, Tantillo said.

“It impacts people’s ability to stay engaged through telehealth. We talk about social isolation; it impacts the ability to connect with family and friends. People are now talking about connectivity as if it’s a utility — that’s how important it is.

“We created a pilot for what needs to happen regionally in order for there to be real change and access for everyone,” she added. “It needs to be regional, and people need to put resources into this.”

Arena noted that people often use the term ‘essential worker’ or ‘frontline worker’ to talk about medical professionals, but so many other people who are truly essential and working on the front lines — truck drivers, grocery cashiers, gas-station attendants — have had to make tough choices about whether to work and make needed income or step away and guard their health.

She says the legislators fighting in Washington don’t understand — and don’t seem to care — how this year has taxed individuals, and especially women, in so many ways.

“Now that schools are closed, can you get to your job?” she asked. “Am I going to lose my livelihood because of these economic conditions, or literally lose my life by going to work? People are stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

What Businesses Need to Know About the Flurry of COVID-related Lawsuits

Law Special Coverage

Risky Business

By Amy B. Royal, Esq.

The pandemic has already created a flurry of individual and class-action lawsuits against companies. In fact, according to data collected through a national association for lawyers, it is estimated that approximately 80 COVID-related litigation cases have been filed in Massachusetts alone, and more than 5,000 across the country. These cases are expected to be very costly to defend.

The most common types of cases that have emerged involve health and safety violations, discrimination, and leaves of absence from work. In understanding the trends of lawsuits that have already been filed, businesses can better prepare by assessing risk and perhaps mitigate their exposure to liability in the process.

The Safety Suits

Not surprisingly, several COVID-related lawsuits involve health and safety claims. The common theme among them is that a company failed to provide a safe environment either for their employees or for their customers. Some of the lawsuits allege a failure-to-warn component, i.e., that the company knew an individual had exhibited COVID-19 symptoms at the place of business, yet the company failed to inform employees and customers. Other lawsuits involve claims that companies either did not provide adequate PPE or otherwise take necessary precautions to protect people.

Amy B. Royal, Esq

An offshoot of the safety suits involve whistleblower claims under OSHA, a federal law that addresses standards for workplace health and safety. Employees can blow the whistle on their employer by reporting potential workplace health and safety issues to (and filing complaints with) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the Department of Labor.

“According to data collected through a national association for lawyers, it is estimated that approximately 80 COVID-related litigation cases have been filed in Massachusetts alone, and more than 5,000 across the country.”

Many of the COVID-related OSHA claims are for retaliation. Specifically, several employees have filed complaints alleging they suffered an adverse employment action after notifying their employer of violations of social-distancing guidelines or failures to maintain proper cleaning of workspaces or PPE.

Discrimination

Age, disability, and pregnancy discrimination cases related to COVID-19 have been on the rise since the summer months. These types of cases typically arise under the following general set of circumstances: the employee refuses to return to the physical workspace citing their age, disability, or pregnancy as too much of a risk factor, and their employer terminates them or, in the context of disability and pregnancy, does not accommodate them by allowing them to work at home.

However, these same types of discrimination cases arise in a different way as well, underscoring the fact that no good deed goes unpunished. Believe it or not, good-intentioned employers that have told their older workers or those with known pre-existing conditions to work from home, take a leave of absence, or accept a furlough while bringing back their younger or non-disabled counterparts are getting smacked with age and disability discrimination claims.

Although these employers may have been acting out of concern for their workers that they perceived as high-risk, preventing them from returning to the workplace can give rise to a potentially viable age or disability discrimination claim. Indeed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), our federal enforcement agency for discrimination claims, issued guidance on this specific situation. In a nutshell, the EEOC has taken the position that employers cannot do this unless they can show their employee’s physical presence in the workplace poses a “direct threat,” which is an extremely high standard to meet.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

The FFCRA came into effect in what felt like a nanosecond and, thus, created a quagmire. Businesses suddenly needed to understand the act, implement it, and comply with it.

The act, which included the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act within it, requires covered employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for certain qualifying reasons. The act took effect in April and presently is slated to remain in effect through the end of the year. It applies to employers with fewer than 500 employees.

“Some of the lawsuits allege a failure-to-warn component, i.e., that the company knew an individual had exhibited COVID-19 symptoms at the place of business, yet the company failed to inform employees and customers.”

Now that the act has been in effect for just over six months, lawsuits under it have begun to emerge. The majority of these lawsuits involve the caregiver provisions of the act.

The act mandates that employers provide 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees to care for:

• An individual who is subject to a governmental quarantine or isolation order or is advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine due to COVID concerns; or

• Their child if the child’s school or daycare is closed or the childcare provider is unavailable due to the pandemic.

Further, the Emergency Family Medical Leave Act portion of the FFCRA permits employees to take 12 weeks of job-protected leave to care for their child if the child’s school or daycare is closed or the childcare provider is unavailable.

In these FFCRA lawsuits, employees are claiming either that their requests for leave were improperly denied or that they were retaliated against for availing themselves of their rights under the act.

The ‘Take Home’ Cases

The ‘take home’ cases are the scariest of them all as they carry the biggest monetary exposure to businesses. The crux of them is this: an employee contracts COVID-19 at his or her workplace. A family member becomes infected and becomes very ill or tragically dies. A claim is then brought by the family member against the employer for negligence under the theory that the employer failed to warn or failed to take reasonable precautions.

Workers’ compensation laws are generally the exclusive remedy to employees for workplace injuries. This means employees cannot bring negligence claims against their employer for workplace injuries. The reason for the workers’ compensation system was to limit employers’ exposure to large, multi-million-dollar damage awards in personal-injury cases, as workers’ compensation laws impose caps on damages. Take-home cases, however, are not capped and could potentially generate a nuclear verdict.

There is precedent for take-home cases in the asbestos litigation space. Indeed, family members have received landslide settlements and verdicts from many companies claiming they developed mesothelioma after their spouse, for example, brought asbestos into their home after work.

The first take-home COVID-19 case was recently filed in Illinois by a daughter who alleged her mother died after her father contracted coronavirus at work and then brought it back into the home, infecting her mother. In this wrongful-death lawsuit, the daughter alleges her father’s employer should be on the hook for the exposure to her mother that her father ‘took home’ to her, which ultimately caused her mother’s death. Other take-home cases have begun to emerge around the country as well.

What Can Be Done to Mitigate Risk?

Two words: comprehensive planning. Proper planning includes knowing what laws apply to your company, assessing them and assessing your overall areas of risk, taking proactive steps, and designating a team to help create, implement, manage, and adapt to COVID-related issues. Then, put pen to paper and document your efforts.

Amy B. Royal, Esq. is a litigation attorney who specializes in labor and employment-law matters at the Royal Law Firm LLP, a woman-owned, women-managed corporate law firm that is certified as a women’s business enterprise with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, the National Assoc. of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council; (413) 586-2288; [email protected]

Optimism Abounds in East Longmeadow

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

By Mark Morris

Charlie Christianson says many local businesses have had to pivot and be nimble in the face of COVID-19.

Despite all the challenges a pandemic brings, Mary McNally says, town officials and business leaders in East Longmeadow are looking forward with a sense of optimism.

After serving in an interim role, McNally became East Longmeadow’s permanent town manager in December 2019 — just before every town in America began dealing with the effects of COVID-19.

Even though Town Hall has been closed to the public since mid-March, McNally said the staff has worked hard to maintain town services to the public and keep projects moving.

“All of our Planning Department functions, such as petitions and site-plan reviews, are being conducted — business as usual,” McNally said. “That is, if you accept Zoom meetings as business as usual.”

According to Charlie Christianson, those types of adjustments have enabled the town and its businesses to find their way during these difficult times. Christianson, board president of the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, said COVID-19 forced a number of companies to pivot and find new ways to stay viable. He cited Go Graphix, maker of signs, vehicle wraps, and other marketing materials, as an example of an East Longmeadow company that made a big adjustment and found success by doing so.

“When business fell off at the beginning of the pandemic, Go Graphix pivoted early to make plexiglass partitions as well as signs to help communicate social distancing and mask wearing. Now, it’s a big part of their business.”

In addition to his work with the chamber, Christianson runs CMD Technology Group, a provider of IT solutions and support. With so many people working from home, his business was able to pivot to set up workers who needed remote connections.

“We have seen a lot of activity in our remote-access business where we help companies get their remote employees into their online system in an effective and secure way,” he explained.

“All of our Planning Department functions, such as petitions and site-plan reviews, are being conducted — business as usual. That is, if you accept Zoom meetings as business as usual.”

Chamber member Steve Graham, CEO of Toner Plastics, said several of the products his company makes are considered essential, a designation that kept his workers busy all year. Perhaps the most notable product Toner makes these days is the elastic for N95 masks.

“Since the pandemic, you can imagine the demand for that product went through the roof,” Graham said, adding that, during a time when other companies were cutting back due to COVID-19, his company had to quickly ramp up for more production.

With Toner facilities in Pittsfield and Rhode Island, as well as in East Longmeadow, Graham appreciates the opportunity to continue his operations during these challenging times. “We’re fortunate that we are able to keep people employed and continue to ship to our customers; best of all, none of our employees have been inflicted with COVID-19.”

Go with the Flow

Despite the pandemic, municipal projects in East Longmeadow keep moving. The town applied for a $600,000 grant through MassWorks to improve sewage outflow where it connects to the Springfield system, allowing East Longmeadow to more accurately monitor what gets sent to Springfield.

“While it’s not a glamourous project, it’s a big undertaking and represents a real improvement in our town’s infrastructure,” McNally said.

After years of applying to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, East Longmeadow is in the eligibility period to explore funding for a new high school. McNally said this milestone is significant because it represents the first step in the process to eventually replace the current, 60-year old facility.

For many years, residents have been concerned about the site of the former Package Machinery site, with any potential development hampered by its industrial zoning status. McNally said the Town Council and the Planning Board have recently taken action to change the zoning status to mixed use, which would allow residential as well as commercial buildings to locate there.

“While no official project is in front of the Town Council, one development that has been discussed could include single-family homes, condominiums, apartments, and light-use business entities,” McNally said. “The idea is to have a new walkable neighborhood near the bike trail and the center of town.”

To keep projects like these moving forward, McNally and her staff are working to develop a new master plan for East Longmeadow. The last master plan for the town dates back to 1976, prompting her to put this effort high on the must-do list. The first phase of the plan is scheduled to be complete by June 2021.

A master plan allows the town to move from talking about projects to getting them done. One example is Heritage Park, where architect drawings were generated in 2016 to add athletic fields, an amphitheater, and other improvements. The $5 million price tag has kept the redevelopment in the discussion stage.

McNally said including Heritage Park in the master plan improves its chances of eventually reaching completion. “It’s a beautiful resource, and we want to capitalize on it to make the park available to everyone, but right now it’s still a work in progress.”

“We have seen a lot of activity in our remote-access business where we help companies get their remote employees into their online system in an effective and secure way.”

During the pandemic, the chamber has been successful in bringing people together to talk about the challenges of COVID-19 and a variety of business topics. Christianson credits the chamber’s ability to quickly embrace the virtual world.

“To say we didn’t skip a beat would be an exaggeration, but we’ve done a pretty good job to help our members and to keep a consistent value proposition for them.”

He noted that the chamber has even found a way to keep the popular Feast in the East event going. Traditionally, this is a networking event in which members sample food from area restaurants while local chefs compete for the Top Chef Trophy.

“This year’s event will be like the show Iron Chef, with three local chefs competing in front of judges,” he explained. Offered as a paid Zoom event, ticket purchasers can watch the competition and receive a ‘takeout’ package of offers from local restaurants. “Through creative thought and hard work, the chamber found another way to still run this popular event.”

Here’s the Scoop

One of the real strengths of East Longmeadow, according to Christianson, is the healthy mix of residential and business interests. One intriguing project scheduled to open next year involves the train depot built in 1876 and located in the center of town.

Earlier this year, Graham bought the train depot and the three acres where it sits. He is in the process of converting it into an ice-cream shop called the Depot at Graham Central Station.

“Even though there have been a lot of delays due to COVID, we are finishing up the conversion, and we’re looking forward to opening the depot for the town to enjoy next spring,” he said. Because of its close proximity to the bike path, he hopes to open in the morning and offer light breakfast items, too.

While the anticipation of a new ice-cream shop in town is certainly something to look forward to, Graham said he’s anticipating even bigger news on many fronts.

As a plastics manufacturer, he works with industries as far-ranging as aerospace and automotive to medical devices and retail displays. “We are affected by many of these industries, and when they were down, it had an impact on us,” hs said.

But recent conversations with his customers reveals that many industries are starting to come back, and come back strong. “I have a great deal of optimism for the future.”

Hospital Leaders Urge Public Not to Let Their Guard Down

By Joseph Bednar October 27, 2020

COVID-19

A Second Wave?

Dr. Robert Roose says Mercy Medical Center is maintaining its COVID-19 protocols — and hopes the public does so as well.

Dr. Robert Roose knows we’re all sick of this — the mask wearing, the working and learning from home, the lack of fun places to visit … all of it. He gets it. Really.

But here’s the thing.

“The virus has not grown weary of transmitting itself,” said Roose, chief medical officer at Mercy Medical Center. “And it has not waned in the summer months with the hot weather, and it will not wane in the colder months. Our practices need to be just as vigilant as they were in the spring and summer in order to be effective. And we need to continue to be clear, consistent, and fact-based in our messaging.”

We spoke to a few local medical leaders who all cautioned against letting ‘pandemic fatigue’ change behaviors, especially when a vaccine is still not available, infections are rising in many states (the positive-test rate has crept up in Massachusetts, too), and no one knows how the looming flu season will intersect with a still-prevalent coronavirus.

“We aren’t seeing an influx of hospitalized patients like we saw here in the Northeast in March, April, and into May, but we see the data, and it gives all of us some reason for caution, if not broader concern regarding what the colder season might bring. There’s a lot for us still to be cautious about,” Roose told BusinessWest.

That said, local hospitals have learned a lot since the spring as well, he added. “We gained a lot of knowledge we can use to directly improve the health and safety of patients and our colleagues in the community. We have also implemented ways to ensure that care can remain accessible, timely, and safer throughout the pandemic.”

“The virus has not grown weary of transmitting itself. And it has not waned in the summer months with the hot weather, and it will not wane in the colder months.”

Dr. Simon Ahtaridis, chief medical officer at Holyoke Medical Center, said shortages of key supplies in the spring — not just personal protective equipment (PPE), but reagent and transport medium for test kits — led to reviews of processes that will leave hospitals more prepared if a second wave does ensue.

“This virus is unpredictable, and a lot of our early conclusions didn’t bear out,” he said. “We didn’t have lot of experience with this particular virus — how it behaves, how it’s contracted. There was a lot of back and forth in the scientific community on how to best handle it.”

While the medical community saw a great deal of variability in protocols, the goal was always to keep patients — and the community at large — safe. That’s still the case, Ahtaridis said, but part of the challenge is encouraging them to do their part.

Dr. Estevan Garcia

“It’s clear to me that folks are all tired of all the precautions. Until a vaccine is proven effective against COVID, we can’t let our guard down.”

“In terms of thinking about a second wave, a lot of it will depend on the behavior of the public and that virus fatigue. We thought it would be a few weeks, and we’ve seen it drag on and on,” he noted. “The risk is the public starts to lose that caution they’ve been displaying, where they’re not wearing masks, they start to let their guard down. That can lead to a second wave in and of itself.”

Mercy is certainly not letting its guard down, Roose said.

“It’s important to recognize we will continue to maintain the safety protocols in our care that have managed to keep infections much lower than they otherwise would have,” he said. “We’ve managed to reduce and, in some cases, eliminate clusters of infection in hospitals and other settings.”

Local medical leaders hope that trend continues — and they’re doing much more than hoping.

Virus, Meet Virus

That’s because there’s always a new wrinkle — the latest being flu season, which is right around the corner.

“There’s concern about the cooler weather driving everyone indoors, and concern with the flu as well,” said Dr. Estevan Garcia, chief medical officer for Cooley Dickinson Health Care. “We’re beginning to see upper respiratory infections, which are concerns as we move into the fall and winter timeframe. But is it COVID? Is it a cold? Is it the flu? We treat them differently, and we need to make sure we’re isolating the COVID cases.”

Garcia said area hospitals have engaged in a remarkable show of cooperation over the past eight months, communicating with each other on a regular basis and making sure sufficient testing is available. With testing more widely available than it was in the spring, he encouraged not only symptomatic people to be tested, but healthy individuals planning on visiting a grandparent.

