Construction Archives - Page 19 of 53

SPRINGFIELD — Thomas O’Connor Jr., chairman and CEO of Mohawk, will join U.S. Rep. Richard Neal to discuss the future of the fine-paper industry during the New England Paper Cluster’s annual conference today in Springfield.

The New England Paper Cluster, a regional, nonprofit trade association founded by the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, is comprised of New England-based businesses — including paper mills, packaging companies, and printing companies — that work to promote the regional paper industry.

Mohawk is currently completing renovations on an envelope-converting facility in South Hadley. The company is investing approximately $2 million to retrofit the facility and expects to hire up to 40 full-time employees to produce more than 500 million envelopes annually.

“Insightful, forward-thinking companies such as Mohawk are supporting the local paper economy by locating plants in New England,” said Ben Markens, principal of the Markens Group and president of the Paperboard Packaging Council. “This meeting will assist us in identifying ways we can encourage other paper-related firms to see value in moving to the region as well as share expertise and best practices so that existing companies may thrive.”

Added O’Connor, “The town of South Hadley has been extremely cooperative and supportive of our interest in opening a new envelope manufacturing and distribution facility. We selected our new facility in South Hadley because the layout of the building is ideal for our manufacturing needs, the site required minimal construction prior to becoming operational, and there is an abundant pool of highly skilled envelope workers in Western Massachusetts.”

Neal, a member of the Congressional Paper Caucus, will present an update from Washington about recent legislative efforts to promote the paper industry on the federal level.

Unemployment Rate in Massachusetts Drops to 4.6% in May

By BusinessWest Staff June 19, 2015

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 4.6% in May, a 0.1% decrease from the previous month, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Thursday. The unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in the state since December 2007.

The new preliminary job estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Massachusetts gained 7,400 jobs in May, marking the ninth consecutive month of jobs gains.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 1.2% from 5.8% in May 2014. The unemployment rate in Massachusetts peaked in September 2009 at 8.8%. The May state unemployment rate is 0.9% lower than the national rate of 5.5% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised upward its April job figure, reporting the state gained 11,200 jobs, instead of 10,100, which the agency reported last month.

“We have had solid job growth in the last three months, with approximately 30,000 jobs added in the state,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II said. “As more jobs are created, more people are coming back into the labor market.”

Over the month, jobs were up 7,400, with a private-sector gain of 7,100. Since May 2014, jobs grew by 70,600, with 59,300 private-sector job gains. Sectors that gained jobs over the month include construction, which added 3,500 jobs; retail trade, 1,500 jobs; and wholesale trade, 1,500 jobs. Transportation and warehousing lost 500 jobs. Manufacturing gained 600 jobs, and financial activities gained 700 jobs.

Education and health services and professional, scientific, and business services had the largest job gains over the year.

Tighe & Bond Acquires New Hampshire-based Waterfront Engineers

By BusinessWest Staff June 17, 2015

WESTFIELD — Waterfront Engineers LLC, a New Hampshire-based firm known for providing specialized engineering services for shoreline challenges and waterfront facilities, joined forces this week with Tighe & Bond, a New England leader in engineering and environmental services.

Tighe & Bond acquired Waterfront Engineers to offer its clients additional expertise and targeted solutions for complex and challenging coastal projects. Tighe & Bond’s Portsmouth, N.H. office will serve as the hub for these expanded services.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Waterfront Engineers to our team. Over the years, we have collaborated regularly with the firm’s chief engineer, Duncan Mellor, and know that his 30-plus years of proven coastal engineering success will benefit our waterfront clients,” said Tighe & Bond President and CEO David Pinsky. “As climate change has accelerated, and we’ve seen the devastating effects of coastal storm damage on communities, we are certain that our clients have an increased need for these specialized services. Whether it is to prevent or repair coastal damage, we can now fully support them with the waterfront engineering services they need.”

Based in Stratham, N.H. for 10 years, Waterfront Engineers has provided a range of specialized engineering for the assessment (above and underwater), design, and construction of structures built along shorelines, waterways, ports, and harbors. These include piers, wharves, bulkheads, quay walls, revetments, breakwaters, bridges, parks, marinas, dredging, tidal turbines, and many other specialized coastal studies, grant applications, and structures.

Tighe & Bond has long provided structural, geotechnical, and civil-engineering services for buildings, dams, and seawalls throughout New England. However, the addition of Waterfront Engineers’ coastal engineering capabilities deepens this expertise, and supports the firm’s ongoing growth and presence in New Hampshire.

Making Her Case

Sections Women in Businesss

Jo-Ann Davis Becomes First General Counsel for Baystate System

Jo-Ann Davis says her office will handle matters ranging from bond financing to mergers and acquisitions to labor negotiations — and much more.

When Baystate Health administrators decided last fall to move ahead with plans to hire the system’s first chief general legal counsel, they asked Jo-Ann Davis, serving then as Baystate’s vice president of Human Resources Consulting and Employee Relations, if she would serve on the search committee that would evaluate candidates for that important post.

She agreed to take on that assignment, but not long afterward came to the conclusion that she was at least as qualified for this position, if not more so, than the applicants she would be screening.

“I started to scratch my head and say, ‘I think that I could actually do this … I’d like to throw my hat into the ring,” she told BusinessWest, adding that, by sharing this observation with those same Baystate administrators, she went from being an assessor of candidates to a candidate being assessed.

Fast-forward a few months, and Davis now has what she considers to be the best job within what would be considered the region’s legal community.

Her new business card identifies her as senior vice president and chief general counsel, which means she’s responsible for overseeing the handling of all legal matters involving a system that now includes four hospitals (Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, and Baystate Wing Hospital — with negotiations underway for a fifth, Noble Hospital in Westfield), more than 11,700 employees, and nearly $2 billion in net revenues.

This is a multi-faceted position, she said, one that involves everything from labor contracts to real-estate matters; from regulatory compliance to litigation management. She will also serve as primary legal advisor to the chief executive and the president’s cabinet, and chief legal officer to the board of trustees.

“This involves planning, overseeing, and managing all legal services for the system,” she said, reading directly from the lengthy job description that came with that business card, adding this is a professional challenge she fully embraces.

“I’m very excited about this for a lot of reasons,” she explained. “One, we need this role and function here. Two, there’s an excitement for me when it comes to building a department and starting from scratch, and as a professional woman, I’m very proud of the fact that Baystate, when it had the opportunity to hire its first senior leader and general counsel, they chose a woman for the position.”

Jo-Ann Davis says her office will handle matters ranging from bond financing to mergers and acquisitions to labor negotiations — and much more.
[/caption]Davis said one of the first items on her to-do list is to assemble a staff — one that she believes will eventually consist of several lawyers (perhaps five to eight) and several support staff, including paralegals. And before deciding the size and makeup of that staff, she said she must first itemize, if you will, the system’s legal needs and then decide how best to meet them.

Historically, the system has contracted with several area firms to handle matters ranging from bond financing (for the massive, $353 million Hospital of the Future project, for example) to mergers and acquisitions to labor negotiations. And it will continue to do so with the new general-counsel structure, although more matters will now be handled in house.

Davis said the Baystate system has long considered adopting the general-counsel model — one used by most major corporations and health systems — and new President and CEO Mark Keroack, who took the helm 11 months ago, made it one of the priorities of his administration.

“As the system grows and expands, and as healthcare and health law become increasingly complex, you need to have in-house counsel so you have that expertise at your fingertips,” she explained, adding that, while the system is expecting to lower its overall legal bills through this model, the primary motivation is to more effectively manage (that’s a word she would use often) the myriad legal services required by a system of Baystate’s size.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Davis about her new role and all that entails.