He and Ahtaridis both noted that some countries — Australia being the most-cited example — saw much less severe flu seasons than usual earlier this year, and experts credit the widespread use of masks and social-distancing protocols.

“My suspicion is it might be a light influenza season,” Ahtaridis said. “But we are still actively vaccinating patients and making sure patients have information about the flu vaccine, so they’re ready for the season. It might be less severe than last season, but there won’t be zero cases.”

Garcia agreed. “Because of the protections they’ve been taking for COVID, some countries have seen a less severe flu season. But that shouldn’t give people a false sense of security; you should still get a flu shot, use physical distancing, mask wearing, hand washing … all those things are good against the flu.”

He worries, however, that not everyone will recognize the value in continuing COVID protocols.

Dr. Simon Ahtaridis

“My suspicion is it might be a light influenza season. But we are still actively vaccinating patients and making sure patients have information about the flu vaccine, so they’re ready for the season. It might be less severe than last season, but there won’t be zero cases.”

“It’s clear to me that folks are all tired of all the precautions,” he said. “Until a vaccine is proven effective against COVID, we can’t let our guard down. That’s how we have clusters and multiple people getting infected. If we want to get kids back to school and open up businesses again, we’ve got to get through the next wave of late fall and winter and into spring, when, hopefully, there may be some availability of a vaccine.”

The colder weather will pose a challenge, he added, driving people into enclosed spaces for longer periods.

“The fatigue factor is real, but we’ve got to double our efforts to protect ourselves, so masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing are all super important as we move forward,” Garcia said. “One challenge, as we move indoors, will be social distancing at restaurants — these are places we want to continue to stay open, but let’s make sure we’re on top of it and people don’t let their guard down. We need to hold on for the next probably four to six months.”

Roose agreed that pandemic fatigue is a real phenomenon and tough to combat, especially heading into a time of the year usually packed with holiday gatherings. Where people must gather, he said, they need to remember what’s been working in Massachusetts so far.

“We can appeal to people’s sense of generosity and responsibility, their care and love for others — this is something we can do that ultimately can help protect the safety and health of others,” he said. “When you can connect it to something personal or to somebody’s values, that can be a much more effective way to understand the why behind what we’re doing.”

Taking the Long View

These protocols contributed to Massachusetts seeing a relaxation of its infection numbers throughout the summer, but Ahtaridis noted that the positive test rate rose from 2% to 4% recently. “It’s not a huge number, but it’s a doubling of cases, and that probably does reflect changes in behavior and risk tolerance.”

The solution? Do your part.

“Until we have a vaccine, I suspect we’re going to continue with some level of precautions and attention to safety,” he said — and perhaps some of those precautions will never go completely away. He suggested people will look at photos of crowds years from now and be able to tell, by the presence or absence of masks, whether a picture was taken before 2020 or not.

“Even if COVID goes away, even with a vaccine and the advent of better treatments for COVID, I think the public has become more aware of personal space, shared air, and hygiene,” he added. “We’ll probably see some long-term changes.”

With infection numbers still low when compared to some other states, it’s a good time to get vaccinated against the flu, Garcia said — or to get that procedure that was put off in the spring.

“During the spring, people were putting off needed care,” he said, due to both their own concerns and hospitals and other medical facilities shutting down certain treatments to make room for COVID patients. “We’re doing our best to get the message out, make sure people know it’s safe to get care. You shouldn’t put off your care. You don’t want to shut everything down moving forward.”

Roose agreed. “We have processes and procedures in place where we can continue to provide routine, elective, and necessary care while also handling people with COVID,” he said, noting that hospitals, including Mercy, have done a good job of creating separation between patients possibly exposed to coronavirus and those haven’t been exposed. “That’s an important message for the community to hear — that this system has the ability to treat you, even if there’s a second wave of infections.”

While some procedures fall into the cosmetic category, Ahtaridis added, most medical care is not purely elective, which is why hospitals, Holyoke included, have put plenty of thought and resources into making sure they’re safe spaces.

“While the risk never goes down to zero, from a risk-benefit perspective, if you have a medical need, getting it addressed is very important because unmet needs can cause bigger problems down the road,” he said.

“Hospitals tend not to be where people are getting COVID — it tends to be out in the community,” he added. “While not everything is an emergency, most of the things we do are time-sensitive, and if we let medical issues go unaddressed, the consequences can be somewhat dire. We encourage everyone to seek care as appropriate, and do it with confidence.”

And, of course, keep wearing a mask.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

COVID-19 Poses Challenges for Substance-abuse Clients, Providers

COVID-19

Glass Half Full

By Mark Morris

Edna Rodriguez says many people with a history of alcohol abuse have relapsed during the pandemic due partly to boredom and disconnection.

Each October, as the weather becomes colder and the days get shorter, it’s not unusual to see an increase in demand for substance-abuse services due to seasonal depression. This fall, however, counselors are expecting an even larger spike in the need for their services because of COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, treatment centers in Massachusetts have seen an increase in opioid-related overdoses in the patients they treat — a problem exacerbated by the fact that the drugs have become more dangerous, said Steve Winn, president and CEO of Behavioral Health Network (BHN).

Health professionals believe the problem stems from interruptions in the worldwide supply chain of illegal drugs, making it harder to get heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl. As a result, what is being sold as pure heroin is often mixed with a more lethal type of fentanyl, causing the increase in overdoses and deaths.

“We don’t know if use is up, but we know the repercussions of use are more serious now than they were a year ago,” Winn told BusinessWest. “In 2018 and 2019, Massachusetts had begun to flatten the curve on opioid overdoses, but now that curve has accelerated up.”

It’s not a regional problem, he added, as the most recent data shows opioid deaths up in every county in the state.

People with substance-use disorders often have a co-occurring mental-health diagnosis, a situation that may increase their COVID-19 risk, said Millie Rivas, clinical supervisor for Outpatient Behavioral Health at Center for Human Development (CHD), adding that several factors can make people with substance-use disorders more vulnerable to coronavirus.

“Patients with a co-occurring diagnosis usually have a history of poor healthcare and poor nutrition,” she noted. “Add substance use to that, and they become a magnet for COVID-19.”

In short, the stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic — and the economic turmoil that has followed in its wake — aren’t the only COVID-related factors making things tougher for those struggling with substance abuse and those striving to help them. Not by a longshot.

From a Distance

Even treating people with substance-use issues became more complicated when the pandemic first hit. By following CDC guidelines to keep everyone safe, one-on-one support was severely reduced, resulting in more isolation for vulnerable people who needed help.

While support has largely shifted to virtual appointments, Rivas and her staff have had to provide technical guidance, as well as their normal counsel to their clients.

“We’re doing things we aren’t accustomed to, such as training people how to use Zoom platforms and how to use their phone beyond Facebook so they can reach services and telehealth,” she said.

Working on virtual platforms allows CHD staff to interact in a more normal way with clients and observe their behavior. Rivas noted that meeting one-on-one would require clients to wear masks, making it more difficult to hear them or see their facial expressions. When clients use virtual platforms, they are also able to increase their engagement in the world.

Steven Winn

“We don’t know if use is up, but we know the repercussions of use are more serious now than they were a year ago. In 2018 and 2019, Massachusetts had begun to flatten the curve on opioid overdoses, but now that curve has accelerated up.”

“At times, going virtual has been frustrating for the client, but overall, it’s nice to have them experience an achievement like that,” Rivas said, adding that clients can now more easily connect with healthcare providers as well as family and friends, and hopefully become more engaged and feel less isolated.

While it’s not surprising that those with a history of substance abuse would be more vulnerable during a pandemic, Rivas has observed an increase in substance use among people with no diagnosed substance-use disorders. The myriad factors include health concerns, increased isolation from not going out and socializing, and anxiety about finances. “It’s not unusual for people to manage stress with one too many beers or one too many glasses of wine.”

Winn noted that clinicians at BHN have observed an increase in people coming in to talk about alcohol use and overuse. “They are self-medicating because they feel more stressed, more unhappy, and more isolated.”

Edna Rodriguez, director of Clinical Assessment and Clinical Ambulatory Programs at Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, has noticed a trend during the pandemic of people having relapses and abusing alcohol after years of being clean and sober. She cited one example of a person who relapsed after five years of sobriety. Clients tell her they start drinking again out of boredom and being stuck at home.

“In my opinion, since COVID hit, we’ve seen an increase in the glorifying of alcohol use,” Rodriguez said, noting social-media memes about people day drinking and taking Zoom calls with a drink in hand. While meant to be humorous, she explained, these messages are dangerous for people with substance-use disorders, especially when so many are feeling less connected to the community.

“Distractions that were healthy, like going to the gym, going to church, or programs that encourage people to live healthy lifestyles, have all been reduced or eliminated,” she said. “We’re in a moment of depleted connections.”

Because the pandemic creates uncertainty for everyone, Winn encourages anyone who has a question about their substance use to reach out to BHN or one of the other local agencies.

“If you’re struggling with something, reach out and ask for help. We’re all doing telehealth, so it’s safe in terms of social distancing.”

Heal Thyself

Providers face a dilemma of trying to help people while at the same time feeling their own stress and uncertainty about the coronavirus. Rodriguez said many of her colleagues are experiencing ‘pandemic fatigue.’

“I wish there was a book on my shelf titled ‘How to Treat Substance Use Disorders During a Pandemic,’ but we don’t have that book; we’re all new to this, and we’re still learning.”

Rodriguez and her colleagues are supporting each other by having conversations about how to stay grounded. She mentioned a ‘comfort cart’ that goes around to staff with bottles of water, soda, and treats like chocolate and candy.

“It’s a way of recognizing that everyone is stressed and needs something to comfort themselves,” she said. “The more we take care of each other, the better resource we’re going to be for our patients.”

Rivas said she often reminds her staff about the importance of self-care.

“It’s easy to forget about yourself when you’re trying to take care of someone else,” she noted, adding that, among other changes since COVID-19, staff can no longer use their offices for one-on-one meetings because they are too small to accommodate proper social distancing.

As everyone is still trying to figure out how to stay safe from a virus that just won’t fade away, Rodriguez said her normal work process now includes thinking about how to take care of herself as a provider.

Yet, she remains hopeful the scientific and therapeutic communities will use their creativity to develop new ways for everyone to deal with coronavirus. “These times are calling for an honest and humble review of how we administer treatment, how we approach our patients, and how we approach ourselves as providers.”

Pay Attention to Detail in Submitting the Forms for Forgiveness

COVID-19

PPP Loan Forgiveness 101

By Jeff Laboe, CPA

Please realize that the information available today is different than it was a four months ago, and will most likely look different two months from now, so keep that in mind while reading this article.

With all the uncertainty these days, the last thing taxpayers should be worrying about is how to complete the application for your Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness. The intent of this article is to give taxpayers an idea of the application process and forms that need to be submitted for forgiveness of the PPP loan the business received.

Jeff Laboe

A business of any type (LLC, S-corp, sole proprietor, etc.) that received funds via a PPP loan in 2020 may apply for the forgiveness of repayment of this loan. Taxpayers who received a loan, maintained proper records, followed the Small Business Administration rules and guidelines with respect as to how the loan proceeds were spent, and performed all necessary calculations should qualify for forgiveness on the repayment of the loan or the portion of the loan that qualifies.

There are three different application forms that may have to be completed based upon your individual PPP loan program. You have 10 months from the completion of your loan period to file one of these forgiveness applications. The three forms to be used are Form 3508S, 3508EZ, and Form 3508, or the equivalent forms offered by your bank.

The first is Form 3508S, which can be used only by those who received $50,000 or less in PPP loan proceeds. The application asks taxpayers to provide the forgiveness amount requested and to certify with signatures that all the conditions were met. There are no calculations required on the application and no reductions in forgiveness due to reduced head count or salaries or wages. This form is the most straightforward.

Form 3508EZ may be used by self-employed individuals, independent contractors, or sole proprietors that have no employees and/or wages at the time of the loan-application process.

A business also qualifies to use this form if it received more than $50,000 but less than $150,000 in PPP funds, and met one of two additional scenarios:

• Salary and wages were not reduced by more than 25% during the loan period, and the employee head count was restored by the end of the chosen loan period — essentially, the net head count wasn’t affected; or

• Salary and wages were not reduced by more than 25% during the loan period and you were unable to operate the same level of business due to compliance with requirements to any work or customer safety requirements related to COVID-19. Similar to the 3508S application, there are no calculations required. Taxpayers instead need to confirm and provide support that the loan proceeds were used for eligible costs.

The last form is the standard Form 3508. This application is for all taxpayers who do not meet the thresholds to file one of the previously discussed forms. This standard application is much more detailed and complex, and may require some additional time and supporting documents. Taxpayers might want to seek assistance from their professional advisors.

“With all the uncertainty these days, the last thing taxpayers should be worrying about is how to complete the application for your Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness.”

Additionally, if your business also obtained an EIDL advance, that amount needs to be subtracted from the amount of loan proceeds that would otherwise be eligible for forgiveness. This applies for all three loan-forgiveness forms. Legislation has also been introduced (U.S. Senate Bill 4321) that details potential automatic forgiveness for any PPP loan under $150,000 if the debtee “signs and submits to the lender an attestation that the eligible recipient made a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements under section 7(a)(36) of the Small Business Act.” The status of the bill is uncertain at this time.

Once you have submitted your application, the loan provider has 60 days from the date the application was received to issue a decision to the SBA. The SBA then has 90 days to review the application and remit the forgiveness amount to the lender.

When it comes to PPP loan-forgiveness applications, remember the three different levels: less than $50,000, between $50,000 and $150,000, and above $150,000. As of now, taxpayers have to apply for forgiveness within 10 months of the end of the loan period. Be sure you complied with all the rules and guidelines on what the qualified expenses are and kept accurate and complete records. And don’t be overwhelmed by the applications. If you need assistance, there are resources for you.

Jeff Laboe is a senior tax associate with MP CPAs; www.thempgroupcpa.com

Five Things Employers Need to Know as the PFML Kickoff Date Approaches

Law

Planning for PFML

By John Gannon, Esq. and Meaghan Murphy, Esq.

John S. Gannon

Meaghan Murphy

COVID-19 has created an extraordinary level of uncertainty and anxiety for businesses across the world. Since March, countless employers have been forced to dedicate just about all their energy and resources to sustaining a viable business in the face of mandatory closures, layoffs and furloughs, and ever-changing reopening regulations and guidelines.

In the midst of this chaos, it is easy to forget that the most generous paid-leave law in the country is coming to Massachusetts on Jan. 1, 2021. The Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law provides all employees up to a total of 26 weeks of paid, job-protected family and/or medical leave to each year (up to 12 weeks of paid family leave and up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave). The PFML obligations extend to all employers in Massachusetts, regardless of size. As we approach the Jan. 1 PFML kickoff date, here are five things all businesses should be thinking about as they prepare to implement this complex new law.

Private-plan Exemption

The Massachusetts PFML program is a state-offered paid-leave benefit available to anyone who works in the Commonwealth. PFML is funded through a Massachusetts payroll tax paid by employees and employers with 25 or more employees. Interestingly, there is an avenue for employers to receive an exemption from collecting and paying PFML contributions. If a business offers company-provided paid-leave benefits that are greater than or equal to the benefits provided by the PFML law — typically through a private insurance carrier — it may be granted an exemption from the state PFML program.

Employers seeking an exemption need to submit an application with the state, which usually can be facilitated by the private carrier that is administrating the paid family and medical leave benefit.

Importantly, businesses that opt out of the state PFML program still need to abide by the job-protection and anti-retaliation provisions in the PFML law. Generally, employees who take family or medical leave under the law must be restored to their previous position or to an equivalent position when they return from leave, with the same status, pay, employment benefits, and seniority as of the date of leave. In addition, it is unlawful for any employer to discriminate or retaliate against an employee for exercising PFML rights (more on this below).

Employer-notice Obligations

Businesses are required to notify their workforce about the Massachusetts PFML program, including the new benefits and protections that apply to them. This notification includes displaying the PFML workplace poster in a highly visible location; providing written notice of contributions, benefits, and workforce protections to your eligible employees; and collecting acknowledgments of receipt of such written notice signed by all eligible employees.

Both the workplace poster and model employer-notice forms can be found on the state’s PFML website: www.mass.gov/info-details/informing-your-workforce-about-paid-family-and-medical-leave. Failure to provide the notice can lead to in a fine of $50 per employee for first violations, increasing to $300 per worker for subsequent violations.

Handbook Policies

In addition to meeting their PFML poster and written-notice requirements, employers should review and update other workplace policies that will be impacted by the new law. For example, other leave policies (e.g., sick, PTO) should be updated to note that PFML leave runs concurrently with those other leaves. Employers may also want to update attendance and related discipline policies, including procedures for requesting time off and/or call-out procedures.

It goes without saying — but we’ll say it anyway — that employers should establish and enforce their PFML policy and all other workplace policies consistently.

Performance Management

Employers should examine and recommit to their performance-management, discipline, and documentation policies and procedures. This is because employees who are let go or disciplined after taking PFML may have a lawsuit for retaliation if a business cannot prove the employment decision was related to poor performance or misbehavior. In fact, any adverse action taken against an employee during or within six months of PFML leave is presumed to be unlawful interference or retaliation.

As a result, employers’ expectations for performance and workplace conduct, and the consequences for failing to meet those expectations, should be clearly defined, and employers should document all such failures in a timely manner. This is critical to defending against a potential claim by an employee that his termination constitutes unlawful retaliation for his PFML leave use.

Training

Employers should make sure all managers receive training on performance-management and discipline policies and procedures, as well as how to properly document such issues. Managers should be disciplining employees consistently and holding them accountable for performance and discipline issues. If an employee who has used PFML leave is terminated for performance-related or disciplinary reasons, employers want to be in a position to support their lawful reasons for termination with proper documentation.

A manager turning a blind eye to performance or discipline issues, or failing to properly document them, can cost employers significantly down the road in the face of a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled employee. Well-trained managers are worth their weight in gold.

Bottom Line

Jan. 1 is fast approaching. Massachusetts employers need to be prepared to meet their PFML compliance obligations, which not only involves understanding how PFML benefits work, but also planning for increased frequency of employee time-off requests and longer leaves of absence. Employers with questions about how the new PFML law will impact their business should seek advice from legal counsel. u

John Gannon is a partner with Springfield-based Skoler, Abbott & Presser, specializing in employment law and regularly counseling employers on compliance with state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Meaghan Murphy is an associate with the firm and specializes in labor and employment law; (413) 737-4753.

It’s Never Too Early — or Too Late — to Start Year-end Planning

Law

Taxing Decisions

By Hyman G. Darling, Esq.

As this article is being written, the election is pending, and many people are trying to consider the options relative to tax issues for the end of 2020 and going into 2021. Since no one can predict with 100% accuracy what the tax laws will be in the future, even beyond 2021, it is important to consider the options available. Taking action now will allow you (or your heirs) to save funds.

Hyman Darling

Before proceeding, a refresher on federal estate and gift taxes may be needed. The federal estate-tax and gift-tax exemption is what is known as a unified credit, which means the amount may be used to make gifts during one’s lifetime or at death, or a combination of both.

The amount currently is set at $11.58 million for 2020. If the law does not change, this amount is due to reduce to $5 million in 2026 (indexed for inflation as of 2010, so this amount will probably be $6 million). This means a person may gift up to $11.58 million during his or her lifetime or at death before any tax is due. If this amount is exceeded, a tax rate of 40% applies to the excess. Since the unified credit may be reduced, larger gifts may be considered prior to year-end before a new law is enacted next year that could be effective as of Jan. 1, 2021.

Many misconceptions apply to gifts, the most popular being the annual exclusion of $15,000 per recipient. Most people believe that, if the $15,000 amount is exceeded, the donor or the recipient must pay a tax. The law states that a person may gift up to $15,000 each year without reporting any gifts. If this amount is exceeded, then a gift-tax return is required to be filed by April 15 of the year following the gift.

But, again, no tax is due until the $11.58 million is exceeded. For example, if a person gifts to their child, there is a requirement to file a return, but the first $15,000 is ‘free,’ and the next $100,000 merely reduces the credit from $11.58 million to $11.48 million, which is still available to gift during the lifetime or at death. Thus, a person does not have to limit a gift to $15,000 as, in most cases, they will not be paying a tax. (Note that this rule is a tax rule, and does not have a relation to Medicaid planning, which treats all gifts as disqualifying for the five-year look-back period.)

If the estate credit is reduced after 2020, it is anticipated that the credit utilized this year will not adversely affect the amount a person will have available under a new law when he or she dies. So, if a person wishes to make significant gifts, they should make them before the end of the year to utilize as much of the credit as they may want.

For income-tax purposes, there are several options to consider. One easy one is the ‘above-the-line’ charitable deduction for up to $300 if given to a qualified charity. This is not for donations of clothing, as it must be a gift of cash, and it qualifies for everyone, even if a person is not itemizing.

Another significant option is that, in 2020, a minimum deduction is not required to be made from an IRA or other qualified plan. However, some people who have little to no other taxable income may still want to take a distribution as their tax bracket may be low enough to eliminate taxes this year.

“If the estate credit is reduced after 2020, it is anticipated that the credit utilized this year will not adversely affect the amount a person will have available under a new law when he or she dies. So, if a person wishes to make significant gifts, they should make them before the end of the year to utilize as much of the credit as they may want.”

In addition to this option, there is also the benefit for those age 70½ and older who may wish to make a donation to charity. Funds may be paid directly to a charity (or multiple charities) from the retirement account, and this donation will not be taxable income. The annual limit is $100,000, but the distribution does satisfy the required minimum distribution (RMD). If the taxpayer is going to make donations in any event, the IRA should be used to fund the donations.

The amount does not get added to taxable income, so the taxable amount will be less, Social Security payments may then not be taxable, and the Medicare premium will not be higher as the RMD does not get factored into the calculation.

If a taxpayer has losses to report, they may be taken and either reduce income up to $3,000 or perhaps offset gains of other assets. If a person has gains, they may wish to take the gain in 2020 with the anticipation that capital-gains rates could increase and/or income-tax rates may increase.

As with all tax and estate-planning considerations, there are many general rules with specific exceptions, so a qualified professional should be consulted prior to making any decisions. But be sure to get started soon, as decisions should be made and implemented prior the end of 2020.

Attorney Hyman G. Darling is a shareholder and the head of the probate/estates team at Bacon Wilson, P.C. He is a past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and has been a frequent presenter for the Massachusetts Bar Assoc., MCLE, and many Springfield civic and professional groups. He is a member of the Special Needs Alliance and many local planned-giving committees, as well as an adjunct faculty member in the LLM Program at Western New England University School of Law and Bay Path University; (413) 781-0560; [email protected]

Commercial Real Estate Oct. 2020

A Listing of Available Commercial Properties

Commercial Real Estate

For Sale, for Lease

A Vital Cog in Springfield’s Engine

By Editorial October 27, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

You can look in any direction you choose during this pandemic and find developments that are disappointing, sad, and, in some cases, heartbreaking. It’s hard to single out specific stories from all the others.

But in the case of the Springfield Thunderbirds, the American Hockey League franchise that plays in the MassMutual Center, we find a story that is particularly poignant and frustrating — one that shows just how much this crisis has taken from us.

Indeed, this team had become one of the great symbols of Springfield’s renaissance, one of the very bright lights in a city that was once quite dark, figuratively if not literally, one of the reasons why people working downtown had to pay attention to their arrival or departure time because, if they didn’t, they might get caught in a traffic jam — a somewhat annoying, but, for those rooting for Springfield, almost joyous traffic jam.

Yes, the Thunderbirds were a feel-good story, a team that was selling out the MassMutual Center on a regular basis, bringing luminaries like David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and even Ric Flair to the city, and setting the bar ever higher when it came to strategies for attracting fans, creating visibility, and involving the franchise in the community.

This is a management team and ownership group that even took home BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur prize in 2018.

And now? This is a team in limbo, a franchise that doesn’t know if, when, or under what circumstances it can again play games. So much is up in the air, and almost everything is out of the control of a management team led by President Nate Costa.

In a way, the T-Birds have become a metaphor for this pandemic. In many ways, we’re all in a holding pattern of some sort, waiting and hoping for things to return to the way they once were.

The team is symbolic of the pandemic’s impact on the business community in another respect — a team that did a great job building itself up, literally from scratch, will now have to rebuild. It won’t have to start from scratch, but it won’t be able to just turn the clock back to pre-pandemic days, either.

In many ways, we’re all in a holding pattern of some sort, waiting and hoping for things to return to the way they once were.

It will have to work hard to get fans back, build up its presence, and, hopefully, regain everything that’s been lost over the past eight months — and counting.

In many respects, most every business in this region will have to do the same thing. Eventually, although no one knows when, the pandemic will ease, and life will start to return to normal. Companies will have to rebuild what they had and regain the customers and business lost.

And as they do that, they can look to the Thunderbirds for inspiration, a team that built itself up the right way, and will no doubt rebuild itself in similar fashion — using imagination, best practices, and a passion for continuous improvement to set and reach new goals.

What’s happened to the T-Birds is unfortunate on many levels. This team did seemingly everything right; it did everything a forward-thinking company is supposed to do to thrive in the moment and prepare for the future. But in a moment, it lost control of its fortunes and its fate — at least for the short term.

We have little doubt this team will bounce back, eventually, and be part of Springfield’s efforts to rebuild from this crisis. In five short years, it has become a symbol of excellence and perseverance. And moving forward, we hope it becomes a model for how to survive the pandemic and become even better and stronger for it.

Women Are Losing Ground in Workforce

By Editorial October 27, 2020

Opinion

The numbers are stark no matter how they’re viewed. When 617,000 women leave the U.S. workforce in one month — about eight women for every man who dropped out — it’s reason for short-term worry.

But the long-term impact may be more concerning.

Viewed through the narrow lens of the present, it’s not hard to understand what happened (see story on page 30). Unlike most recessions, the one wrought by COVID-19 battered some of the most female-dominant economic sectors in the country, including restaurants, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and childcare. Unfortunately for many women who would rather be working than laid off, some of those jobs will be slow to come back — and some never will.

But the other factor in September’s mass exodus from the workforce is evident from the month itself — the month, specifically, when kids go back to school. Only, most schools never physically opened, leaving kids to grapple with remote learning at home. For most high-schoolers and even many middle-schoolers, that’s fine; it’s not the same as in-person instruction surrounded by their friends, but they can make it work without any supervision.

That’s not true for most elementary-school kids, who tend to need the presence and support, if not the actual help, of a parent to make it through six hours of navigating technology and absorbing information from a screen. And many of those parents have jobs.

It’s not all based in discrimination — women do tend to work in lower-paying fields than men, on average, and they do often choose to pause their careers to raise families.

Now, fewer of them do, because someone has to stay home with the kids. And that someone, the vast majority of time, is the woman, who more often than not makes less income than her male partner.

There’s been plenty of handwringing about the gender pay gap in America. It’s not all based in discrimination — women do tend to work in lower-paying fields than men, on average, and they do often choose to pause their careers to raise families. Why more men don’t choose to stay home so their partners are able to continue working is a discussion for another day, but the fact is, the pay gap, for myriad reasons, is real.

And hundreds of thousands of women leaving their careers at once, even temporarily, will absolutely increase that gap, because any pause in employment, especially one that leads to a company change or even career change, tends to have ripple effects on one’s earnings down the road and over a lifetime. With about half the women who stopped working last month in the prime working age of 35 to 44, the long-term ripples could be staggering.

What’s the answer? On the issue of the pay gap in general, many solutions have been proposed, from raising minimum wage (women make up a disproportionate share of low-wage workers) to promoting schedule flexibility and work-from-home options for mothers; from state- and federal-level actions to improve family-leave laws and invest in childcare to a commitment by employers to ensure their own pay practices are fair.

COVID-19 has laid bare some of those gaps in stark terms, as well as exposing not only how women are being impacted by this economy, but how women of color are being hit even harder. A reopening of schools at some point will no doubt ease these disparities. But it certainly won’t make them go away.

Picture This

Picture This

Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]

Education Equity

The Lumina Foundation recently awarded $1.2 million in grants to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, with half the money earmarked for six state colleges and universities. Holyoke Community College will use its $100,000 award to further the work of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion task force and expand mentorship programs that focus on students of color, including its ALANA Men in Motion program (pictured, in pre-COVID days). Latinx students participating in the program at HCC show a fall-to-fall retention rate of 75%, compared to 45% for Latinx students not participating in ALANA.

Driving for a Cure

Carla Cosenzi and Tommy Cosenzi, owners of TommyCar Auto Group, recently donated nearly $100,000 to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute thanks to the generous support of sponsors of the 12th annual Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament. The event, named for their late father, drew the interest of nearly 148 golfers and 156 sponsors this year. Since the inception of the event, more than $1 million has been raised to support brain-tumor research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The Bionic Kid

On Sept. 15, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Springfield outfitted 8-year-old patient Sam with the first custom-built, 3D-printed bionic arm in the health system. The device, known as the Hero Arm, customized for Sam with Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man covers, was made possible through a collaboration with UK-based bionics company Open Bionics and will enable Sam, a bilateral amputee, to live life to the fullest. Pictured: Sam shows off the arm alongside his mother, Michelle, and Brock McConkey, manager of Orthotics and Prosthetics at the hospital.

Agenda

Agenda

Unify Against Bullying Annual Fashion Show

Oct. 26: High-school students of all shapes, sizes, styles, ethnicity, and physical abilities from schools in Western Mass. and Northern Conn. will strut their stuff at a fashion show celebrating true diversity. In this unprecedented time, the Unify Against Bullying team has decided to stream the event free on Facebook Live for all to enjoy. One addition this year is an online auction where individuals can bid on prizes from the comfort of their home. The organization will also accept donations during the event to support their mission and the youth they serve. Delaney’s Market is offering a Unify meal package to order, pay for, and pick up curbside at one of four locations to make the event a party with family and friends. For information on streaming, sponsorship, and program advertising, visit www.unifyagainstbullying.org or call (413) 304-0668.

‘Caring for an Aging Loved One in Time of COVID-19’

Oct. 28-30: Linda Manor Assisted Living will sponsor a free seminar, “Caring for an Aging Loved One in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond.” Sessions will be held as outdoor, socially distanced events under a tent on Wednesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 29 at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. each day. For those who prefer to participate from the comfort of their home, a session will be held Friday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. as an online webinar. Each session will be 60 to 90 minutes in length. The sessions will be presented by Joan Roche, a board-certified clinical nurse specialist in gerontological nursing. She has 40 years of professional experience serving and advocating for older adults. She has been a gerontological clinical nurse specialist for a major healthcare system, an associate professor at the UMass College of Nursing, a healthcare consultant, and family caregiver her entire adult life. As some experts believe that we may be living with the COVID-19 pandemic well into next year, Roche will provide straightforward information and helpful advice on how best to manage the many challenges that can come with caring for an aging loved one during this time. Topics include how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, seasonal flu, pneumonia, and the common cold this winter; the latest advances in the development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine; understanding the difference between assisted living, memory care, and a nursing home; how to recognize the signs of deteriorating health or frailty in a loved one; how to help a loved one deal with isolation or anxiety; practical tips for dementia caregivers; and little-known ways to help pay for senior housing, including benefits for veterans and veterans’ survivors. Linda Manor Assisted Living is located at 345 Haydenville Road, Leeds. To register for one of the seminars, visit www.rsvplindamanor.org, or call (413) 588-3316. Reservations are required. Space is limited for the in-person events to allow for proper social distancing. All in-person attendees will receive a complete, reheatable meal to take home.

‘What Is the Black Agenda in America Today?’

Oct. 29: Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law will present a virtual discussion titled “What is the Black Agenda in America Today?” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. as part of the Wellen Davison Speaker Series. Entrepreneur, activist, and author Elaine Brown will be discussing recent events involving policing brutality and the deaths of unarmed black citizens. Western New England University President Robert Johnson will provide the welcome address, and Professor of Law Bridgette Baldwin will serve as moderator. Brown is executive director for the Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee, the former minister of information and chairman of the Black Panther Party, and author of A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story and the Condemnation of Little B. She is also the CEO of Oakland & the World Enterprises, a nonprofit organization dedicated to launching and sustaining for-profit businesses for ownership by formerly incarcerated and other people facing extreme barriers to economic survival. Brown attended Temple University, UCLA, Mills College, and Southwestern University School of Law and has lectured at colleges and universities around the world. This 90-minute event is free and open to the public. For more information, click ‘Learn More’ under ‘Center for Social Justice’ at wne.edu.

‘The Human Side of Innovation’

Oct. 29: Bay Path University announced the launch of a monthly webinar series bringing the concept of ‘leading-edge thinking’ to a deep examination of the future of higher education. The series will open Thursday, Oct. 29 with a presentation titled “The Human Side of Innovation: Finding Joy and Meaning in Everyday Life and Work.” Presented by Elaine Dundon, bestselling author and founder of the Global Meaning Institute, it will explore the search for meaning in the context of widespread change and discuss how innovation can bring us forward as we embark upon a new normal for post-pandemic life. The webinar series was developed by Bay Path’s Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practices (CHELIP) to further the discourse and confront the challenges surrounding the upheaval of traditional higher education. The series is open to all. Each webinar is an hour long, with future presentations looking at topics such as student-retention challenges, racial injustice, and transforming the learning process. For more information, visit baypath.edu.