Offering Testimony

Davis began her law career in 1982 as a human-resources consultant for the Springfield-based law firm Sullivan & Hayes, where she landed after earning first a bachelor’s degree in political science at Wheaton and then a master’s in education at Harvard.

She would add a juris doctor to her educational résumé in 1988, graduating from Western New England University, and became an associate with Sullivan & Hayes that year. She made partner in 1994 and remained with the firm until 1998, when she joined Springfield-based Skoler Abbott & Presser, becoming a partner in 1999.

At Skoler Abbott, she worked with a wide range of clients, developing strategies with regard to the many aspects of employment and labor-law matters, and representing them in federal and Massachusetts courts and before such bodies as the Equal Employment Opportunity Counsel (EEOC), the Mass. Commission Againt Discrimination (MCAD), and the National Labor Relations Board. Baystate wasn’t one of her clients (although the firm did some work for it); however, the system became the next line on her résumé.

She came on board as director of Employee Relations in 2003, and became director of Human Resources Consulting and Employee relations in 2009, and vice president overseeing that department in 2012.

In those latter roles, she built, developed, and managed the department, supervising six HR directors system-wide and leading a staff of 25. She also handled the full gamut of employment and labor-related matters, including employment litigation in state and federal courts, before the EEOC, MCAD, and other bodies.

It was the breadth and depth of her experience with the system, and also in private practice, that convinced her she was capable of handling the general counsel’s role — and not merely coordinating the search for that individual — and those who did conduct that search eventually came to the same conclusion.

Indeed, Davis, who prevailed over a host of candidates from across the country, took on her new role in late March. And she’s spent the past two months undertaking that aforementioned analysis of the system’s legal needs.

“A big part of my role is to build the department,” she explained, adding that this means analyzing how much is spent (she said she was still getting her arms around the budget), where it’s spent — in business transactions or employment and labor matters, for example — and then determining what types of lawyers should be hired (meaning which aspects of the law they specialize in) as well as which work will be handled in-house and which assignments will be contracted out.

“This analysis is typical of what any general counsel’s office would do,” she went on. “You have to decide what your bread and butter is — what you can handle internally — and what is too complex and sophisticated, where you really need specialists.”

This will be an involved analysis, she continued, adding that she expects it will take several months to determine the size and character of her staff and fill those positions.

When it’s staffed and operating, she expects that the general counsel’s office will bring more efficiency to the task of managing the system’s legal matters, simply because those individuals are in house and employed by Baystate.

“I sit on the president’s cabinet, and when we meet weekly, there isn’t an issue or strategy or business imperative, or any discussion around patient care, that doesn’t involve or have legal implications,” she explained. “To have that expertise sitting at the table, in the moment, is invaluable.”

Using the Hospital of the Future as an example, she said that huge project involved everything from bond financing to regulatory compliance matters to construction issues. Outside counsel was used for each aspect of that initiative, but with the general-counsel model, many, though certainly not all, of these matters can be handled in house.

“Areas that are very sophisticated, that are not done on a day-to-day basis … you still want to contract those out,” she explained. “But things internally that we’ll be doing include general contract review, employment and labor relations, physician contracting, professional-services agreements, and much more.”

Summary Judgment

As she talked about why she left private practice and a partnership with one of the region’s leading employment-law firms to join Baystate a dozen years ago, Davis said there were many motivating factors, but primarily a desire to represent one client, not a portfolio of them.

“When you work for a private firm, a lot of it becomes marketing your own services instead of practicing law,” she explained. “I got to the point where I wanted to represent one client; you form deep relationships with that one client, and you have a vested interest in the success and opportunities of that one client.”

Today, she’s not only representing that client, but representing it as general counsel. That role represents a host of responsibilities, but a tremendous opportunity as well. “As a lawyer in this community, I have the best job,” she said.

Not bad for someone who was originally asked to weigh the candidates for that job.

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2015.

AMHERST

Open Field Foundation Inc.
593 South Pleasant St.
$93,000 — Add bathroom and utility room to existing office

Saremi, LLP
256 North Pleasant St.
$2,000 — Replacement windows

W D Cowles Inc.
29 Cottage St.
$76,000 — Strip existing roof and install new shingles

GREENFIELD

Green River School
62 Meridian St.
$1,005,890 — Replace roof and windows

Northeast Sustainable Energy Associate
50 Miles St.
$78,000 — Interior renovations

Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield
133 Main St.
$14,000 — New fire alarm system

Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield
133 Main St.
$317,000 – Renovation of the upper church

Stoneleigh School
574 Bernardston Road
$477,000 — Exterior and interior repairs

Syfeld Greenfield Associates
259 Mohawk Trail
$32,000 — Renovate existing space

LUDLOW

American Tower Corporation
31 Ravenwood Dr.
$9,000 — Cell-tower alterations

PALMER

Baystate Wing Hospital
40-42 Wright St.
$4,000 — Interior renovations

Gaston Lafleur
80 Stimson St.
$15,000 — Install three newer technology cell antennas

Richard Crowley
West Ware Road
$200,000 — Construct new pre-engineered bath room and shower building

SOUTH HADLEY

Stephen H. Doyle
654 New Ludlow Road
$10,000 — Interior renovations for offices

William E. Chapdelaine
130-138 College St.
$10,000 — Install non-bearing walls and build office

SPRINGFIELD

Springfield Redevelopment Authority
55 Frank B. Murray St.
$34,294,847 — Construction of a new bus depot

F.L. Roberts Company
235 Albany St.
$14,500 — Renovate two existing offices

WESTFIELD

City of Westfield
45 Noble St.
$159,000 — Fire sprinkler system in new senior center

Rock Steady Real Estate
815 North St.
$15,000 — Renovations for new offices

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Bertera Fiat
657 Riverdale St.
$33,000 — Add new wall for sound reduction

Real Estate Transactions

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

BUCKLAND

37 Elm St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Aaron Tieger
Seller: Paul Hellmund
Date: 05/07/15

COLRAIN

123 Foundry Village Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $225,579
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing
Seller: Kevin J. Lesieur
Date: 05/04/15

DEERFIELD

642 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Stephen M. Cullen
Seller: Walter T. Griffin
Date: 05/15/15

GREENFIELD

6-8 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Robert L. Broussard
Seller: Joshua N. James
Date: 05/15/15

16 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Danae Dinicola
Seller: Robert L. Broussard
Date: 05/15/15

24 Pine St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Caroline P. Jennings
Seller: Richard M. Scott
Date: 05/08/15

145 Silver St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Samantha Torres
Seller: Joann W. Tirrell
Date: 05/06/15

218 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $155,500
Buyer: Justin P. Purinton
Seller: Michelle D. Demers
Date: 05/15/15

HAWLEY

21 Forget Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Lauri Donelson
Seller: William Guild
Date: 05/15/15

LEYDEN

670 Greenfield Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: David J. Morgan
Seller: Albrecht H. Kummerle
Date: 05/14/15

MONTAGUE

18 Carlisle Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: John M. Martineau
Seller: Francis P. Hanley
Date: 05/15/15

9 Dell St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Donald T. Brooks
Seller: Betty McCabe
Date: 05/08/15

66 South Prospect St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: David M. Wilson
Seller: Mary G. Provost
Date: 05/05/15

30 X St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: William Steffen
Seller: Tami R. Banas
Date: 05/08/15

NEW SALEM

10 Neilson Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: William A. Lane
Seller: Reita L. Oliver LT
Date: 05/15/15

NORTHFIELD

160 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jayant D. Singh
Seller: Louise E. Hoff
Date: 05/15/15

ORANGE

41 James Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $168,531
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Robert L. Fortier
Date: 05/15/15