Boo Bash

Oct. 31: In cooperation with the office of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Colebrook Realty Services Inc., United Way of Pioneer Valley will host Boo Bash, a drive-thru, socially distant trick-or-treating event between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the TD Bank parking lot in downtown Springfield. Families with children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult, are welcome to attend, and 3,000 bags of candy, toys, and information on community resources will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Everyone must remain in their vehicles to ensure safety. More information is available at uwpv.org/boo-bash, and donations can be made at uwpv.org/donate.

Real-estate Licensing Course

Nov. 2 to Dec. 10: The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley will sponsor a 40-hour, 14-class, sales licensing course to help individuals prepare for the Massachusetts real-estate salesperson license exam. Tuition is $400 and includes the book and materials. For an application, call (413) 785-1328 or visit rapv.com. The association has taken all necessary COVID-19 sanitary precautions in accordance with the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines to ensure the safety of its students. Classes are limited to 18 students.

A+ Awards Show

Nov. 12: The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce 2020 A+ Awards Show will be held virtually and broadcast live from Hadley Farms Meeting House, with PeoplesBank serving as presenting sponsor. Each year, the chamber gives A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in education, business, and civic engagement in Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and the Pioneer Valley as a whole. This year’s honorees include Betsey McInnis (Lifetime Achievement Award), Phoenix Fruit Farm of Belchertown (Leader in Innovation Award), Kestrel Land Trust of Amherst (Leader in Sustainability Award), Ash Crawford, director of Operations at Amherst Coffee (Young Professional Award), Mercedes-Benz of Springfield (Community Service Award), and Lisa Eugin of Encharter Insurance (Chamber MVP). New this year is the COVID Hero, a nonprofit or individual who provided essential support services, went above and beyond, and took initiative to put others before self to benefit the greater good. Live voting will take place to choose a winner from the following organizations and individuals: Amherst Survival Center, Arizona Pizza, Bistro 63, Mary Beth Ogulewicz of the Amherst Senior Center, Rebekah Demling of ARPS PGO, and Wheelhouse Catering. Also new this year, David Jeffway, owner of Sharper Vision, will create video tributes for each awardee. A virtual access pass to the view the live awards show costs $20, or a $50 VIP package includes the virtual access pass, a $25 Amherst-area gift certificate, a hard copy of the 2020 A+ Awards Journal, and sponsor gifts. Registration is open, and A+ Award dinner sponsorships and ads are still available for the virtual extravaganza; for more information, visit amherstarea.com. E-mail Pazmany at [email protected] with any inquiries.

Bright Nights at Forest Park

Nov. 25 to Jan. 3: Bright Nights at Forest Park will take place this year. Spirit of Springfield and the city of Springfield have developed protocols to provide a safe and festive event that has been a holiday tradition since 1995. They will be instituted during setup, breakdown, and during the event, and include masks, regular cleaning, online ticketing, and more. Restrooms will be for emergency use only, and the usual bustling gift shop, amusement rides, horse-drawn wagon and carriage rides, and visits and supper with Santa will not be available. This will help keep all visitors safe and socially distanced in their vehicles during the experience. Bright Nights at Forest Park is three miles of a unique holiday experience featuring more than 675,000 lights and iconic displays like Seuss Land, Everett Barney Mansion, Toy Land, Happy Holidays, Springfield, and so many more. It generates $15 million in economic impact annually and has created a lifetime of family memories in its 25-year history. It also promises to be one of the safest events, with families contained in their cars. Admission will be $23 per car weeknights, weekdays, and holidays. Discounted tickets will be available at participating Big Y World Class Markets for $16.50. Due to bus-capacity limitations in Massachusetts, admission for buses has been reduced to $100 for buses with capacity of more than 30 people. Vehicles with seating from 17 to 30 people will be charged $50 for admission.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook

Elms College Establishes St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the creation of the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC), thanks to the generous support of three foundational donors. A seven-figure naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions, from Carolyn Jacobs and B. John and Collette Dill and family, will help the college launch the center. The CERC will examine the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society and lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging discourse. From an academic perspective, programming for the CERC will focus on the infusion of ethical leadership across the curriculum, the integration of ethics within the healthcare and business fields of study, and the provision of innovative experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. “The creation of the CERC reflects the college’s goals of training the next generation of ethical leaders, sharing the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition, encouraging interfaith dialogue, and promoting our commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at Elms College and a member of the CERC advisory board. An official launch of the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture will take place in late October and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held virtually.

MassMutual Center, UMass, AIC to Co-host 2024 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Regional

SPRINGFIELD — The National Collegiate Athletic Assoc. (NCAA) announced that the MassMutual Center, in conjunction with American International College and UMass Amherst, has been selected to host the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Regional, marking the first time the event has been held at the MassMutual Center. The two-day regional will feature four teams competing in two first-round games, with the winners advancing to the regional final the following day. The winner of the regional final will advance to the 2024 Frozen Four, which will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. “We are incredibly proud to partner with American International College and the MassMutual Center for a 2024 regional,” said Ryan Bamford, director of Athletics at UMass Amherst. “We have been privileged to see first-hand the passion that fans in this region have for college hockey, and we are looking forward to playing a part in hosting a first-class event in Springfield during one of the most exciting weekends on the college hockey calendar.” Added Jessica Chapin, interim director of Athletics at AIC, “we are thrilled to be awarded the bid for the Division I Ice Hockey Regional with UMass and the MassMutual Center for 2024,” “This will be a wonderful opportunity to add to the storied history of hockey in the Springfield, Massachusetts area.”

Northern Tree Service Transitions to Employee Stock-ownership Plan

PALMER — Northern Tree Service Inc. announced it has transitioned the ownership of its business lines over to an employee stock-ownership plan, or ESOP. The Lazear Capital Partners team worked with the management of Northern Tree Service to design a custom solution that included employee benefits, financial flexibility, and maximum tax advantages. Founded in 1932 by Walter Cambo, the company was first established to service state and municipal tree work in Eastern Mass. Under the leadership of Paul Cambo, Northern Tree Service grew to provide land-clearing services for the ever-expanding energy grid in the Northeast. Furthering Northern’s expansion, now under the leadership of Paul’s son, Philip, Northern Tree Service has continued its growth to become one of the most diversified tree-care companies in the industry, servicing all New England and surrounding states. “The ESOP was the choice we made to maintain the business’s current direction while simultaneously rewarding the 250-plus employees that have been so critical to the business’ success,” President Timothy LaMotte said. “We have a very specialized and highly skilled group of professionals focused on safety and integrity, and we are excited to see that continue.” With the new ESOP in place, both Philip Cambo and LaMotte will continue their current roles for the foreseeable future and gradually hand over the business’ operational control to the next generation of leaders.

Berkshire Bank Enhances Leave for Employees Experiencing Gender-based Violence

BOSTON — Berkshire Bank announced enhanced protections that will provide its 1,500 employees with paid and protected leave to manage the consequences of intimate-partner violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Berkshire Bank has partnered with FreeFrom, a nonprofit creating pathways to financial security and long-term safety for survivors of gender-based violence, to increase its existing leave policies to benefit its employees. The enhanced policy gives employees 15 days of leave a year to seek medical care, attend court proceedings, and relocate — all without missing a paycheck or depleting their accrued sick or vacation days. Since 2014, Berkshire Bank has had a domestic-violence leave policy in compliance with relevant state laws. These new enhancements go beyond the mandated requirements of state laws to offer additional support for survivors and their families impacted by this type of abuse. Berkshire Bank employees will also now have access to FreeFrom’s Compensation Compass, a tool designed to assist survivors of domestic abuse in understanding whether they are eligible for compensation to cover some of the costs of the harm they experienced. In addition, the bank plans to collaborate with FreeFrom as part of its Survivor Safety Banking Initiative to explore how to design products and policies to better support customers that have experienced or are experiencing violence or abuse. This approach eliminates barriers to access for individuals of all backgrounds and experiences by providing innovative financial solutions, including an online account-opening experience that will help bring survivors into mainstream banking.

Bradley Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler Readers as Eighth-best U.S. Airport

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced that Condé Nast Traveler released the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, with Bradley International Airport recognized as the eighth-best airport in the U.S. The awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. Bradley International Airport was recognized as a top-10 airport for the fourth consecutive year. “This award is a tremendous honor during a challenging year for the travel industry, and we are proud to once again be recognized among our nation’s best airports,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. “We thank the travel community for their continued vote of confidence in Bradley International Airport and for underscoring the value of traveling through a smaller airport. Now more than ever, Bradley Airport stands out by always offering a clean, safe, and convenient travel experience.”

Excel Dryer Supports Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom Initiative

SPRINGFIELD — For the fourth consecutive year, Excel Dryer has committed an annual gift of $5,000 to support Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom initiative. The gift comes at a critical time as Square One recently expanded its early-education program to include full-day remote learning support for children in kindergarten through grade 5, in addition to its traditional preschool classrooms and family childcare offerings. The funds will be used to offset expenses associated with classroom supplies, meals, and professional development. “I am a strong proponent of in-person learning, and I applaud the efforts of Square One to reopen its preschool programs back in June, with appropriate protocols in place,” said Denis Gagnon, president of Excel Dryer Inc. “However, not all children have been able to return to school in the fall, which has created additional expenses to provide these children with remote learning support.” Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom program is part of the agency’s Campaign for Healthy Kids, a multi-year fund-development initiative focused on the agency’s commitment to providing healthy meals, physical fitness, social-emotional well-being, and a healthy learning environment. “The past few months have greatly reinforced the demand for our programs and services,” said Kristine Allard, vice president of Development & Communication at Square One. “With that growing demand and the unanticipated COVID-related expenses — including providing full-day support during remote learning — we have a tremendous need to expand our donor base.” Square One currently provides early-learning services to more than 500 infants, toddlers, and school-age children each day, and family support services to 1,500 families each year, as they work to overcome the significant challenges in their lives.

People on the Move

People on the Move

Richard Swift

Dr. Ira Klein

Richard Swift, who has served as Health New England’s (HNE) interim chief financial officer since April, has been appointed president and CEO, effective immediately. HNE also announced the appointment of Dr. Ira Klein to the role of vice president and chief medical officer. Swift is an experienced chief executive officer and chief financial officer for provider- owned health plans, and a senior healthcare executive with over 30 years of leadership with integrated delivery systems, health plans, and provider groups throughout the country. He has served as president of Medwise Partners, a health-insurance consulting company he founded in 1996. In that capacity, he has served in numerous interim executive roles for regional health plans throughout the U.S. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and an MBA in healthcare administration from the University of Miami in Florida. In this new position, Klein is responsible for ensuring the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services for Health New England members, and will focus on clinical excellence, innovation, and technology to improve health outcomes. Before joining Health New England, Klein served as senior director and lead, Healthcare Quality Strategy at Janssen for Johnson and Johnson Inc. in New Brunswick, N.J. Previously, he held various positions at Aetna Inc. in Hartford, Conn., including medical director, Patient Management, Northeast Region; senior medical director and analyst, National Accounts; and chief of staff and national medical director, Clinical Thought Leadership. Klein holds an MBA degree from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Management, a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University’s College of Pharmacy.

•••••

Lt. John Vanasse

American International College (AIC) recently welcomed Lt. John Vanasse to lead the campus police department. Vanasse is an employee of G4S Secure Solutions North America, a leading international security-solutions group and the provider of campus-security services for American International College for more than five years. Vanasse’s background and experience lend well to his new role at the college. Most recently, he was an instructor of Criminal Justice at Westfield High School. He has also served as a corrections officer and deputy sheriff at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Corrections. Additionally, while working in safety and security for the Springfield public schools, he managed a million-dollar budget, supervised security staff at schools throughout the district, developed safety and security training programs, and conducted investigations into major security infractions. Prior to relocating to Western Mass. 15 years ago, he was deputy director for Safety and Security at the Massachusetts State House and other state facilities throughout Government Center in Boston. Vanasse received his undergraduate degree in criminology and law from Suffolk University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College.

•••••

Michael Bartoszek

Aegis Energy, EDF Group, a leading provider of co-generation technology, hired experienced energy-sector professional Michael Bartoszek to the role of business development manager. Bartoszek’s hire comes during an extended period of growth; Aegis recently added 12 team members and has plans to add four more. Although new to Aegis, Michael is no stranger to the company or its affiliates, having previously held the position of regional manager for the Eastern U.S. for Citelum North America, a unit of the EDF Group. With his knowledge of EDF offerings and more than two decades of industry experience, he is well-equipped to suggest energy solutions in his current role of business development manager.

•••••

Michael Bartoszek

Florence Bank promoted Shelley Moreau to the position of vice president, mortgage compliance specialist in the Residential Lending department at the main office in Florence. Moreau has been an employee of Florence Bank for 37 years. Prior to her recent promotion, she served as the assistant vice president, mortgage compliance specialist. She is a graduate of the American Bankers’ Assoc. Compliance School for Lending. During her tenure at the bank, she has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is awarded to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank. Moreau serves her community as treasurer and board member of the Hilltown Community Development Corp. in Chesterfield.

•••••

Bruce Dixon

Tech Foundry, a nonprofit with a mission to support the region’s growing need for a qualified technology workforce and elevate underrepresented groups into sustainable careers in information technology, has named Bruce Dixon its new CEO. Dixon will work alongside an 11-member board, lead a five-member staff, and drive strategic business partnerships and curriculum development to propel the already-thriving organization forward. Dixon previously served as CEO of the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program, a social venture that inspires and prepares underrepresented students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s this background that generated interest among Tech Foundry board members, but it’s his well-rounded background and personal philosophy that solidified his candidacy. Dixon is an award-winning innovator, social entrepreneur, adventurer, storyteller, and self-proclaimed “human-performance geek.” He has held a variety of leadership roles with the Hartford Financial Services Group and the Chubb group of insurance companies; was honored with numerous awards, including the Connecticut Science Center Award for Achievement in STEM Innovation and Education and Wesleyan University’s Social Entrepreneurship Award; and was invited as an honored guest to the 2014 inaugural White House Maker Faire.

•••••

Darcy (Fortune) Young

The Children’s Study Home recently appointed board of directors member Darcy (Fortune) Young to its executive committee. Young has been a member of the board since 2018, serving on the communications committee. She has consulted on everything from fundraising to digital marketing and, most recently, was part of the board effort to transition to a new executive director for the 155-year old agency. One of her first acts as a member of the communications committee was to film and produced a promotional video for the nonprofit agency. In the video, professionals from Baystate Orthopedic Surgery Center; PeoplesBank; Gomes, DaCruz, & Tracy P.C.; and Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn explain not only the critical impact the Children’s Study Home has on youth, but also the community. Founded in 1865, the Children’s Study Home serves children, adolescents, and families with special needs throughout the Pioneer Valley, the Berkshires, and Cape Cod, who are often struggling to cope with behavioral, psychiatric, and cognitive issues related to the experiences they have survived. The staff of the Children’s Study Home assesses their needs and develops individualized service plans that foster recovery, growth, and wellness. As a digital public relations analyst for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi), Young has developed and implemented numerous public-relations campaigns for some of the market’s leading brands. She is also one of the only female video producers in the region. In 2018, she produced “Innovation Series,” which won an award from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts. Prior to joining GCAi, she was a field producer, assignment desk editor, and production assistant for FOX News and ABC News affiliates. Young is a cum laude graduate of Westfield State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, and public & corporate communication.

•••••

Andrea Kunst

CitySpace announced that Andrea Kunst will fill the role of capital campaign manager for the organization, and will guide the Transformation Campaign, a project to restore and create a flexible performing-arts and community space in Easthampton’s Old Town Hall. Kunst brings 20 years of advancement experience, raising close to $30 million in funding for schools and mission-driven nonprofits. After being introduced to the field of development at a Jesuit middle school in Jamaica Plain, Kunst found her calling and has continued to support organizations with strong missions of meeting community needs. Prior to retiring from Boston public schools, she spent a decade as the director of Advancement for a competency-based alternative high school in Roxbury. She has worked extensively in many creative fields, including writing columns for Boston magazine, teaching technical writing at Boston Architectural Center, managing a jazz club in Cambridge, and serving as board chair for Dorchester Arts Collaborative during its successful opening of Dorchester’s first community art gallery. In 2016, Kunst began Cushing Mill, a contracting company for schools and nonprofits in need of advancement services. In that role, she has worked for the Center for Health and Food Law Policy at Harvard University, Fields Corner Main Street in Dorchester, All Dorchester Sports and Leadership; Boston Green Academy in Brighton, and Boston Farms Community Land Trust. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from Emerson College.

•••••

OMG Roofing Products promoted Adam Cincotta to the position of vice president of the company’s Adhesives and Solar Business unit, one of three business units within OMG Roofing Products. In this role, he is responsible for developing and executing the overall business-unit strategy, including product and market development, as well as managing the business unit’s profit and loss. He reports to Peter Coyne, senior vice president and general manager of OMG Roofing Products. Cincotta joined OMG Roofing Products in 2014 as a product manager for the OlyBond Adhesives product line. Most recently, he was director of the Adhesives and Solar Business unit. Under his leadership, the business unit has experienced strong growth driven by several successful new products for which he was responsible, including OlyBond500 Canisters, PaceCarts, and the PowerGrip solar-mount portfolio. Prior to joining OMG, Cincotta served in product-management and marketing roles at Newell Rubbermaid, ITW, and Danaher. He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied economics and management from Cornell University, and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts.

•••••

Aesha Mu’min

Aesha Mu’min, a 2019 American International College (AIC) alumna of the clinical psychology graduate-degree program, and current doctoral student in the mental health counseling program, was recently named a 100 Women of Color class of 2020 award recipient. The gala and awards event recognizes the contributions that women in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and service have made to impact the lives of people throughout their communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Mu’min was selected to the 2020 cohort of awardees because of her dedication to and innovative work as a deputy warden in the Connecticut Department of Corrections. In November 2019, she was integral in piloting the equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions offered by Operation Warrior Horse, a 10-week program housed in the 110-bed unit for military veterans at the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution in Enfield, Conn. The program offered inmates an opportunity to meet with therapists and interact with horses in the prison yard for two hours each week. Operating at no cost to the state, the program was sponsored by Healing Hoofbeats of Connecticut. While similar correctional programs utilize equine therapy, this was the first such program to be tailored to the needs of incarcerated military veterans.

•••••

Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan, assistant vice president at John M. Glover Insurance Agency, recently celebrated his 10th anniversary at the firm. Sullivan sells home, auto, and business insurance and became assistant vice president in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nichols College. To better assist his commercial customers, he also holds a commercial-lines coverage specialist certification through the Hartford School of Insurance. Sullivan previously worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years, which gave him customer-service experience along with a unique perspective on insuring restauranteurs. He works with commercial clients who range from contractors, real-estate investors, and restauranteurs to the owners of car dealerships and auto-body shops.

Incorporations

Incorporations

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGWAM

Old Post Road Development Corporation, 67 Hunt St., Suite 107, Agawam, MA 01001. Linda M. Bond, same. Land use development.

CHICOPEE

Liberty Property Management Inc., 460 Front St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Zahoor Riaz, same. Manage rental real estate.

ML Saleh Holdings Inc., 72 Barden St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Monzer Saleh, same. Real estate investments.

EAST OTIS

New Life Birthing Centers Inc., 1080 East Otis Road, East Otis, MA 01029. John M. Crowson, same. Offering free maternity care to all mothers and babies in need – currently serving Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

HAMPDEN

Off the Stick Inc., 100 Main St., Hampden, MA 01036. Linda M. Bond, same. Restaurant.

HOLYOKE

Nishi Inc., 969 Berkshire Ave., Springfield, MA 01151. Mita Patel, 579 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Operation of retail stores.

OAKHAN

Our Basketball Family Inc., 1802 N Brookfield, Oakhan, MA 01068. Christopher S. Leveille, 120 Elsie St., Cranston, RI 02910. Athletic youth program.

PITTSFIELD

MJ Grove Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Ste 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Matthew Lund, same. Engineering technology.

SHELBURNE FALLS

Massachusetts Rural Schools Coalition Inc., 24 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370. Michael A. Buoniconti, same. Develop and provide educational programs through which rural school districts can share educational opportunities.

SPRINGFIELD

Latino Counseling Center Corp. 125 Liberty St., Suite 100, Springfield, MA 01103. Jonathan Alicea, same. Mental health counseling.

Lyman Island Supply Inc., C/O Bacon Wilson, P.C., 33 State St., Springfield, MA 01103. Ashley Lyman, Muriel Dr., Granby, CT 06035. Distribution of industrial supplies.

New Blue Moon Bodywork & Spa Inc., 432 Newbury St., Fl2, Springfield, MA 01104. Xiaoxin Zhang, 4170 Main St., B31143, Flushing, NY 11355. Personal services.

Om Armory Street Inc., 140 Armory St., Springfield, MA 01107. Rakeshkumar V. Patel, same. Gas station & convenience.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Laxmi Transport Inc., 53 Belle Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Arjun Tamang, same. Transportation.

Monaco Transportation Inc., 425 Union St., Room 16, West Springfield, MA 01089. Gheorghe Rahubenco, 41 Irving St., West Springfield, MA 01089, same. Trucking.

WEST STOCKBRIDGE

Lou Boxer Builder Inc., 44 Great Barrington Road, P.O. Box 526, West Stockbridge, MA 01266. Louis Boxer, same. Construction company.

Melonfrost Inc., 8 Woodruff Road, West Stockbridge, MA 01266. Samuel Levin, same. Develop agricultural technology, including hardware and software for selling wholesale food.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of October 2020. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

HADLEY

Elite TaeKwonDo
367 Russell St.
Jung Lee

Escapes for Everyone
1 Rocky Hill Road
Dine Kieras-Ciolkos

Sign Gypsies Hadley
22 Newton Lane
Shannon Burke

LONGMEADOW

Adamski Coaching
18 Grassy Gutter Road
Mark Adamski

Maci Colondres
66 Dwight Road
Mychael Barnett

Mathnasium of East Longmeadow
7 Porter Lake Dr.
Alison McDonough

OTI Solutions
18 Sheffield Ave.
Michael Pepin

The Shot Shop
722 Bliss Road
Leah Kenney

SOUTHWICK

American Way Home Improvement
24 Eagle St.
Andrew Gorenc

Bears N Buses
509 College Highway
Domonic Faretra

Organized Chaos Pro
45 Miller Road
Beth Thomas

WESTFIELD

Bertera Motors Westfield
167 Springfield Road
Bertera Motors West Springfield

Charish Carter
110 Main St.
Charish Carter

DHL Supply Chain USA
1111 Southampton Road
Exel Inc.

Dunkin’ Donuts
1 Ely Road
Pleasant Street Donuts

Governor’s Center RE, LLC
66 Broad St.
NE Health Group Inc.

Northside Creamery
519 Southampton Road
Japolie’s Inc.

St. Mary’s Football Club
533 North Road
Laura Debruin

VIP Nail Spa
47 Southwick Road
Giang Huynh

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Affinity
175 Circuit Ave.
Vincent Giordano

Allegiance Trucks
268 Park St.
Michael Sirignano

Asian Mart
753 Union St.
Gopal Gurung

Beautiful Rooms
42 Myron St.
Gary Okun

Emmanuel’s Appliances
150 Front St.
Emmanuel Dishmey

Epic Filmmakers
56 Janet St.
David Long

H Engine Car Master, LLC
21 Sumner St.
Hashim Adwan

Hampton Inn West Springfield
1011 Riverdale St.
Amarjit Shokeen

Naples Home Buyers
150 Front St.
Dominic Santaniello

Natch Cleaning
579 Piper Road
Natalya Aseyev

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Anchor House Restaurant and Catering
Belas Inc.
Abruzzo
92 Penncastle St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/22/2020

Billinge, Charlotte
71 Potash Hill Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/24/2020

Bousquet, Jamie Francis
71 Clark St., 2nd Fl.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Bousquet, Joanne Maree
266 Grove St., Apt. 9
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/18/2020

Drinkwater, Judith A.
258 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/18/2020

Fleury, Alberta Mae
Fleury, Walter Wilfred
78 Massreco St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/25/2020

Flower Hill Farm
Duke, Carol A.
P.O. Box 454
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/29/2020

Hickey, Ann Marie
476 Cottage St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Date: 09/23/2020

Hurley, James R.
P.O. Box 6254
Holyoke, MA 01041
Chapter: 13
Date: 09/24/2020

Lawson, Sara M
a/k/a Vicenty, Sara
4 James St., 2nd Fl.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/16/2020

Lucky, Katheryn
531 Summer St., Apt. 2
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/24/2020

McCrory, Patrick Lawrence
32 Chestnut St., Room 10
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/18/2020

McFaul, William C.
181 Osborne Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/16/2020

Motyka, Ann M.
375 Belchertown Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Date: 09/25/2020

Saeed, Danial
53 Empire St., Apt. B
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/21/2020

Scott Salzman Painting
Salzman, Scott
432 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/16/2020

Strong & Healthy Smiles Inc.
Keller, Sean D.
Keller, Suzanne R.
P.O. Box 85
Deerfield, MA 01342
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/29/2020

Thibault Fuel, LLC
41 Chapin St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/18/2020

Thompson, Barbara A.
81 Beekman Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/18/2020

Westfield Carpet Cleaning
Leckie, Timothy
Leckie, Mary
20 Pleasant St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/24/2020

Woodcock, Harry J.
172 Cottage St., Apt. 1
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/25/2020

Zwicker, Vickie Lorraine
26 Packard Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/16/2020

Real Estate Transactions

Real Estate

The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BERNARDSTON

35 West Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Terrence A. Blanchard
Seller: Susan Guy-Greene
Date: 09/24/20

BUCKLAND

153 East Buckland Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Sarah Davenport
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 09/30/20

25 Stone Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $264,250
Buyer: Amanda G. Steele
Seller: Davin G. Ojala
Date: 10/01/20

CHARLEMONT

7 Avery Brook Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Erica Chenoweth
Seller: Beth M. Bandy
Date: 10/01/20

15 North St.
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Naomi Soviecke
Seller: Bradley J. Rice
Date: 09/25/20

COLRAIN

64 Ed Clark Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Eric M. Nelson
Seller: Stevens C. Marston
Date: 09/30/20

CONWAY

439 Wilder Hill Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $397,100
Buyer: Janet E. Breslau
Seller: Joseph R. Warger
Date: 09/30/20

DEERFIELD

216 Conway Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Martin G. Hutchinson
Seller: Jennifer C. Green
Date: 09/23/20

141 Hillside Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Deborah G. Rosenstein
Seller: Katherine M. Hunter
Date: 09/25/20

143 Mill Village Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $302,000
Buyer: Keegan Downie
Seller: Steve & Kathy Melnik FT
Date: 09/29/20

GREENFIELD

628 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $369,000
Buyer: Kaytlin J. David
Seller: Arnold G. Blackstone
Date: 09/22/20

48 Birch St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Karen J. Hatch
Seller: Jared B. Sharpe
Date: 09/22/20

12 Champney Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Dumitru Iavorschi
Seller: Infinite RT
Date: 09/25/20

160 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Benjamin P. Larkin
Seller: Nikolas G. Langlois
Date: 10/02/20

272 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Scott Spafford
Seller: Metzler, Virginia L., (Estate)
Date: 09/22/20

37 Columbus Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Brenda McKelvey
Seller: Daniel J. Fisher
Date: 10/01/20

183 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Patrick E. Healey
Seller: Phillip P. Gent
Date: 09/30/20

539 Country Club Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Eric Reid
Seller: Dustin J. Little
Date: 10/01/20

18 Haywood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: James Shultis
Seller: Jacob W. Ford
Date: 09/29/20

113 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Casey R. Fahey
Seller: Wendy A. Blanchard
Date: 09/24/20

70 Lovers Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Benjamin R. Bricker
Seller: Karissa A. Johnson
Date: 10/02/20

170-186 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $325,700
Buyer: Franklin & Main LLC
Seller: Charles M. Cohn IRT
Date: 10/02/20

20-B Phyllis Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Paul A. Fionte
Seller: Teressa Madden IRT
Date: 09/25/20

14 Temple Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Kyle W. Kurtyka
Seller: Judith L. Rose
Date: 09/25/20

43 Walnut St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Chalais N. Carter
Seller: Jessica Begans
Date: 09/25/20

HEATH

81 Route 8A
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Seth G. Rosenthal
Seller: Albert F. Canali
Date: 09/24/20

MONTAGUE

9 Hillside Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Dawn M. Orluske
Seller: Amie M. Keddy
Date: 10/02/20

11 North St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Sara A. Creta
Seller: Lisa M. Simpson
Date: 10/01/20

85 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Jason R. Cook
Seller: Mackinnon, William A., (Estate)
Date: 09/24/20

NEW SALEM

33 Stone Hill Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Adam Peterson
Seller: Sandra C. Spiewak
Date: 09/21/20

NORTHFIELD

158 Birnam Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Hong W. Cai
Seller: Rock Maple RT
Date: 09/29/20

47 Highland Ave.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Pamela Woodhull
Seller: Linda M. Capasso
Date: 10/01/20

ORANGE

83 Congress St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $195,900
Buyer: Sarah A. Clark
Seller: Michael V. Payne
Date: 09/21/20

218 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Waldemar Cruz
Seller: Ranlyn Property Investment LLC
Date: 09/25/20

16 Maynard St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michael L. Fernet
Seller: Janet E. Holden
Date: 09/25/20

831 Moore Hill Road
Orange, MA 01331
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Brooke Coleman
Seller: Constance A. Milusich
Date: 09/24/20

245 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Sean MacDonald
Seller: David T. Flood
Date: 10/01/20

134 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Harold L. Veilluex
Seller: Phillip B. Tomlinson
Date: 09/29/20

65 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $171,200
Buyer: Kurt R. Kenneally
Seller: Deborah Piragis
Date: 09/25/20

ROWE

131 Zoar Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Laurie Sutherland
Seller: Robert Rode
Date: 10/02/20

SHUTESBURY

25 Leverett Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jiraporn K. Winfield
Seller: Craig E. Marden
Date: 09/22/20

55 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Isaac S. Wilner
Seller: Norman Blain
Date: 09/25/20

SUNDERLAND

432 Hadley Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Adam L. Wald
Seller: Rains RT
Date: 10/02/20

117 North Plain Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Judith E. Miller RET
Seller: Richard W. Strycharz
Date: 09/30/20

3 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Jelb Properties LLC
Seller: Green Tree Family LP
Date: 09/24/20

106 South Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kitchen Garden LLC
Seller: Robert L. Bagdon
Date: 10/02/20

WHATELY

7 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $231,900
Buyer: Justin Stansell
Seller: Prime Partners LLC
Date: 09/29/20

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

12 Beech Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $394,300
Buyer: Steven M. Wood
Seller: Gary V. Archambault
Date: 09/28/20

75 Cleveland St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $134,200
Buyer: Stephen Werman
Seller: FNMA
Date: 09/29/20

114 Florida Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $327,000
Buyer: Luis F. Gonzalez-Colon
Seller: Elizabeth Minardi
Date: 09/24/20

78 Hall St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $227,900
Buyer: Joseph R. Erecacho
Seller: Laura J. Fox
Date: 09/25/20

21 Hemlock Ridge
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $519,900
Buyer: Jan Pohorylo
Seller: Steven H. Castelli
Date: 10/02/20

185 James St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $364,900
Buyer: Jessica Paddock
Seller: Mark Weiner
Date: 09/30/20

14 Mallard Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jeffrey P. Zalewski
Seller: Shawn P. Tatro
Date: 09/24/20

274 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Julie M. Cascio
Seller: Matthew Blackack
Date: 09/28/20

122 Meadowbrook Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Scott Harlin
Seller: Richard S. Bienia
Date: 09/30/20

50 Memorial Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Sarah J. Hyte
Seller: Susan M. Hall
Date: 09/30/20

316 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Patrick A. Ganieany
Seller: Matthew J. Reardon
Date: 09/29/20

776 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Vladimir Duducal
Seller: Pavel Duducal
Date: 09/30/20

68 Parkview Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Jody Petrangelo
Seller: Matthew A. Pacinella
Date: 09/29/20

Plumtree Way
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: Matthew G. Costa
Seller: Denault, Richard P., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/20

61 Royal Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jon R. Vandall
Seller: Andrew J. Getto
Date: 09/29/20

43-45 Royal St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Andrey Lisovskiy
Seller: Edward Lisouski
Date: 10/01/20

141 South Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $236,175
Buyer: Daniel J. Dubchak
Seller: Mary A. Czerpak
Date: 10/02/20

845 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Ryan Glynn
Seller: Donald D. Lunden
Date: 09/30/20

76 Stewart Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Donald J. Donahue
Seller: Ontour Properties Inc.
Date: 09/29/20

173 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jennifer Milani-Costa
Seller: Sheila A. Kipp
Date: 10/01/20