SHUTESBURY

16 Wendell Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Mark J. Stetz
Seller: John Darby
Date: 05/11/15

376 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Robert D. Novick
Date: 05/07/15

WENDELL

118 Locke Hill Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Thomas M. Arnold
Seller: Liberty, Barbara J., (Estate)
Date: 05/06/15

WHATELY

31 Grey Oak Lane
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $386,500
Buyer: Amy Altadonna
Seller: Roy J. Giangregorio
Date: 05/15/15

191 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Norman E. Young
Seller: Sharon H. Young
Date: 05/12/15

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

91 Barney St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $321,000
Buyer: Kevin P. Malloy
Seller: Thomas Kilbride
Date: 05/14/15

40 Cherry St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $283,055
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Mark T. Pfau
Date: 05/12/15

102 Halladay Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $227,500
Buyer: David P. Whitehead
Seller: Cory R. Heiden
Date: 05/15/15

880 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Paula R. Proulx
Seller: Penn Stegall
Date: 05/06/15

25 Melrose Place
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Dewayne Raynor
Seller: Oslon, Nadine F., (Estate)
Date: 05/07/15

15 Rhodes Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Timothy S. Sabin
Seller: Craig A. Dore
Date: 05/11/15

557 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Andrew Boisvert
Seller: Gina M. Page
Date: 05/12/15

BLANDFORD

88 Chester Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Leonard W. Ferst
Seller: Nancy E. Barry
Date: 05/15/15

CHESTER

12 Allman Dr.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $163,500
Buyer: Lisa L. Diluzio
Seller: Wayne D. Fuller
Date: 05/15/15

CHICOPEE

2-8 Beaudoin Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Chicopee Grove Realty Assocs.
Date: 05/15/15

40 Bernard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Adam M. Dymnicki
Seller: Laura Risher
Date: 05/15/15

16 Chapman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Chapman Street Realty Assocs.
Date: 05/15/15

22 Chateaugay St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Angel D. Lajara
Seller: Marlin Investments LLC
Date: 05/13/15

483 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Frank A. Signorile
Seller: Bator, Frances M., (Estate)
Date: 05/08/15

910 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Michael T. Loudon
Seller: Robert E. Chouinard
Date: 05/04/15

517 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: David Graham
Seller: Slawomir Urbanek
Date: 05/14/15

21 Mill St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Fidel Sierra
Seller: Anne L. Jalbert
Date: 05/06/15

171 Nelson St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $174,500
Buyer: Leonid Zamotayev
Seller: Barbara E. Belden
Date: 05/07/15

10 Roberts Pond Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $179,500
Buyer: Peter M. Charpentier
Seller: George A. Benson
Date: 05/15/15

75 Roy St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Emily R. Boronski
Seller: Matthew D. Macbrian
Date: 05/04/15

25 Stedman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Robert P. Deprey
Seller: FNMA
Date: 05/04/15

124 Summit Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Anson C. Botas
Seller: Perusse, Sally L., (Estate)
Date: 05/07/15

115 Watson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Stephen L. Nyarko
Seller: Ralph J. Appleton
Date: 05/12/15

160 Woodcrest Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Stanley M. English
Seller: Mary E. Pegus
Date: 05/14/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

15 Heritage Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Kevin Brusseau
Seller: David M. Hodge
Date: 05/14/15

135 Lasalle St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Sara M. Drake
Seller: Frisino, Samuel S., (Estate)
Date: 05/11/15

1 Millbrook Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Daniel F. Morrill
Seller: Caroline A. Tougas
Date: 05/08/15

30 Millbrook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Daniel H. Reynolds
Seller: Matthew Maurer
Date: 05/14/15

118 Orchard Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $372,500
Buyer: Peter J. Borrello
Seller: John B. Yahres
Date: 05/14/15

126 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Thomas F. Kennedy
Seller: Glenn R. Zanetti
Date: 05/08/15

25 Rankin Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Robert K. Parker
Seller: Hyun J. Park
Date: 05/15/15

16 Winterberry Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $382,500
Buyer: Ronald M. Parlengas
Seller: Winterberry LLC
Date: 05/08/15

71 Woodbridge Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $412,500
Buyer: Benjamin A. Lorentzen
Seller: Kevin K. Labrie
Date: 05/13/15

HAMPDEN

412 Main St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $253,994
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Sherry Starrett
Date: 05/13/15

1697-1699 Northampton St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Stanley Hill
Seller: Matthew L. Donohue
Date: 05/05/15

24 Stony Hill Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Erin L. Rhindress
Seller: Michael Fois
Date: 05/14/15

HOLLAND

3 Castonguay Lane
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Eric J. Hawk
Seller: Linda S. Anderson
Date: 05/15/15

322 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Pucci
Seller: Roger S. Davis
Date: 05/14/15

HOLYOKE

133 Allyn St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $160,590
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Robert T. Chaput
Date: 05/11/15

Canal St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $508,000
Buyer: HR Holyoke LLC
Seller: Kevin Cruz
Date: 05/13/15

15 Francis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Andrea Marion
Seller: Nelly M. Velez
Date: 05/08/15

50-52 Hitchcock St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Iris Alvarez
Date: 05/11/15

221 Lacus Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jessica L. Quinn
Seller: Andrew Himmen
Date: 05/06/15

69-71 Linden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Jeffrey E. Jean-Charles
Seller: Betsy I. Bonilla
Date: 05/15/15

660 South Bridge St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $508,000
Buyer: HR Holyoke LLC
Seller: Kevin Cruz
Date: 05/13/15

454 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $132,344
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Robert W. Moreau
Date: 05/05/15

LONGMEADOW

681 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $245,224
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Esther D. Lucia
Date: 05/08/15

83 Duxbury Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Craig Werder
Seller: Wendy G. Kaplan
Date: 05/12/15

137 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Jester
Seller: Jack V. Grassetti
Date: 05/06/15

64 Viscount Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $409,500
Buyer: Eric Klanderman
Seller: Stanley T. Winer
Date: 05/14/15

109 Wild Grove Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $636,000
Buyer: David Lipke
Seller: David Fontaine
Date: 05/11/15

55 Wildwood Glen
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: William M. Fiore
Seller: Victoria F. Ahrens
Date: 05/15/15

603 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $362,000
Buyer: HL Holdings LLC
Seller: Kathleen S. Collins
Date: 05/14/15

LUDLOW

27 Americo St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Sharon R. Roy
Seller: Atwater Investors Inc.
Date: 05/15/15

1621 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Shelley V. Moreau
Seller: Joseph W. Francis
Date: 05/08/15

24 Crescent Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Helena C. Santos
Seller: Edward J. Dill
Date: 05/08/15

13 Essex St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Michael Zina
Seller: Helena N. Ferreira
Date: 05/15/15

88 Oakridge St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Sandra E. Barrows
Seller: Jean M. Henriques
Date: 05/15/15

65 Richmond Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Paquin
Seller: Mitchell Dobrzycki
Date: 05/15/15

126 Southwood Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Eugene L. Martins
Seller: Kenneth M. Guyott
Date: 05/15/15

149 Waverly Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: John S. Lovely
Seller: Marianne Waszkelewicz
Date: 05/05/15

12 Wenonah Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Maria Michelakis
Seller: William R. Silvia
Date: 05/08/15

106 Woodland Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Jared L. Olanoff
Seller: John L. Murphy
Date: 05/04/15

202 Woodland Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: John W. Burton
Seller: Bank of New York Mellon
Date: 05/11/15

MONSON

57 Crest Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Charles R. Summers
Seller: Patricia A. Niedermeier
Date: 05/15/15

PALMER

1 Lariviere Ave.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $2,300,000
Buyer: Naviah Investments LLC
Seller: Ketna Inc.
Date: 05/15/15