89 Woodside Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Nicole Bencks
Seller: Donna Mullaney
Date: 09/29/20

BLANDFORD

3 Huntington Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Jacqueline L. Coury
Seller: Stephen Poteat
Date: 09/28/20

BRIMFIELD

106 5 Bridge Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $491,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Wilder
Seller: William Simonic
Date: 10/02/20

CHESTER

2 Hampden St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Ryan J. Lister
Seller: Bizzozero, Aldo J., (Estate)
Date: 09/25/20

58 Lyon Hill Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Justin Iacovelli
Seller: Robert J. Iacovelli
Date: 09/23/20

1 School St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Hilltown Community Development Corp.
Seller: Chester Commons RT
Date: 10/01/20

CHICOPEE

17 Acker Circle
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Robert Rivera
Seller: Susan J. Kennison
Date: 09/25/20

14 Alvord Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Zenon M. Wojcik
Seller: Bank Of New York Mellon
Date: 09/22/20

71 Ann St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Melissa M. Wegman
Seller: Susanne McLean
Date: 09/30/20

36 Bonneville Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Amanda M. Labonte
Seller: Adam Kochaniec
Date: 09/30/20

61 Buckley Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Tammy S. Marquez
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 09/30/20

29 Cochran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Christopher Hernandez
Seller: Colleen M. Bates
Date: 09/28/20

45 Dale St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Clark Manor Property LLC
Seller: Endo Realty LLC
Date: 09/21/20

155 East St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $190,500
Buyer: Girard Investments I. LLC
Seller: Key Atlantic Financial Services
Date: 09/25/20

351 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $1,155,000
Buyer: Marky Marc LLC
Seller: Rimor Properties LLC
Date: 10/02/20

21 Fuller St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Nawar Khaleel
Seller: Jean, Doris E., (Estate)
Date: 09/30/20

26 Gelinas Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $243,900
Buyer: Donald Trottier
Seller: Breault, Jacqueline, (Estate)
Date: 09/29/20

129 Gilbert Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Patricia A. Landry
Seller: Motyl, James A., (Estate)
Date: 09/28/20

278 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Andrew N. Suarez
Seller: Raymond J. Guilbert
Date: 09/21/20

340 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jose A. Muniz
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 09/28/20

14 Guerin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Angelica S. Tougas
Seller: Patrick A. Ganieany
Date: 09/29/20

67 Haven Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $190,500
Buyer: Ruslan D. Bulatov
Seller: Debra A. Rock
Date: 09/30/20

58 Kaveney St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Mya V. Gaskins
Seller: Elizabeth A. Gaskins
Date: 09/24/20

52 Ludger Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $208,100
Buyer: Michael N. Corbett
Seller: Gayle D. Booth
Date: 09/30/20

7 Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Dennis Paul
Seller: Harold W. Cote
Date: 09/23/20

95 Lukasik St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Olga Mnatsakanyan
Seller: Marek Gusciora
Date: 09/30/20

78 Madison St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Kianalee Gonzalez
Seller: Patricia A. Landry
Date: 09/28/20

9 Massachusetts Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $193,820
Buyer: Scott Levreault
Seller: Candice L. Holzhauer
Date: 09/25/20

26 Miller St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Cody Thompson
Seller: Joel I. Roach
Date: 09/30/20

24 Moreau Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $146,900
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Kristine K. O’Neil
Date: 09/25/20

115 Narragansett Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Dominick A. Tebaldi
Seller: Kenneth R. Labonte
Date: 10/02/20

Oak St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Culper Properties LLC
Seller: Oak River Development Corp.
Date: 09/23/20

77 Olea St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Natalie M. Pope
Seller: Suzanne Badger
Date: 09/30/20

174 Olko Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Michael Capek
Seller: Stanley J. Capek
Date: 09/22/20

22 Pendexter Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Dennise A. Gauthier
Seller: FHLM
Date: 10/02/20

534 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Picton Capital LLC
Seller: David W. Ostrander
Date: 09/29/20

22 Ralph Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Brandon A. Haden
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 10/02/20

14 Ralph St.
Chicopee, MA 01109
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Gaskins
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 09/24/20

50 Saint James Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Manar Aldulaimi
Seller: Peter J. Gabis
Date: 09/28/20

149 School St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Cody Thompson
Seller: Joel I. Roach
Date: 09/30/20

114 Southwick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Devahn Adams
Seller: Rudolph V. Planter
Date: 09/22/20

25 Sunnyside St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Michael Hines
Seller: Green Fields Inc.
Date: 09/30/20

51 Sunnyside St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Joao Dossantos
Seller: Mosher, Sandra, (Estate)
Date: 09/24/20

23 Tolpa Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Stefani Sleczkowski
Seller: Mark Chouinard
Date: 09/30/20

236 Tolpa Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jessica A. Balser
Seller: Mary L. Smith
Date: 09/24/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

41 Carvill Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Michelle Merrick
Seller: William Humphries
Date: 10/01/20

187 Chestnut St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Allison L. Twyeffort
Seller: Sara Wells-Goddard
Date: 10/02/20

38 Ericka Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Dominic S. Breen
Seller: Siva P. Sivakumar
Date: 10/01/20

10 Fairway Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $509,630
Buyer: James M. Mott
Seller: Michael Carabetta
Date: 09/25/20

36 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: David W. Moore
Seller: Kayla A. Basile
Date: 10/02/20

11 Glendale Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: CMD Properties LLC
Seller: Aditus Inc.
Date: 09/30/20

88 Glynn Farms Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Darrin J. Carter
Seller: 96 Glynn Farms Road LLC
Date: 09/28/20

32 Indian Spring Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: John J. Willette
Seller: Douglas K. Sessions
Date: 09/25/20

8 Indiana St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Emilee C. Lalchandani
Seller: Joseph W. Heney
Date: 09/25/20

297 Kibbe Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $131,000
Buyer: Cardinal Home Investments LLC
Seller: Tallage Lincoln LLC
Date: 09/30/20

26 Mayfair St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: George J. Flanagan
Seller: Julie M. Olmos
Date: 10/02/20

32 Pioneer Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jim DeLaCruz
Seller: Barbara C. Healy
Date: 10/02/20

141 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Frank Alves
Seller: Thompson, Joyce E., (Estate)
Date: 09/24/20

106 Ridge Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $366,500
Buyer: Alison E. Triebwasser
Seller: Michelle N. Merrick
Date: 09/21/20

12 Rogers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,210
Buyer: Kelly Condike
Seller: Dawn K. Vivenzio
Date: 09/30/20

86 Somersville Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $137,000
Buyer: Brianna Barcomb
Seller: Brian J. Levesque
Date: 09/21/20

40 South Bend Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Thomas M. McGowan
Seller: Michael T. McGowan
Date: 09/28/20

151 Stonehill Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $477,500
Buyer: Quincy E. Cook
Seller: Michael R. Foley
Date: 09/21/20

38 Thompkins Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Emma C. Bernard
Seller: John J. Gentile
Date: 09/25/20

62 Wood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Laporte
Seller: Joel F. Laporte
Date: 09/21/20

38 Woodbridge Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Futter
Seller: Ann Futter-Lomell
Date: 10/02/20

HAMPDEN

5 Bennett Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $497,000
Buyer: Luke P. Kochanowski
Seller: Gloria J. Mitchell
Date: 09/28/20

42 Evergreen Ter.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Etabav RT
Seller: Deborah Makuch
Date: 09/30/20

51 Genevieve Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Brittany A. Moreland
Seller: Mark J. Bushey
Date: 09/25/20

53 Potash Hill Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Maura Carney-Ford
Seller: Timothy C. Messier
Date: 09/21/20

202 Mountain Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $356,000
Buyer: Joshua Lantigua
Seller: David W. Moore
Date: 09/29/20

HOLLAND

9 Vinton Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Melissa C. Aldrich
Seller: Sean G. Lewis
Date: 09/29/20

HOLYOKE

63 Ashley Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Charles M. Della-Penna
Seller: Maureen A. Rohan
Date: 09/23/20

192-194 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Carlos Penalbert
Seller: Brenda L. Parent
Date: 10/02/20

66 Berkshire St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Melyssa Matos
Seller: John J. Lemoine
Date: 09/28/20

20-22 Clark St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Caroline I. Cotto
Seller: Kerry T. O’Sullivan
Date: 09/30/20

16 Dale St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Brittany A. Rice
Seller: Denise M. Asselin
Date: 09/25/20

37 Edward Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $214,500
Buyer: Nadine K. Rivera
Seller: Thomas G. Paquin
Date: 09/24/20

45-47 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Mark J. Shar
Seller: Hans G. Despain
Date: 09/21/20

300 Hampden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: 4 Chimneys LLC
Seller: Thomas Spring-Builder LLC
Date: 09/29/20

285 High St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Catalpa Inc.
Seller: Viability Inc.
Date: 09/23/20

22 Linden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Sara Gari-Auster
Seller: Rory D. Crath
Date: 09/24/20

1218 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Johana Cabrera
Seller: Yaraliz Soto
Date: 09/24/20

2089-2091 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Michael Chatel
Seller: Lenny Sanchez
Date: 09/30/20

2213 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Zeynep Realty LLC
Seller: Jamal Alkattan
Date: 10/02/20

28 Richard Eger Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Tamara L. Prairie
Seller: Rita A. Boucher
Date: 09/29/20

214 Suffolk St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Brett M. Reardon
Seller: Patricia Ridley
Date: 09/30/20

57 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Amelia M. Box
Seller: Cameron H. Murrell
Date: 09/25/20

324 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Amelia Mosley
Seller: Revampit LLC
Date: 09/29/20

25 Waldo St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Myka Plunkett
Seller: Owen J. McLaughlin
Date: 09/30/20

1 Woodland St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Simone S. Ascher
Seller: Erin B. Brunelle
Date: 09/25/20

LONGMEADOW

296 Ardsley Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Dominick Major
Seller: Eric S. Shapiro
Date: 10/02/20

43 Benedict Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Scott Humble
Seller: Diana P. Willis-Moriarty
Date: 09/22/20

52 Captain Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Brian F. Larrow
Seller: Garry B. Muratore
Date: 09/22/20

159 Cooley Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Gregory J. Wales
Seller: Miriam T. Hirschhaut
Date: 09/21/20

247 Crestview Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $387,000
Buyer: Walter L. DeLaCruz
Seller: Marta E. Hafey
Date: 09/28/20

28 Ellington St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $477,500
Buyer: Jan L. DeDeka
Seller: Brian M. Keller
Date: 10/02/20

184 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Rory P. O’Brien
Seller: Joseph C. Willis
Date: 09/25/20

270 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $423,000
Buyer: Thomas M. Condardo
Seller: Miriam J. Siegel
Date: 09/30/20

548 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $376,000
Buyer: Ryan Williams
Seller: Jessica Wolpaw-Reyes
Date: 09/21/20

Lawnwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Angela Wetzel
Seller: Ronald J. Willoughby
Date: 09/25/20

1401 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Charles Tran
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/25/20

128 Meadowbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Demetrios Sotiropoulos
Seller: FNMA
Date: 09/25/20

64 Redfern Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: March Thompson
Seller: Dominick J. Major
Date: 10/02/20

37 Tennyson Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Changin Kim
Seller: Daniel R. Schwarting
Date: 09/29/20

17 Wellesley Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Mark Nicholls
Seller: Gerard A. Nolet
Date: 10/01/20

45 Williamsburg Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Michael L. Nero
Seller: Mary P. Toye
Date: 09/30/20

86 Woodside Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $346,000
Buyer: Felix J. Ruiz
Seller: Barbara A. Briotta
Date: 10/01/20

LUDLOW

534 Alden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: William J. Florence
Seller: Todd D. Doyle
Date: 09/30/20

27 Barre Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Melnick
Seller: Anthony R. Costa
Date: 09/25/20

43 Bluegrass Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Kimberly Davis
Seller: Shirley C. Sweeney
Date: 09/29/20

148 Cislak Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $729,000
Buyer: Dorothy L. Coover RET
Seller: Jeremy J. Procon
Date: 09/30/20

198 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Jose P. Meireles
Seller: Jack C. Mendes
Date: 09/21/20

242 James St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $226,250
Buyer: Roger D. Rains
Seller: David Lengieza
Date: 09/24/20

19 Laroche St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Wayne Hughes
Seller: Paul E. Larry
Date: 09/25/20

61 Lawton St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Brian P. Andraca
Seller: Debra L. Amos
Date: 09/30/20

Marias Way #4
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Francis L. Wdowiak
Seller: M&G Investors LLC
Date: 09/21/20

223 Marion Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Tiago D. Ferreira
Seller: Raul G. Fraga
Date: 09/28/20

38 Motyka St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Marco R. Lopes
Seller: Branco Construction LLC
Date: 09/25/20

41-43 Owens Way
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Mario A. Campora
Seller: Severyn, Juliette, (Estate)
Date: 10/02/20

187 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Josh Edwards
Seller: Katrina L. Rose
Date: 09/30/20

190 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Susan M. Armentano
Seller: Alyssa Dailey
Date: 09/29/20

Sunset Ridge #13
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Leonid Shevchuk
Seller: Baystate Developers Inc.
Date: 10/01/20

296 Ventura St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Matthew Lefebvre
Seller: William D. Jackson
Date: 09/29/20

50 Yale St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Sukru E. Yildirim
Seller: Stephanie P. Nascimento
Date: 09/25/20

MONSON

46 Lakeside Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Timothy Denney
Seller: Lydia Alvarez
Date: 10/02/20

8 Pease Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: John Spera
Seller: Matthew P. Silva
Date: 10/01/20

4 Sunny Brook Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Luis E. Marrero
Seller: Ronald A. Dion
Date: 09/30/20

283 Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $401,500
Buyer: Mark Bushey
Seller: Lee A. Williams-Fahey
Date: 09/28/20

47 Zuell Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Dominic R. Dinoble
Seller: Joseph Robert
Date: 09/28/20

MONTGOMERY

56 North Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Emily Kassis
Seller: Anna K. Echtner
Date: 09/25/20

PALMER

35 Fox St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Maritza Medina
Seller: Cornerstone Homebuying LLC
Date: 10/02/20

1537 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Mark J. Liberty
Seller: G. R. Properties LLC
Date: 09/21/20

1011 Oak St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Heather L. Polese
Seller: Rolande M. Smalarz
Date: 10/02/20

205 Old Warren Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $220,500
Buyer: Thomas Lamountain
Seller: Keith G. Forni
Date: 10/02/20

1022 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Melissa A. Dobson
Seller: Heath A. Bleau
Date: 09/21/20

3097 Pine St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Courtney G. Demarey
Seller: Claire Niedziela
Date: 09/30/20

49 Springfield St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Rehab Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Melissa R. Plante
Date: 10/02/20

SPRINGFIELD

39-41 Acorn St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Luis A. Castrodad-Velez
Seller: Global Homes Properties LLC
Date: 10/02/20

60-62 Algonquin Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Junior Properties LLC
Seller: Nolava LLC
Date: 09/22/20

339-341 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Rado
Seller: Basile Realty LLC
Date: 09/23/20

796 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Mariama Assantou-Jeng
Seller: Dominic S. Breen
Date: 10/01/20

63 Amos Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Rosita S. Medianero
Seller: Robert J. Demaria
Date: 10/02/20

409-411 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Liandro Gonzalez
Seller: Y. E. Gloss-DeVelazquez
Date: 10/01/20

53 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Thai Nguyen
Seller: Sean C. Devanney
Date: 09/24/20

148 Barrington Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Luis A. Cruz
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 09/24/20

33 Berkeley St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Verinilda Ramirez
Seller: Ahmed Al-Jashaam
Date: 09/25/20

406-414 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: J. R. Real Estate LLC
Seller: Kobed Inc.
Date: 10/02/20

543 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Caring For Others Health
Seller: Krisroy LLC
Date: 09/28/20

819 Bradley Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Alexis Nieves
Seller: Christopher C. Walker
Date: 09/22/20

73 Bremen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Ryan Imelio
Seller: Jessica M. Pertuz
Date: 09/30/20

57 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Backlot Industries LLC
Seller: William A. Womeldorf
Date: 09/25/20

75 Bryant St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Wilfredo Velez
Seller: Jasmine Barreto
Date: 09/25/20

30 Burton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Nicole L. Patruno
Seller: Aurora Collazo
Date: 09/28/20

35 Calley St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $249,999
Buyer: Candice Brown
Seller: Ricky R. Paro
Date: 10/01/20

1021 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Eddie N. Vadi
Seller: Fallah Razzak
Date: 09/28/20

244 Chapin Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Frances M. Samidy-Ortiz
Seller: Yasmin Cortes
Date: 09/30/20

67 Chilson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Tanaesha J. Sands
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 09/25/20

42 Coral Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Christina M. Rivera
Seller: Michael G. Whitney
Date: 09/30/20

12-14 Crown St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Maolis A. Lugo
Seller: MDDO LLC
Date: 09/30/20

31 Daviston St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Mitlleyra Vega
Seller: Aimee K. Monette
Date: 10/02/20

24 Deboo Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Gabriel J. Sanchez
Seller: Deboo, Kersi S., (Estate)
Date: 09/25/20

32-34 Decatur St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Alonzo Williams
Seller: Xiuyu Ma
Date: 09/25/20

63 Decatur St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: John Yarns
Seller: Michael A. Cady
Date: 10/02/20

36 Deepfield Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Angela Diaugustino
Seller: Luis A. Cruz
Date: 09/23/20

16 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Jose Caetano-Boaventura
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 09/28/20

108 Derryfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Justin Matos
Seller: Tetrault, Clare F., (Estate)
Date: 09/28/20

287 Draper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Leslie Rose
Seller: William P. Talty
Date: 10/02/20

37 Dresden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Isamar Garcia
Seller: Vilai Sivongxai
Date: 10/01/20

215 Drexel St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Maizah N. Capetillo
Seller: Janet M. Lopez
Date: 09/21/20

32-34 Dunmoreland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: 32-34 Dunmoreland St. LLC
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/28/20

320 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Diana C. Guzman
Seller: Max Schnaper
Date: 10/01/20

273-275 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Mark E. Barcomb
Seller: Jerry Nardi
Date: 09/23/20

11 Eastwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

12 Eastwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

3 Eastwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

4 Eastwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

41 Embury St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Gloria Marshall
Seller: Student Rental LLC
Date: 09/25/20

39 Ferris St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Millicent Takyi
Seller: Robbins, Nancy L., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/20

73 Francis St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Mariaah L. Martinez
Seller: Richard R. Peters
Date: 09/21/20

45 Gail St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Owen P. Kelleher
Seller: Timothy Kelleher
Date: 10/02/20

32 Garcia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Azra Siddiqui
Seller: Brianna L. Jones
Date: 09/29/20

47 Gary Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Cynthia Zitka
Seller: Cindy A. Houle
Date: 10/02/20

110 Gatewood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Joel Alicea
Seller: Luis Baquerizo
Date: 10/01/20

271 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: William Sierra
Seller: Maria F. Pietroniro
Date: 09/29/20

123 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Carlo Pizzaro
Seller: Tascon Homes LLC
Date: 09/29/20

44 Harmon Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Mariah A. Yerkes-Carter
Seller: Brittany E. Tagle-Suzor
Date: 10/02/20

Hartley St. (NS) #56
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Daniel D. Barbir
Seller: Jose D. Rodriguez
Date: 10/02/20

47 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

59 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

184 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Alonzo Williams
Seller: Xiuyu Ma
Date: 09/25/20

144-146 Laconia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Carmen Rivas
Seller: Blythewood Property Management LLC
Date: 09/22/20

83 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: 716 Spring Valley LLC
Seller: Paul Alexopoulos
Date: 10/02/20

89 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: 716 Spring Valley LLC
Seller: Paul Alexopoulos
Date: 10/02/20

23-25 Ledyard St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Alonzo Williams
Seller: Xiuyu Ma
Date: 09/25/20

49-51 Loring St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Sasha Soto
Seller: Josue Lopez
Date: 09/29/20

266-268 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Nicholas W. Turnberg
Seller: Damaris Diaz
Date: 10/02/20

216 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Donna J. Pino
Seller: Khanh Q. Nguyen
Date: 09/25/20

64 Marlborough St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: John Njoroge
Seller: Kimberly S. Williams
Date: 10/01/20

27 Massasoit Place
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Banjineh H. Browne
Seller: Margarita Ramos
Date: 09/30/20

93 Meadowlark Lane
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Katherine E. Fife
Seller: Glen P. Redmond
Date: 10/01/20

116 Middlesex St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Raymond Reyes
Seller: Graduate Housing Services LLC
Date: 10/01/20

14 Naismith Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Humberto Melero
Seller: Peter C. Moore
Date: 10/02/20

146 Naismith St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Paul J. Aust
Seller: Lance Gibney
Date: 09/30/20

290 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Rose Mee
Seller: Nancy Malone
Date: 09/28/20

116 Newton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Annelise C. Fisher
Seller: Sandra L. Wroblicki
Date: 10/02/20

799 North Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Lisbeth M. Alvardo-Colon
Seller: Margaret C. McCarthy
Date: 09/22/20

27-29 Noel St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Agapenub Revocable TR
Seller: Susan J. Roski
Date: 09/24/20

88 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: E. N. Guiterrez-Santana
Seller: Karen D. Wallace
Date: 09/25/20

105 Olmsted Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: David O. Rodriguez-Torres
Seller: HSB Investments LLC
Date: 09/30/20

21 Onondaga St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Wesley Moylan
Seller: Dana L. Bartlett
Date: 09/28/20

28 Overhill Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Michael Sabia
Seller: Frances J. MacPhail
Date: 09/23/20

144 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Lilinett Ortiz
Seller: Chenevert Properties LLC
Date: 09/25/20

63 Pemaquid St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Antonio Vargas
Seller: Robert B. Alexander
Date: 10/02/20

14 Pheasant Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: William Rodriguez
Seller: Barbara L. Erwin
Date: 09/25/20

198 Phoenix Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Michelle M. Lassalle
Seller: Magda Riley
Date: 09/28/20

228 Redlands St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Gianna C. Amaral
Seller: Rose M. Mee
Date: 09/28/20

31 Richelieu St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: John H. Ramsey
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 09/29/20

87 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Celibeth Arroyo
Seller: Wayne Lawrence
Date: 09/25/20

244 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Crystalynn Rivera
Seller: Carmen I. Delgado
Date: 10/02/20

47 Schley St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jose Rodriguez
Seller: Sharon A. Fuller
Date: 09/30/20

60 Skyridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $214,900
Buyer: Donald L. Guiel
Seller: Trela, Richard J., (Estate)
Date: 09/23/20

156 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Tatiana Ramos
Seller: Magalys Cardin
Date: 09/25/20

33 Sparrow Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $220,900
Buyer: William S. Maki
Seller: Dominic Dinobile
Date: 09/28/20

39 Spencer St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $252,100
Buyer: Lam Mai
Seller: Tuan D. Le
Date: 10/02/20

129 Spruceland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $219,500
Buyer: Andrew P. Oikle
Seller: Jesse L. Lederman
Date: 10/01/20

17 Stratford Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Ismael Rivera
Seller: Leonarf F. Mariotti
Date: 09/30/20

65 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Springfield Realty Vent LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 09/30/20

167 Sunrise Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Elfred X. Mateo
Seller: Jose M. Sanchez
Date: 09/28/20

407 Water St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $274,000
Buyer: Nestor Reyes
Seller: Khalid Ahmed
Date: 09/25/20

50 West Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Sani R. Mangar
Seller: Joyann Bineault
Date: 09/28/20

86-88 West Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Huang Family Property LLC
Seller: Huang Family Property LLC
Date: 10/01/20

90 Walsh St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Veronica Medina
Seller: Angela L. Burnett
Date: 10/02/20

67 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Richard M. Simmons
Seller: Edward L. Caudle
Date: 10/02/20

8 Washington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Madelin Nunez-Cedano
Seller: Jonathan A. Quinones
Date: 09/30/20

68 Westbanks Court
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Rodriguez
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/02/20

5 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

13 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

18 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

23 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

28 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

35 Westwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $4,500,000
Buyer: Enfield East 21391 NT
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 09/30/20

80 Weymouth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Christopher Recio
Seller: Mary A. Hayes
Date: 10/02/20

207-209 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Yotanya Hunnighan
Seller: David Vooris
Date: 09/30/20

132 Wilber St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $203,250
Buyer: Milagros M. Lopez
Seller: Awilda Arnold
Date: 09/30/20

100 Wilmington St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Ronald Baker
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 09/25/20

1090 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $357,500
Buyer: Jesse Lederman
Seller: James S. Reisinger-Kindle
Date: 10/02/20

SOUTHWICK

1 Cody Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $447,500
Buyer: Timothy J. Consolini
Seller: John L. Coccia
Date: 09/22/20

4 2 States Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $432,500
Buyer: Fred R. Aramony
Seller: Sandra S. Viscito
Date: 09/29/20

41 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Casey R. McIntyre
Seller: Wayne R. Bettinger
Date: 09/29/20

16 Fernwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Shelley I. Haber
Seller: Scott Haber
Date: 09/30/20

17 Fernwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: John Drude
Seller: Ziemba, Robert W., (Estate)
Date: 09/28/20

6 Gloria Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Alexis A. Doiron
Seller: Segismund S. Sharpe
Date: 09/30/20

54 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Raymond Z. Paquette
Seller: Rachel Allessio
Date: 10/02/20

258 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Timothey Vovk
Seller: Charles E. Singleton
Date: 09/30/20

125 Lands End Dr.
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Paul E. Grenier
Seller: Peters, Frank, (Estate)
Date: 09/25/20

226 Mort Vining Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Kyle W. Sanders
Seller: Boyer, Susan R., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/20

24 Sam West Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $459,900
Buyer: Adam W. Lajeunesse
Seller: Rafael Vega
Date: 09/29/20

42 Tannery Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Jose Quinones
Seller: Mary M. Salvon
Date: 09/28/20

WALES

153 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Luke Vanden-Akker
Seller: Jeffrey A. Barsaleau
Date: 09/30/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

64 Bacon Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: John R. Cressotti
Seller: Brittany A. Rice
Date: 09/25/20

243 Circle Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jean Perez
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 09/25/20

40 City View Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Michael Manning
Seller: Colby Gallagher
Date: 09/29/20

80 City View Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jeanette I. Pichardo
Seller: Richard A. Werbiskis
Date: 10/01/20

924 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Jonathan Vega
Seller: Thomas Mogavero
Date: 10/02/20

148 Dorwin Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $343,500
Buyer: Brian J. Lepine
Seller: Pamela J. Mott
Date: 09/24/20

269 Forest Glen
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $406,000
Buyer: Shawn P. Tatro
Seller: Steven A. Manchino
Date: 09/25/20

70 Garden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Round 2 LLC
Seller: Christopher A. Yager
Date: 09/21/20

55 Gay Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Nikkia Burch
Seller: Kerryann M. Serju
Date: 09/25/20

254 Greystone Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $314,900
Buyer: William Gallacher
Seller: William Florence
Date: 09/30/20

45 High St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Marta M. James
Seller: Atif Khan
Date: 09/30/20

36 Irving St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Humboldt Realty LLC
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 10/02/20

66 Laurel Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Mary Bergeron
Seller: Robert Behrens
Date: 09/24/20

977 Main St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Arsalaan Khawaja Realty LLC
Seller: Anjum Khawaja
Date: 09/24/20

1023 Main St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Sara Al-Moula
Seller: Parish Cupboard Inc.
Date: 09/25/20

175 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Barbara Murphy
Seller: Beaver Brothers Realty LLC
Date: 09/25/20

32-34 Moseley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Arlene Vidal-Valentin
Seller: Ali Al-Janabi
Date: 09/24/20

166 Nelson St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Justin Clark
Seller: Brian P. Twyeffort
Date: 10/01/20

236 Norman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Samary Martinez-Perez
Seller: Zeina O. Awkal
Date: 09/30/20

179 North Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Galen R. Plourde
Date: 09/21/20

30 Railroad St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Kristin Siller
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 09/25/20

124 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Ahmed Aljashaam
Seller: Bruce W. Fountain
Date: 09/25/20

1506 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Shiv Shambhu LLC
Seller: 1506 Riverdale LLC
Date: 09/23/20

2149 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $3,475,000
Buyer: TFO Properties LLC
Seller: Carrickmor Co. Inc.
Date: 09/30/20

69 Sprague St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $126,483
Buyer: Property Advantage Inc.
Seller: Vincent Grillo
Date: 10/02/20

51 Spring St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Mohanad Jumaah
Seller: Thomas McCarthy
Date: 10/02/20

28 Talcott Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $253,750
Buyer: Melissa A. Skiba
Seller: Mario C. Sotolotto
Date: 09/21/20

46 Vincent Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Luis N. Ruiz
Seller: Edward J. Crawford
Date: 09/30/20

38 Winona Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $356,000
Buyer: Nicholas M. Smith
Seller: Robert E. McMahon
Date: 10/01/20

WESTFIELD

2 Bristol St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: John D. Pumphrey
Seller: Home Team LLC
Date: 09/21/20

45 Campanelli Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $35,000,000
Buyer: Lineage PFS MA Westfield
Seller: Regional Holdings LLC
Date: 09/23/20

124 Elizabeth Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Vitaliy Borodin
Seller: Adam W. Lajeunesse
Date: 09/29/20

71 Elizabeth Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Susan L. Rak
Seller: Matthew L. Toto
Date: 09/30/20

16 Frederick St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Salim Abdoo
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 09/25/20

6 Furrow St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jose L. Alicea
Seller: Shirley M. Grubert
Date: 09/30/20

64 Gary Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Brett W. Shibley
Seller: William E. Shibley
Date: 09/25/20

723 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: First Horizon Bank
Seller: Scott A. Little
Date: 10/01/20

74 Knollwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Gregory Despard
Seller: Donald G. Cornelius
Date: 09/29/20

134-A Lapointe Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Edward L. Pinney
Seller: Robert A. Lapointe
Date: 09/25/20

78 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Andre Postell
Seller: Price, Gregory A., (Estate)
Date: 10/01/20

49 Little River Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Gennadiy Lisitsin
Seller: Konstantin A. Belyakov
Date: 10/02/20

27 Malone Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $191,100
Buyer: Andrey Mozolevskiy
Seller: City Of Westfield
Date: 09/21/20

66 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $306,800
Buyer: Anna M. Loriaux
Seller: Viktor Y. Minchuk
Date: 09/25/20

815 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Onsite Mammography LLC
Seller: Rock Steady RE LLC
Date: 09/24/20

64 Old Stage Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Avigeya Shalnev
Seller: Peter M. Beauregard
Date: 09/23/20

22 Princeton St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Katherine G. Sendra
Seller: Anthony R. Pedolzky
Date: 09/30/20

59 Putnam Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $248,800
Buyer: Lisa Bassette
Seller: Steven M. Wood
Date: 09/28/20

262 Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: James Lombardi
Seller: Sheldon M. Titcomb
Date: 10/02/20

1315 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Elias Navarro
Seller: Mariana L. Albert
Date: 09/29/20

294 Union St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $567,000
Buyer: PDK Holdings LLC
Seller: Independent Roofing Co.
Date: 09/30/20

28 Vadnais St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Bruce E. Duval
Seller: Taylor J. Derrig
Date: 09/25/20

WILBRAHAM

240 3 Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Emanuel Afonso
Seller: Thomas Malek
Date: 10/02/20

290 3 Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Michael J. Chabot
Seller: Charles P. Sharples
Date: 09/28/20

6 Sherwin Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $526,900
Buyer: James Billingsley
Seller: James A. Kloss
Date: 09/30/20

35 Stonegate Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Sonya Whitmeyer
Seller: Daniel F. Miles
Date: 09/30/20

4 Vista Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Adam D. Couture
Seller: Langevin, George E., (Estate)
Date: 10/01/20

18 Weston St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $245,500
Buyer: Aleksandr R. Godlew
Seller: John P. Perry
Date: 09/21/20

15 Wright Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $374,000
Buyer: Chase C. Puffer
Seller: Thomas A. Rosati
Date: 09/30/20

21 Wright Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $406,500
Buyer: Joseph Heney
Seller: Jeremy G. Winn
Date: 09/25/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

117 Cherry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $516,500
Buyer: Haoze He
Seller: Zichao Zhu
Date: 09/25/20

61 Columbia Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $223,050
Buyer: Mary M. McCarthy FT
Seller: Wyman, David S., (Estate)
Date: 09/30/20

39 Kendrick Place
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Benjamin P. Cherniawski
Seller: Vincent Rotello
Date: 09/25/20

255 Montague Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Randolph Calvo
Seller: Jones Properties LP
Date: 09/25/20

435 Pine St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $389,500
Buyer: Christopher E. Overtree
Seller: Ashley Carlisle
Date: 09/30/20

54 Pomeroy Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Marjorie B. Rubright
Seller: Henry Whitlock
Date: 09/30/20

265 Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Elana S. Lopez
Seller: Renee K. Conte
Date: 09/30/20

19 Strong St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Yurix D. Peralta
Seller: Judith W. Solsken
Date: 09/29/20

174 Wildflower Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $558,000
Buyer: Jacob Smith
Seller: Steven P. Abdow
Date: 09/29/20

BELCHERTOWN

127 Aldrich St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $412,000
Buyer: Victor E. Bodon
Seller: Theresa M. Bullock
Date: 10/02/20