16 Memory Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Marciniec
Seller: Deborah Norcott
Date: 05/15/15

24 Squier St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Jin Gao
Seller: Michael J. Davis
Date: 05/11/15

SPRINGFIELD

87 Bellwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $121,500
Buyer: RHL Properties LLC
Seller: Santander Bank
Date: 05/14/15

111 Berkshire St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Warren Wint
Seller: Rhona G. Haye-Elliston
Date: 05/08/15

71 Clearbrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Clifford Burnett
Seller: David K. Weiner
Date: 05/15/15

377 Cottage St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Red Lab Realty LLC
Seller: Francis Properties LLC
Date: 05/07/15

67 Derryfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Rachel M. Lareau
Seller: Keith A. Mumblo
Date: 05/15/15

93-95 Edgeland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $190,626
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Rafael P. Fernandez
Date: 05/05/15

95 Entrybrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Yesenia Mendez
Seller: Ryan M. Duffy
Date: 05/11/15

59 Fox Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $208,133
Buyer: Peoples Bank
Seller: Linda Fieldhouse
Date: 05/08/15

84 Francis St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $143,836
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing
Seller: Stephanie E. Gouin
Date: 05/04/15

35 Gail St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $116,600
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing
Seller: Bradley P. Hayward
Date: 05/07/15

86 Granby St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Jonathan A. Diaz
Seller: Stephanie Brusseau
Date: 05/14/15

162 Hartford Terrace
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Lillibridge
Seller: Jodi-Lyn Manning
Date: 05/15/15

41 Indian Leap St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Wieslaw Winkiewicz
Seller: Reynolds A. Adams
Date: 05/07/15

170 Lucerne Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Shavonne M. Lewis
Seller: Jason D. Doxtater
Date: 05/13/15

133 Manchester Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $154,900
Buyer: Michael B. Gallagher
Seller: Frances M. Capone
Date: 05/15/15

88 Margerie St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Juan Deluna
Seller: Jesenia Santiago
Date: 05/07/15

16 Mayfield St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $165,250
Buyer: Fabio Montefusco
Seller: Ian M. Phelps
Date: 05/15/15

30 Montrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $119,539
Buyer: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 05/14/15

36 Orpheum Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Monica W. Fogarty
Seller: Margaret M. Johnson
Date: 05/15/15

1247 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $115,500
Buyer: R2R LLC
Seller: JJS Capital Investment
Date: 05/11/15

1130 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: William Womeldorf
Seller: Simmons Ventures LLC
Date: 05/15/15

100 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Tyra K. Varner
Seller: MYA Realty LLC
Date: 05/05/15

117-119 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $131,000
Buyer: Anhar Bakth
Seller: Evangelia Mirisis
Date: 05/06/15

37 Pearson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: Jonathan Moore
Seller: Jason G. Perreault
Date: 05/06/15

686 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Joel B. Rivas
Seller: Christopher Bedinelli
Date: 05/15/15

27 Riverview St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Crystal D. Lamb
Seller: Maxy U. Anamonye
Date: 05/06/15

236 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: George L. Johnson
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 05/13/15

8-12 Stearns Square
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Holy Christian Orthodox Church
Seller: 8-12 Stearns Square LLC
Date: 05/08/15

31-33 Thetford St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Lynzi A. Gayle
Seller: Francis Joseph
Date: 05/11/15

17 Washington Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Joseph P. Cox
Seller: Clothilde A. Lang
Date: 05/15/15

25 Wexford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jin Q. Chen
Seller: Amy L. Mackey
Date: 05/15/15

SOUTHWICK

1 3rd St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $347,857
Buyer: JP Morgan Chase Bank
Seller: Diana D. Tardiff
Date: 05/08/15

18 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Matthew Welsh
Seller: Jeffrey P. Horkun
Date: 05/05/15

35 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Michael J. Torte
Seller: Charles J. Allessio
Date: 05/05/15

North Longyard Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Longyard Laro LLC
Seller: Stetson W. Arnold
Date: 05/15/15

1 Nicholson Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Mark Seymour
Seller: Johnathan P. Chapman
Date: 05/15/15

WALES

7 Lake George Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Kyle A. St. Marie
Seller: Kimberly A. Mandeville
Date: 05/15/15

167 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $152,501
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Michael R. Lenahan
Date: 05/07/15

46 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: James Spera
Seller: Robert A. Spera
Date: 05/05/15

WEST SPRINGFIELD

158 Circle Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Marjorie G. Koretz
Seller: Anthony T. Sbalbi
Date: 05/12/15

31 Paucatuck Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Terrence M. Leahy
Seller: Marjorie G. Koretz
Date: 05/07/15

150 Pine St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: William R. Guevremont
Seller: Mary-Anne Diblasio
Date: 05/08/15

125 Sweetfern Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: John Mitchell
Seller: Patricia C. Cain
Date: 05/11/15

WESTFIELD

1 Allen Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jenna K. Biscoe
Seller: Sergey Kulyak
Date: 05/08/15

65 Christopher Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $276,900
Buyer: Rosa E. Avery
Seller: Michael B. Valente
Date: 05/15/15

18 Colony Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Jared M. Carey
Seller: Steven A. Legere
Date: 05/08/15

18 Country Club Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Jason E. Trembley
Seller: Denise J. Calvo-Berndt
Date: 05/15/15

69 Court St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $1,704,000
Buyer: VanDeusen Apts. LLC
Seller: Bruce Enterprises LLC
Date: 05/14/15

29 Day Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Prakash Darjee
Seller: Anne M. Kaminski
Date: 05/04/15

297 Falley Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $187,522
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Michael G. Scott
Date: 05/14/15

71 Massey St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Mark K. Mutti
Seller: RSP Realty LLC
Date: 05/15/15

73 Northridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Kristen A. Michaelian
Seller: Wade C. Avery
Date: 05/15/15

41 Pinewood Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: James D. Adams
Seller: Judith A. Graham
Date: 05/06/15

Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $119,500
Buyer: William J. Oleksak
Seller: Northwest Realty LLC
Date: 05/04/15

27 Saint James Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jeffrey A. Thomson
Seller: Jennifer L. Torres
Date: 05/15/15

77 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Gina M. Avery
Seller: Joanne C. Girolamo
Date: 05/13/15

Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Flannery J. Wiemer
Seller: Jared D. Conlin
Date: 05/07/15

96 Skyline Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Yuriy Solokhin
Seller: John E. Pearson
Date: 05/13/15

460 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: Gregory A. Liberis
Seller: David W. Leduc
Date: 05/15/15

1277 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Hanok M. George
Seller: Joan Corell
Date: 05/15/15

558 Western Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Joshua R. Almeida
Seller: Mary J. Bosley
Date: 05/08/15

WILBRAHAM

12 Inwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Sean M. Mahoney
Seller: Charlene Lonczak
Date: 05/05/15

10 Longfellow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Keith A. Mumblo
Seller: John A. Evon
Date: 05/15/15

80 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $175,000
Seller: Erving J. Laware
Date: 05/04/15

252 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Sharon L. Kipetz
Seller: Eileen M. Scoles
Date: 05/12/15

Melikian Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Ackley
Seller: Kevin C. Shaw
Date: 05/15/15

4 Pease St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Eric K. Seymour
Seller: Rickey S. Willard
Date: 05/08/15

18 Red Gap Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $459,000
Buyer: David E. Clark
Seller: Ronald M. Parlengas
Date: 05/14/15

5 West Colonial Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: James M. Kane
Seller: David E. Clark
Date: 05/14/15

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

35 Bayberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Carly R. Speyer
Seller: Karen Sheingold
Date: 05/07/15

24 Chestnut St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Bogdan O. Prokopovych
Seller: Alexander W. Hiam
Date: 05/05/15

15 Laurel Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: C. E. Dawson
Seller: Christina F. Neiman
Date: 05/13/15

44 Overlook Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Town Of Amherst
Seller: B&G Zenon RT
Date: 05/06/15

74 Wildflower Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Rolf E. Jentoft
Seller: Corrado R. Poli
Date: 05/15/15

18 Windridge St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $438,000
Buyer: Maura E. Mahon
Seller: Charles F. Hopkins
Date: 05/15/15

BELCHERTOWN

46 Daniel Square
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Jared D. Conlin
Seller: Catherine E. Sabbagh
Date: 05/07/15
61 Deer Run
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: John R. Schelb
Seller: Gregg A. Ublacker
Date: 05/08/15

459 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Kelly O. Galster
Seller: Dahlia Development Ltd
Date: 05/11/15

138 River St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jennifer Benoit
Seller: Pioneer Valley Custom Homes
Date: 05/14/15

CHESTERFIELD

92 North Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $1,600,000
Buyer: Northampton Farm LLC
Seller: Edith M. Mehiel
Date: 05/14/15

CUMMINGTON

94 Berkshire Trail
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $274,900
Buyer: Mark E. Williams
Seller: James P. Turati
Date: 05/15/15

EASTHAMPTON

16 Davis St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: John Darby
Seller: Karen L. Foster
Date: 05/11/15

9 Elliot St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $137,000
Buyer: Aaron Stone
Seller: FNMA
Date: 05/15/15

204 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Mattitiyahu S. Zimbler
Seller: Jason N. Brunt
Date: 05/15/15

96 Lovefield St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Ryan H. Allen
Seller: FNMA
Date: 05/06/15

22 Pleasant St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: D&H Property Management
Seller: Michael A. Dugas
Date: 05/15/15

14 Robin Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: David Price
Date: 05/07/15

15 Summit Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $124,250
Buyer: Sandra L. Kobylarz
Seller: William C. Macrae
Date: 05/14/15

GOSHEN

Route 9
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $152,500
Buyer: Michael G. George
Seller: Jon G. Adams
Date: 05/13/15

Williams Dr.
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $152,500
Buyer: Michael G. George
Seller: Jon G. Adams
Date: 05/13/15

GRANBY

36 Cold Hill Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $384,000
Buyer: Benjamin Garvey
Seller: Jessica L. Quinn
Date: 05/06/15

HADLEY

5 Frost Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Kevin D. Burt
Seller: Jernigan FT
Date: 05/14/15

HATFIELD

26 Bridge St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $382,500
Buyer: Kathleen Z. Zeamer
Seller: Daniel K. Edwards
Date: 05/15/15

28 Elm St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $398,000
Buyer: Ronald N. Paasch
Seller: Elizabeth A. Porada
Date: 05/15/15

33 Elm St. #A
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Charles F. Hopkins
Seller: Northeast Enterprise Realty Partnership
Date: 05/15/15

179 Pantry Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Lynn D. Lovell
Seller: Chirgwin, Linda M., (Estate)
Date: 05/15/15

356 West St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Sharon L. Taylor
Seller: Symanski, William A., (Estate)
Date: 05/07/15

HUNTINGTON

2 Sampson Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Amy R. Walker
Seller: Kathy A. Helems
Date: 05/07/15

NORTHAMPTON

19 Drewsen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: Susan B. Doyle
Seller: Gregory R. Haas
Date: 05/15/15

53 Ford Xing
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction
Seller: Hospital Hill Development
Date: 05/15/15

50 Musante Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction
Seller: Hospital Hill Development
Date: 05/15/15

82 Musante Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction
Seller: Hospital Hill Development
Date: 05/15/15

69 Pine Brook Curve
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Chuanyu Lin
Seller: Juan Cornejo
Date: 05/11/15

249 Sylvester Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Daviau & Hathaway Development LLC
Seller: Kathleen E. Lavalley
Date: 05/14/15

24 Water St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $268,800
Buyer: Joseph W. Garland
Seller: Lisa A. Morrison
Date: 05/15/15

67 Winterberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Edith M. Mehiel
Seller: Elinor I. Lipman
Date: 05/14/15

PELHAM

346 Amherst Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Samantha Zachs
Seller: Dale M. Jones
Date: 05/08/15

210 Daniel Shays Hwy.
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Stephen J. Sikes
Seller: Alice P. Suprenant
Date: 05/06/15

25 South Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: John W. Larsen
Seller: Roger R. Booth
Date: 05/15/15

SOUTH HADLEY

52 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: John E. Piskor
Seller: A. J. Haley Melnic RET
Date: 05/15/15

19 Berwyn St. Ext
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $202,400
Buyer: Thomas J. White
Seller: Richard Labonte
Date: 05/13/15

12 Elm St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Erik D. Towns
Seller: Margaret Kennedy-Mercier
Date: 05/12/15

10 Grandview St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Rhyan Belisle
Seller: FNMA
Date: 05/05/15

19 Magnolia Terrace
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $259,847
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Green Tree Servicing LLC
Date: 05/12/15

SOUTHAMPTON

127 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Katherine M. Browne
Seller: Duane D. Prucnal
Date: 05/15/15

16 Katelyn Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Ryan L. Geeleher
Seller: Kimberly Bither LT
Date: 05/06/15

WARE

18 Clinton St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Wendy Simonds
Seller: Bruce A. Martins
Date: 05/05/15

WESTHAMPTON

300 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Ann M. Williams
Seller: Joseph T. Massimino
Date: 05/15/15

WILLIAMSBURG

27 Fairfield Ave.
Williamsburg, MA 01062
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Sarah Crawford
Seller: Cheryl L. Bucala
Date: 05/06/15

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of May 2015.

AGAWAM

Mannahatta
270 Main St.
Carlos Garcia

Rondinelli Tax Services
11 Memory Lane
Anthony Rondinelli

Uplifted Vapor & Smoke Supplies
499 Springfield St.
Christian Henriques

GREENFIELD

J & M Futon
108 Federal St.
Jeffrey Ainsworth

Minglewood Arts
15 Congress St.
Caitlin V. Schmidt

Wood & Barrel Company
2 Meade St.
Anthony Derricotte

HOLYOKE

Cajun Café & Grill
50 Holyoke St.
Koang C. Yam

Golden China
455 South St.
Dan J. Pan

High Street Jewelry Gift & Video
445 High St.
Juan Morales

Holyoke Tax Service
20 Sydney Ave.
David Yos

Kendall Landscaping
233 Homestead Ave.
Jarrid Kendall

SPRINGFIELD

Cinq
45 Margerie St.
Anna Perez

Commonwealth Community
79 Thompson St.
Paul Jones

Daniel Trimboli
46 Middlebrook Dr.
Daniel Trimboli

Dickinson Deli
248 Dickinson St.
SEM Convenience

Garcia Deli Mini Market
142 Dickinson St.
Olga Vasquez

GC Films and Photography
32 Mobile Home Way
Carlos Monet

Gianna Salon
1209 Parker St.
Tammy Shepard

Harmony Landscapes
163 Parkerview St.
Vincent Restivo

Hughes Fencing
52 Hardy St.
Michael T. Hughes

J.W. Mini Market
693 State St.
William M. Martinez

Michael Frazee
1441 Main St.
Michael Frazee

Michael James Photography
24 Puritan Road
Michael Mettey

Minh Tai, Inc.
308 Belmont Ave.
Tony Tai

Perfect Sound Stage
300 Albany St.
Jareau L. Pitts

Petra Café
270 Worthington St.
Yazan Asad

Pioneer Valley Painting
150 Manchester Terrace
Michel Petit

WESTFIELD

GPS Builders, LLC
48 Marla Cir.
Gregory P. Strattner

Kelleher Brothers Landscaping
270 Prospect St.
Kevin M. Kelleher

Pro Cutters Environmental Timbering
135 Susan Dr.
Brian R. D’Agostino

Teyko Construction
990 Russell Road
Andrey Bateyko

Zuber Landscaping
86 Falley Dr.
Jonathan Zuber

WEST SPRINGFIELD

ACF New England
720 Union St.
Coverall Floors Inc.