86 Amherst Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $297,500
Buyer: William J. Matthews
Seller: Michael K. Sawicki
Date: 10/02/20

216 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Todd Maziarz
Seller: Heritage Ventures LLC
Date: 09/21/20

11 Canal Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Heather M. Moore
Seller: David E. Utley
Date: 09/21/20

31 Depot St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Rakauskas FT
Seller: Gabriel Markham
Date: 09/21/20

25 Everett Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jeffrey D. Lussier
Seller: Edward Comeau
Date: 09/23/20

37 Hamilton St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Cathy M. Laskowski
Seller: Melissa A. Desautels
Date: 10/01/20

56 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $449,000
Buyer: Xingmei Liu
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 09/30/20

3 Martin Circle
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: David W. Dougan
Seller: Zachariah J. Johnson
Date: 09/30/20

243 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: Susan E. Hunt
Seller: Brad Richardson
Date: 09/25/20

40 Nathaniel Way
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Xin H. Lin
Seller: Steven F. Barrett
Date: 09/29/20

62 Pine St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $434,900
Buyer: Allegra E. Giovine
Seller: Gary D. Smith
Date: 09/24/20

164 Railroad St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Andrea L. Loalbo
Seller: Gwendolyn Property Management LLC
Date: 10/02/20

210 Sabin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Desautels
Seller: Franklin P. Rose
Date: 09/28/20

340 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $346,000
Buyer: William C. Mohn
Seller: Erin M. Martineau
Date: 09/30/20

EASTHAMPTON

72 Bray Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Ethan Fenn
Seller: Cynthia J. Davis
Date: 09/25/20

64 Campbell Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: John N. McCarthy
Seller: Andrew G. Tudryn
Date: 09/30/20

32 East Maple St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $197,500
Buyer: Robert D. Thibodo
Seller: Shelley C. Thibodo
Date: 09/28/20

28 Farmhouse Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Allyson Brown
Seller: Clayton N. Fuller RET
Date: 09/23/20

217 Hendrick St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Thomas Bacis
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/23/20

19 Keddy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Adam Jaber
Seller: Tricia L. Carey
Date: 09/30/20

7 Lewandowski Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $313,500
Buyer: Kevin Bodley
Seller: Elias R. Navarro
Date: 09/29/20

3 Lovefield Way
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Michael R. Lavalle
Seller: Kathleen L. Monahan
Date: 09/22/20

4 Mayher St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Robert A. Day
Seller: Perry, Nancy D., (Estate)
Date: 09/30/20

14 Melinda Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $230,100
Buyer: Diana Mendez-Zimmermann
Seller: Smith, Kathryn J., (Estate)
Date: 09/22/20

30 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $286,100
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Kocan
Seller: Sarah Cleveland
Date: 09/21/20

9 Nashawannuck St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: Alice J. Sessions
Seller: Michael S. Thompson
Date: 09/21/20

38 Phelps St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Nicholas D. Yvon
Seller: Orlowski, Barbara J., (Estate)
Date: 09/25/20

131-135 Pleasant St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: 131 Pleasant LLC
Seller: Kevin C. Netto
Date: 09/30/20

12 Robin Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Joseph S. Zimmerman
Seller: Gregory C. Clausen
Date: 09/25/20

1-3 Terrace View
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Nicholas D. Duprey
Seller: David M. Brusco
Date: 09/29/20

15-17 Water St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Blumenfeld
Seller: Christopher C. Barcomb
Date: 10/01/20

35 Westview Ter.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Todd Sinclair
Seller: Eue John G., (Estate)
Date: 09/28/20

GOSHEN

50 Loomis Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $462,000
Buyer: Stephen P. Whittemore
Seller: Peter F. Lafogg
Date: 10/01/20

GRANBY

64 Aldrich St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $402,000
Buyer: Great Bally Inc.
Seller: Douglas A. Stellato
Date: 10/02/20

276 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: J. J J. & Jay Inc.
Seller: Edward S. O’Grady
Date: 10/02/20

24 Cedar Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Meghan M. O’Connor
Seller: Nancy A. Paquette
Date: 09/25/20

16 East St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Single Source Services LLC
Seller: Patricia J. Fitzgerald
Date: 09/23/20

25 Forge Pond Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Robert B. Alexander
Seller: Robert J. Carr
Date: 10/02/20

8 Lyn Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Paul M. Carlson
Seller: Jennifer Sinclair
Date: 09/28/20

122 Maximilian Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Doug Parker
Seller: Richard P. Hooker
Date: 09/30/20

131 North St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Zachary W. Beswick
Seller: United Methodist Church
Date: 10/02/20

37 Pleasant St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Jonathan T. Delagado
Seller: Patricia A. Sanford
Date: 10/02/20

6 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Shane E. Fuller
Seller: Alan D. Champagne
Date: 09/30/20

61 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Robin S. St.George
Seller: Russell A. Nugent
Date: 09/24/20

HADLEY

30 Middle St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Colin R. Szawlowski
Seller: Donald R. Dion
Date: 09/28/20

HATFIELD

60 Bridge St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Lizard 2 LLC
Seller: Clifford L. Billett
Date: 10/02/20

62 School St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Hannah D. Collins-Wolfe
Seller: Wendy L. Barnes
Date: 09/29/20

HUNTINGTON

30 Basket St.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Travis L. Hess
Seller: Donald E. Popek
Date: 09/30/20

11 Mountain View
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Jeffrey A. Fickett
Seller: Todd G. Whitaker
Date: 09/29/20

131 Norwich Lake
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Adam Southworth
Seller: David J. Pauze
Date: 09/30/20

MIDDLEFIELD

6 Johnnycake Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Daniel B. Bergeron
Seller: Paul A. Westerfield
Date: 09/25/20

83 Town Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Patrick C. Delaney
Seller: Marie A. Pease
Date: 09/28/20

20 West Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Zepko
Seller: Vivier, Edward V., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/20

NORTHAMPTON

310 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Takehiko Nakamura
Seller: Laura Dushame-Dunphy
Date: 09/29/20

27 Bright St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $586,000
Buyer: Linda K. White
Seller: William F. Langlais
Date: 09/25/20

287 Brookside Circle
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Emme T. Hutchins
Seller: Christine M. Andrulis
Date: 10/02/20

26 Cahillane Ter.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Russell W. Fuller
Seller: Geraldine Templeton
Date: 10/01/20

45 Carolyn St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $503,000
Buyer: Jens C. Sorensen
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 09/21/20

82 Coles Meadow Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $899,000
Buyer: Rilwan Meeran
Seller: Roy J. Giangregorio
Date: 09/30/20

18 Conz St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $387,000
Buyer: Karl R. Heston
Seller: Thomas H. Gelb
Date: 09/30/20

186 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Tara A. Goodrich
Seller: Pau Atela
Date: 10/01/20

79 Drewsen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Kristen R. Dangora
Seller: Deborah McPartlan
Date: 09/29/20

27 Grandview St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $377,000
Buyer: David M. Hale
Seller: Neil A. Alper
Date: 09/30/20

51 Hillcrest Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Neil Alper
Seller: Ericsson Broadbent
Date: 09/23/20

43 Ladyslipper Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Rebecca J. Lederman
Seller: Sandra N. Helliwell
Date: 09/21/20

13 Lexington Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $333,700
Buyer: Jeffrey Moyce-Parker
Seller: Letitia L. Ferguson
Date: 09/24/20

57 Main St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: 57 Main Street LLC
Seller: Valley TR
Date: 09/24/20

19 Mann Ter.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: George D. Bissias
Seller: Sprecker FT
Date: 09/29/20

204 North Elm St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $377,000
Buyer: Steven A. West
Seller: Kevin Verni
Date: 09/21/20

125 Nonotuck St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $431,800
Buyer: Brian Michaud
Seller: Matthew D. Curtis
Date: 09/24/20

333 Prospect St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Filipe Anacleto-Sobral
Seller: Sustaining Partners LLC
Date: 09/22/20

963 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Brooke W. Matuszko
Seller: Catherine Weiss
Date: 10/02/20

228 Spring Grove Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Keegan J. Yentsch
Seller: Carol A. Ryan
Date: 09/21/20

332 Turkey Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Rebecca Allen
Seller: Michael R. Banas
Date: 10/02/20

1388 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $324,900
Buyer: Elizabeth I. McCormick
Seller: Gerald S. Cotter
Date: 10/01/20

PELHAM

13 Bray Court
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jerome A. Varriale
Seller: Jon C. Berube
Date: 09/28/20

105 North Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Stephanie Bennett LLC
Seller: Elizabeth P. Perkins
Date: 09/23/20

SOUTH HADLEY

88 Boynton Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: Shannon Mitchell
Seller: Jeffrey D. Lussier
Date: 09/28/20

27 Dartmouth St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Scott Sattler
Seller: Paul F. Ruel
Date: 09/30/20

11 Lawrence Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: William R. Adams
Seller: Billy J. Massey
Date: 09/25/20

61 Park Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ildo V. Correia
Seller: Reardon, Terrence D., (Estate)
Date: 09/23/20

Pine Grove Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Barbara Corrigan
Seller: Karen Turcotte-Lemay
Date: 09/28/20

20 Pittroff Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Suzanne N. Keller
Seller: Melissa A. Calhoun
Date: 10/02/20

44 Searle Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Zachary Wallace
Seller: Jessica J. Bodon
Date: 10/01/20

SOUTHAMPTON

20 Lead Mine Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Jonathan McCarthy
Seller: Donald J. Mientka
Date: 09/30/20

Pleasant St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Todd J. Barron
Seller: Chester J. Kellogg
Date: 09/28/20

56 Russellville Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $379,000
Buyer: Julie A. Leblanc
Seller: R. J. Jr. & M. Henry TR
Date: 09/29/20

76 Russellville Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: Andrew G. Tudryn
Seller: L. M. Balicki TR
Date: 09/30/20

6 Sara Lane
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Watkins
Seller: Edward H. Gwinner
Date: 10/01/20

12 Strong Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Chase A. Hoffman
Seller: Bryan F. Osetek
Date: 09/29/20

WARE

51 Beaver Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $394,000
Buyer: Bruce D. Meekin
Seller: Judith Eaton
Date: 10/01/20

17-19 Castle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Keith T. Elmy
Seller: Diana L. Gliniecki
Date: 09/23/20

134 Church St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Zachary Luxon
Seller: Shelley J. Boudreau
Date: 09/30/20

83 Gilbertville Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Sonya M. Willis
Seller: Paixao Properties Inc.
Date: 09/29/20

215 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Richard W. Puntanen
Seller: Andrew P. Sweet
Date: 09/25/20

24-26 Walnut St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Paixao Properties Inc.
Seller: Jacob D. Cayea
Date: 09/30/20

WILLIAMSBURG

14 North St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Robby O’Sullivan
Seller: M. H&R Hathaway TR
Date: 09/28/20

3 Walpole Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Martha J. Jones
Seller: Michael Fournier
Date: 10/02/20

WESTHAMPTON

71 Edwards Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Kirk E. Peterson
Seller: David P. Zajchowski
Date: 09/30/20

WORTHINGTON

467 Old Post Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Garrigan
Seller: James Crane
Date: 10/01/20

Building Permits

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of October 2020. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

AMHERST

Amherst Cemetery Assoc.
70 Strong St.
$8,500 — Handicap ramp

Town of Amherst
4 Boltwood Ave.
$35,000 — First-floor alterations to create two private offices

CHICOPEE

Kuta Plaza, LLC
785 Burnett Road
$68,000 — Roofing

Reesg Properties, LLC
1483 Granby Road
$20,000 — Replace front atrium at Arby’s restaurant with glass front and entry door

GREENFIELD

The People’s Pint
24 Federal St.
$18,855 — Install new bi-folding window

LEE

Berkshire Corporate Realty, LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$2,222,000 — Install new clean room and handling, processing, and storage facilities for products produced in the clean room, alteration and extension of MEP and sprinkler systems as required

Berkshire Corporate Realty, LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$42,500 — Modification to existing sprinkler system for tenant fit-out, clean-room expansion

Berkshire Corporate Realty, LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$25,700 — New wet fire-sprinkler system in warehouse

Berkshire Corporate Realty, LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$8,025 — Add fire-sprinkler coverage to two new rooms

LENOX

Slote 2005 Revocable Trust
60 Housatonic St.
$10,000 — Change from business use to detached single-family dwelling

PITTSFIELD

Antonino Garofalo
132 Wahconah St.
$5,000 — Roofing

Jeffrey Rose
10 Taconic St.
$2,500 — Repair concrete bases and install new fiberglass column bases

Seven Sixty Five East Street, LLC
765 East St.
$4,500 — Replace existing foundation in install pylon sign

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
3300 Main St.
$109,264 — Remodel interior space for Baystate Empath Study

East Springfield Realty, LLC
100 Brookdale Dr.
$340,000 — Remove and replace warehouse roof

Garken Realty, LLC
318 Belmont Ave.
$13,125 — Remove and replace roof

Guion Street Realty Corp.
89 Guion St.
$756,026 — Remove and replace Northstar Pulp and Paper Co. roof

Smith & Wesson
262 Cottage St.
$57,930 — Clinic office, alter space for new environmental services room, install privacy walls and doors, install sink in therapy room

Solutia Inc.
730 Worcester St.
$122,400 — Remove and replace roof of Building 102

WILBRAHAM

Blueline Management, LLC
9 Pine Dr.
$8,800 — Remove and replace roof

Town of Wilbraham
5 Spec Pond Way
Build new storage facility at Spec Pond

UMass Amherst Announces Operating Plan for Spring 2021 Semester

By BusinessWest Staff October 26, 2020

AMHERST — UMass Amherst announced its spring 2021 operating plan, inviting additional students to return to campus to advance their studies. The plan prioritizes public health and safety, including expansion of the university’s successful COVID-19 testing program.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, in a message to the campus community, noted that “our strategic focus is on advancing students’ academic progress toward degree completion while providing a campus environment that meets federal and state health and safety protocols for mitigating COVID-19.” Specific cohorts of undergraduate students will be given the option to live on campus, representing about 60% of the typical residential population.

Full details of the plan can be found at www.umass.edu/coronavirus. The spring Semester starts Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.

Subbaswamy, informed by the public-health and academic recommendations of the campus strategy group, determined that in-person, face-to-face instruction for undergraduate and graduate students will be offered on campus this spring in certain classes, labs, and studios identified as requiring in-person instruction. First-year students may also be provided with a face-to-face instructional opportunity, although the majority of the teaching in the spring semester will be fully remote.

In addition, specific cohorts of undergraduate students, whose academic success is most closely associated with on-campus learning and living, will be given the option to live on campus for the spring semester. These cohorts include students enrolled in mandatory face-to-face classes; students dependent on the university for housing and dining, including international students, as well as students requiring specific academic accommodations or those participating in athletics; and first-year students and entering transfer students enrolled in fall 2020 and spring 2021.

These groups of undergraduate students represent approximately 60% of the campus’s usual residential population. Students who decline this invitation would join all other students who will continue to engage in remote learning from their homes or their off-campus residences. The university is also exploring alternative residential options beyond the Amherst area, including increasing the housing capacity on the Mount Ida campus in Newton.

“While I am pleased that a larger percentage of our students will be afforded the opportunity to return to campus and take part in the immersive residential experience, my heart goes out to students to whom we are not able to extend this invitation,” Subbsawamy said. “Put simply, given the nature of the pandemic, the campus cannot operate at full capacity and adequately provide the virus testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and quarantine and isolation measures necessary while the pandemic continues. However, at 60% capacity, we are confident we can provide all of these vital services to our campus community while fulfilling our educational mission.”

The university confidence is bolstered in part, Subbaswamy said, by the success of UMass Amherst’s symptomatic and asymptomatic-testing and contact-tracing program. The fourth-largest such operation in the state, behind only Boston, Worcester, and Cambridge, the UMass testing center has conducted more than 100,000 tests since it opened in August and, in conjunction with a comprehensive contact tracing activities, has revealed a cumulative positivity rate of 0.15%, well below most peer institutions as well as the state rate of 0.8%.

“Remarkably, as of this writing, there has been only one positive case detected in our current residential population,” he added. “That is a testament to our students’ commitment to following public-health protocols.”

Subbaswamy emphasized that the university’s plan to partially repopulate the campus in the spring semester will require strict adherence to updated and expanded protocols regarding twice-weekly testing, daily self-monitoring and reporting, mandatory face coverings, social distancing, limited travel away from campus, and prohibition of guests in residence halls, dining commons, and other campus buildings.

Elizabeth Wills-O’Gilvie, Janine Fondon Named Pynchon Medalists

By BusinessWest Staff October 26, 2020