Creative Nights, LLC
80 Brush Hill
Christina Udas

Elsafi Market
532 Main St.
MHA Corporation

La Dunphy Photography
26 Neptune Ave.
Karen LaPlante

Park West Auto Sales
326 Park St.
Anthony Calabrese

Quick Stop Convenience Store
464 Main St.
Budihman Subedi

TNT Visions
74 Elm St.
Emilio Velez

West Side Inn
1032 Riverdale St.
CN Son, LLC

Incorporations

Departments Incorporations

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

Indian Orchard

American Legion Auxiliary, Indian Orchard Unit 277 Inc., 379 Oak St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Mary Ellen Seiffert, 102 Monrovia St., Springfield, MA 01104. To uphold the constitution of the United States of America.

Longmeadow

Hindley Creative Inc., 202 Captain Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Stephen Hindley, same. Advertising and marketing.

Longmeadow Legal Associates, P.C., 908 Shaker Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. William G. Scibelli, same. General practice of law.

Safehand.org Inc., 930 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Jeffrey Wint, same. To promote and publicize hand safety and to prevent hand injury in the home and industry.

Ludlow

Gavoni Construction Corp., 800 East St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Michael A. Gavoni, same. Construction.

Seabra Foods VIII Inc., 40 East St., Ludlow, MA 02056. Antonio Seabra, 574 Ferry St., Newark, NJ 07105. Retail supermarket.

Southampton

Diamond Comfort Inc., 102 Valley Road, Southampton, MA 01073. Laurie Nulph, same. Home services heating and cooling.

Southwick

Bushee Enterprises Inc., 619 College Highway, Southwick, MA 01077. Christopher S. Bushee, same. Construction and landscaping.

Springfield

Aliz Enterprises Inc., 27 Bronson Terrace, Springfield, MA 01108. Ali Elzinji, same. Convenience store.

Association of Black Business and Professionals Inc., 21 Dunhill Avenue, Springfield, MA 01151. David Maynard, same. To encourage, foster, and stimulate commerce, trade, business, and finance amongst black professionals.

Brax Freight Management Inc., 61 Tioga St., Springfield, MA 01128. Shaun Blanchard, same. Transportation management and support.

West Springfield

Club Camel Inc., 1452 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Annese C. Rinaldi, same. Health and fitness club.

US Trucking Express Inc., 56 Lathrop St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Andrei Mineev, same. Trucking company.

Wilbraham

Medical-Legal Consulting Inc., 7 Hemlock Circle, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Therese Margaret Quinn, same. Consulting, case management, and life-care planning.

Williamstown

Merit Dental of Massachusetts, P.C., 182 Adams Road, Williamstown, MA 02167. Jeffrey W. Moos, 680 Hehi Way, Mondovi, WI 54755. Dental practice.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

MGM Springfield Could Seek Delay in Opening
SPRINGFIELD — City officials confirmed Tuesday that MGM Springfield may coordinate its $800 million casino project in the South End with the reconstruction of the Interstate 91 viaduct through the city’s downtown, which could delay the casino opening until 2018. The original target date was late 2017. “While the actual opening date is subject to the approval by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the city recognizes that changes may be required to the schedule set forth in the host-community agreement to coordinate with the viaduct construction schedule,” said City Solicitor Ed Pikula. “The city intends to work cooperatively with MGM, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to hold MGM to the promises it made in the host-community agreement, while allowing for the flexibility required to assure a successful opening.” An MGM Springfield spokesman said the company plans to bring the discussion before the Gaming Commission. Its host-community agreement with Springfield sets financial penalties for opening more than 33 months after licensing, which occurred on Nov. 7, 2014. The I-91 viaduct project is expected to last until the summer of 2018, but financial incentives for an early finish could see it completed by February 2018.

DCR Seeks Applications for Park-improvement Effort
BOSTON — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is now seeking applications for the first phase of the fiscal year 2016 Partnerships Matching Funds Program from park-advocacy groups, civic and community organizations, institutions, businesses, municipal governments, and dedicated individuals with an interest in improving the Commonwealth’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources. Through the program, DCR will allocate $1.25 million in matching funds to finance capital projects at the agency’s parks, beaches, and other facilities. Past projects include the design and construction of a new playground, repairs to historic buildings, trail and path enhancements, and landscape improvements. “The Partnerships Matching Funds Program is a great example of how DCR works together with residents and stakeholder organizations to improve our public resources,” said DCR Commissioner Carol Sanchez. “We are proud to continue to build upon the success of the Partnership Matching Funds Program, which has been responsible for a combined investment by the Commonwealth and public and private partners in trails, green spaces, historic structures, and water resources of more than $10 million since 2004.” Applications for DCR’s matching-funds program must provide a match of non-state funds for capital projects at the agency’s parks, beaches, and facilities to be considered. Projects that require more than one year to plan and complete will be under consideration. Once approved, DCR will manage the implementation of the projects in close consultation with the partners making contributions. The agency will match projects dollar for dollar and will also consider providing a two-to-one match in certain instances. For more information on the program, and to receive an application, call (617) 626-4989 or e-mail [email protected]. Information and applications are also available at www.mass.gov/dcr; click the ‘Get Involved’ tab, then click on ‘Partnerships.’

Business Confidence Falls Again in May
BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index fell 1.8 points in May to 57.3, its second consecutive monthly decline after reaching a 10-year high in March. “We’re up 2.5 points from last May, but coming off an upward surge from August through March, business confidence seems to have lost momentum,” said Raymond Torto, Chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design. “The index performed well during the first quarter of this year, when the national economy barely grew, but now it is weakening even as growth appears to be picking up.” Torto noted that economists’ forecasts for expansion in 2015 have moderated. “Our survey does reflect lower expectations for the six months ahead. We also see lagging confidence among manufacturers, whose exports are hurt by the strong dollar, and among mid-size companies.” AIM’s Business Confidence Index has been issued monthly since July 1991 under the oversight of the Board of Economic Advisors. Presented on a 100-point scale on which 50 is neutral, the index attained a historical high of 68.5 in 1997 and 1998; its all-time low was 33.3 in February 2009. The sub-indices based on selected questions or respondent characteristics almost all declined from April to May, though all were up from a year before. The U.S. Index assessing national business conditions lost 3.7 points to 50.1, and Massachusetts Index of conditions within the Commonwealth was off 2.7 at 55.9. “It is now six full years that the state indicator has led its national counterpart,” said BEA member Katherine Kiel, professor of Economics at the College of the Holy Cross. “Our state’s favorable industry mix and skilled workforce have enabled it to perform relatively well economically during a period of recovery and slow growth.” The Current Index, tracking employers’ assessment of existing business conditions, was down 0.9 to 57.4 points, while the Future Index, measuring expectations for the next six months, lost 2.8 points to 57.1. “These results indicate that Massachusetts employers do not foresee better business conditions over the period ahead,” Kiel said. “The readings are solidly positive, but expectations for marked improvement have faded.” Two of the three sub-indices related to survey respondents’ own companies lost ground in May: the Company Index, which assesses the situations of their own operations, was off 0.8 to 60.2 points, and the Sales Index dropped 1.7 points to 60.0. The Employment Index, meanwhile, added 0.7 to 58.0 points, “its highest reading since September 2005,” noted Michael Goodman, executive director of the Public Policy Center at UMass Dartmouth. “Employment expectations for the next six months are particularly strong, as 37% of responding employers plan to add staff, while 14% expect reductions. This compares favorably to a 23%-12% split for the past six months.”

State Announces $10M Energy-storage Initiative
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration announced the launch of a new, $10 million initiative aimed at making Massachusetts a national leader in energy storage. The Energy Storage Initiative (ESI) includes a $10 million commitment from the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and a two-part study from DOER and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to analyze opportunities to support Commonwealth storage companies, as well as develop policy options to encourage energy-storage deployment. “The Commonwealth’s plans for energy storage will allow the state to move toward establishing a mature, local market for these technologies that will, in turn, benefit ratepayers and the local economy,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “Massachusetts has an exciting opportunity to provide a comprehensive approach to support a growing energy-storage industry with this initiative’s analysis, policy, and program development.” Added EEA Secretary Matthew Beaton, “Massachusetts is nationally recognized for energy efficiency and clean-energy job growth. This Energy Storage Initiative will ensure the Commonwealth continues to be on the forefront of advancing innovative clean technology. Through this initial $10 million announcement and the subsequent studies, Massachusetts is primed to leverage the expertise of the storage industry to reduce barriers to project implementation, ultimately advancing a crucial component of modernizing our electric grid.” Massachusetts’ $10 billion clean-energy industry already supports a promising energy-storage cluster, said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton. “By launching the Energy Storage Initiative and fostering this sector at home, Massachusetts will position itself to grab a disproportionate share of the economic opportunities arising out of the fast-growing global markets for storage technology.” The worldwide market for grid-scale energy storage alone is estimated to reach $114 billion by 2017, according to an analysis by Lux Research. Common methods of energy storage include batteries, flywheels, compressed-air energy storage, pumped storage, hydrogen storage, and thermal-energy storage. The two-part study will start by analyzing the industry landscape, economic development, and market opportunities for energy storage, while also examining potential policies and programs that could be implemented to better support energy-storage deployment in Massachusetts. The second part of the study will provide policy and regulatory recommendations along with cost-benefit analysis for state policymakers. In parallel, DOER will leverage $10 million in Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs) to establish and support the Commonwealth’s energy-storage market. DOER will work to identify and evaluate the appropriate value of the services energy storage can provide to ratepayers and the grid through a market signals assessment, while funding demonstration projects from the utility to residential scales. DOER will work with MassCEC and key market players, in state and across the country, to assist in the development of innovative projects in the Commonwealth. Through this initiative, Energy and Environmental Affairs will hold several forums to engage experts and industry in storage-policy opportunities in the coming months. “Massachusetts continues to play a leading role in creating solutions for a more flexible and resilient grid,” said Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Assoc. “These investments … will undoubtedly spur continued advancement in the industry.”

DevelopSpringfield, ReGreen Springfield to Plant on Pine Street
SPRINGFIELD — DevelopSpringfield announced a collaborative project with ReGreen Springfield to provide plantings to help spruce up a vacant DevelopSpringfield-owned lot on Pine Street in the Maple High Six Corners neighborhood. ReGreen Springfield collaborates with a variety of community organizations, businesses, and government agencies to promote reforestation in Springfield. Founded following the 2011 tornado, the organization has since planted nearly 2,000 trees across the city and provided educational programming throughout its neighborhoods. “DevelopSpringfield is pleased to support and partner with ReGreen Springfield on this project. Like ReGreen, we are committed to encouraging sustainable redevelopment, especially in tornado-impacted areas, and we always strive to collaborate with other aligned nonprofit organizations. Working with ReGreen Springfield is a natural fit,” said Jay Minkarah, president and CEO of DevelopSpringfield. In 2013, DevelopSpringfield purchased several residential lots in the Central Street corridor with a goal of preparing them for redevelopment into owner-occupied housing. Some of the properties are currently under redevelopment. The Pine Street location will be among the lots available for a future development. In the meantime, the plantings will create an attractive, environmentally sustainable backdrop that will help jumpstart tree growth in the neighborhood in advance of site redevelopment. For more information on DevelopSpringfield, visit www.developspringfield.com.

MMS Launches Website on Opioid, Prescription Abuse
WALTHAM — The Mass. Medical Society (MMS) announced the launch of the Smart Scripts MA website (www.massmed.org/smartscriptsma) as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce prescription-drug abuse in the Commonwealth. The website is the cornerstone of the campaign announced last month by the physicians’ group to educate doctors and patients about safe prescribing and the storage and disposal of prescription pain medications. “There are two groups that perhaps more than any others can help to reduce prescription drug abuse. They are the physicians who write the prescriptions and the patients who take the medicines,” said Dr. Dennis Dimitri, president of the Mass. Medical Society. “This new website reaches out to both groups. By helping physicians ensure that opioids are available only to patients who truly need them, and by educating patients about the proper storage and disposal of prescription drugs, we believe we can make a big impact on the Commonwealth’s opioid crisis.” The medical society’s campaign consists of three components: guidelines for prescribers, free educational courses for prescribers, and information on storage and disposal of prescription drugs. The new website establishes all three components in one, easily accessible location. The prescriber-education section includes the MMS’ recently released Opioid Therapy and Physician Communication Guidelines for physicians. The section also contains links to its continuing medical-education courses, offered free to all prescribers until further notice, Dr. Dimitri said, “to remove as many barriers as possible to prescriber education.” Courses include those on managing pain, identifying drug dependence, opioid prescribing, and principles of palliative care. Five courses are currently available, with more to be added later this month. Recognizing the critical importance of proper storage and disposal of prescription medicines by patients, Smart Scripts MA includes separate sections on medication storage and medication disposal. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 80% of people who misuse prescription pain medications are using drugs prescribed to someone else, and the MMS believes patient education must be a key component of any effort to reduce prescription abuse. The website also includes content from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and dedicated to reducing teen substance abuse and helping families impacted by addiction, and a link to the Medicine Abuse Project, a five-year campaign by the Partnership that aims to prevent a half-million teens from abusing medicine by the year 2017. “Opioid abuse has become a public-health crisis affecting every community,” Dimitri said. “Physicians and patients can make a real difference in reducing the abuse of prescription drugs. We believe our effort can help both groups do just that — make a difference — because people’s lives depend on it.”

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

Baystate Announces Workforce Reduction
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health recently announced a reduction in its workforce in response to current fiscal challenges and changes in the provision of health care. On June 4, 24 Baystate employees received notifications that their employment in their current positions will end in 30 days, and 17 employees are seeing their hours reduced. An additional 45 open positions at Baystate Health are being eliminated, effective immediately. Driving the decision to eliminate these positions is a current budget shortfall, across Baystate Health, of about $22 million. The shortfall represents the difference between Baystate Health’s budget for the year — the financial performance required to enable the organization to re-invest in its services, facilities and technology in the coming year — and current projections for its yearly financial results. All the affected positions are Springfield-based, mainly at Baystate Medical Center. No bedside nurses or physicians are losing their employment. The jobs include management positions. “We take any decision to end any person’s employment very seriously, and we regret the necessity of it,” said Nancy Shendell-Falik, chief operating officer of Baystate Medical Center. “We will do everything possible to help those affected find new opportunities, either within or outside Baystate Health.” Affected employees will receive severance pay and extension of benefits in accordance with their tenure of service, and job placement assistance. Baystate’s actions are part of a multi-faceted effort to reduce costs and return the system to its budgeted operating margin, including work underway in supply chain, process improvement, energy efficiency and other areas. Every dollar of positive margin at the end of a fiscal year is re-invested into Baystate’s facilities, technology, programs and services. Improvements such as the renovation of operating rooms at Baystate Franklin Medical Center and construction of the MassMutual Wing and Davis Family Heart & Vascular Center at Baystate Medical Center, as well new clinical technologies and equipment and the development of new clinical programs, are funded primarily by that margin. “Like many healthcare providers, we are facing a need to adjust our human, material and financial resources to adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare environment,” said Shendell-Falik. “Difficult decisions such as these make it possible for us to continue to invest in the services we’re able to provide our patients, whether it’s a new program, a new or renovated facility, surgical supplies or a CT scanner.” Baystate Medical Center is one of the largest providers of Medicaid services in Massachusetts, and provided more than $112 million in unreimbursed care in 2014. “We are committed to providing these services in line with our charitable mission; unfortunately the reimbursements we receive for providing Medicaid services are well short of our costs, typically between 70 and 80 cents on the dollar,” said Shendell-Falik. Baystate Medical Center remains the lowest-cost teaching hospital in Massachusetts.

MBA, Five Banks Launch ‘Common Cents’ Program
BOSTON — The Mass. Bankers Assoc. (MBA) and five banks, including Holyoke-based PeoplesBank, have launched Common Cents, a financial-education competition with participating high-school students from around the state. The program is featured online at www.masscommoncents.com. Recorded last autumn, Common Cents is a quiz-show competition hosted by the MBA and the five bank partners located around the Bay State: Bank of America, BayCoast Bank, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, PeoplesBank, and the Savings Bank. The 80 high-schoolers compete for prizes and learn about important financial-education concepts and practices along the way. The schools include Barnstable High School, Barnstable; Madison Park High School, Boston; Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Chicopee; Chicopee High School, Chicopee; Lynnfield High School, Lynnfield; Natick High School, Natick; Gateway to College Program, Fall River; Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, South Yarmouth; and Wakefield High School, Wakefield. Common Cents is being introduced to every Massachusetts high school with a guide and special classroom instructions that can also be found on the website. In addition, a video of the program has been sent to public-access television stations across the Commonwealth, encouraging both students and the general public to engage and embrace the important financial information highlighted in the competition. The 2015 Common Cents program, the third of its kind, was produced in support of the Financial Literacy Pilot Program established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2012. This three-year pilot in 10 high schools in gateway cities throughout the Commonwealth is designed to test the potential viability of installing required financial-education programs in all Massachusetts high schools. Hosted by New England Cable News anchor Latoyia Edwards, radio celebrity Ashlee Feldman of JAM’N 94.5, and financial expert Jeffrey Fuhrer, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the program also features a special guest appearance by former New England Patriot Jermaine Wiggins. For more information and to view the program, visit www.masscommoncents.com.

Dowd Holds Open House at Renovated Location
INDIAN ORCHARD — The Dowd Insurance Agencies staged an open house to celebrate its newly renovated space on Main Street in Indian Orchard on May 20. The open house featured a ribbon cutting with the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS) and provided customers and neighbors the opportunity to tour the new office space. Moskal-Dowd and Orchard-Dowd recently moved to 485 Main St., Indian Orchard, to provide more services under one roof. Moskal-Dowd was originally acquired by the Dowd Insurance Agencies in 2009; Orchard-Dowd was acquired in early 2014. The new location offers easier access to agents in one convenient location. “In an era when online and 800-number agencies proliferate, we remain what we have been since 1898: a community-based company committed to insurance professionalism with local service,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO of the Dowd Insurance Agencies. “Our new facility will allow us to provide more personalized attention to our valued customers.” The benefits of the new office include ample parking, a large conference room for meetings, and, most important, a larger staff to provide customers a broader range of service. Services available at the new Indian Orchard location include personal insurance, including auto, homeowner, boat, RV, and umbrella insurance; commercial insurance for businesses of all sizes; and life insurance and employee benefits.

Baystate Announces Leadership Changes After Bradley Steps Down
GREENFIELD — Dennis Chalke, senior vice president of Community Hospitals for Baystate Health, announced that Steven Bradley, president of Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) and Baystate Health’s Northern Region, is stepping down from his position to deal with unexpected and urgent family-related issues. Dr. Thomas Higgins, chief medical officer of BFMC and the Northern Region, will take on the additional role of interim president of the hospital and the region, effective immediately. “Steven played a major role in moving forward BFMC’s project to modernize and renovate its operating rooms, and over the years strengthened Baystate Health’s relationships with many community-based organizations. We thank him for those contributions, and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Chalke. In his prior role at Baystate Health, as vice president of Government and Community Relations and Public Affairs, Bradley was a crucial contributor to Baystate’s work to bring healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, advocating for social justice and public health and partnering with community-based organizations across Western Mass. Higgins is a graduate of Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in medical science; he continued at BU to earn his medical degree. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He completed a residency in anesthesiology, was chief resident, and completed a fellowship in critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also earned an MBA at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Higgins joined Baystate Health in 1996 as chief of Baystate Medical Center’s Critical Care Division. Since 2012, he has served as vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine and as interim chief in the Division of General Medicine/Community Health. He is a professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Anesthesiology at Tufts University School of Medicine. “Serving as the chief medical officer for BFMC and the Northern Region — and seeing for myself the ways a community hospital can influence a community’s health — has inspired me,” Higgins said. “I’m eager to accept this new challenge and continue the work of advancing our mission in Franklin County.”

UMass System Issues Faculty Awards Totaling $1.17 Million
BOSTON — Describing faculty research and scholarship as work that “distinguishes us as a university and is essential to our quest for a better and richer future,” UMass President Robert Caret announced the awarding of $1.17 million in grants to faculty members. The awards will fund work ranging from a project that will see faculty members engage with industry partners in the development of a big-data research center in Amherst, to a project aimed at bringing local history to life for Lawrence school children. Caret made the announcement as the board of trustees’ committee on academic and student affairs held its quarterly meeting in Boston. The grants are being made available via two programs established to spur research, scholarship, and outreach throughout the UMass system. The President’s Science and Technology Initiative Fund this year is awarding $914,000 to support nine promising research projects. Including this year’s awards, this fund, created in 2004, has provided $11 million in funding for nearly 90 projects that have helped to accelerate research on all five UMass campuses. The UMass presidential funding has helped to attract more than $245 million in federal and private funding. The President’s Creative Economy Initiatives Fund this year provides nearly $260,000 for nine projects aimed at enhancing the quality of life in communities across the Commonwealth. Including this year’s awards, the fund has, since 2007, distributed more than $2 million for 82 projects and has contributed to historical preservation, artisan cooperatives, music, theater, and many other projects. Trustee Alyce Lee, chair of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs, said both programs support the trustees’ strategic priority of strengthening the university’s research enterprise and “contribute to the economic and social well-being of the Commonwealth.”

Court Dockets

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Thames Insurance Co., as subrogee of Robert and Elaine Peterson v. Bennett Properties, LLC
Allegation: Negligent disposal of smoking materials by employee of Bennett Properties, causing roof fire and substantial damage to plaintiff’s home: $22,106.13
Filed: 4/21/15

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Patrick Buchanan v. J.L. Raymaakers and Sons Inc.
Allegation: Negligent construction work performed by the defendant during a sewer rehab project in the town of Greenfield: $50,000
Filed: 4/28/15

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Gregory and Laurie Pyles v. Jean Duquette and Son
Allegation: Defendant breached a contract for construction of plaintiff’s home: $70,000
Filed: 5/18/15

PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Medeiros Real Estate Investments v. Chef Lou’s Gourmet Foods, LLC and Luis Maravilha
Allegation: Non-payment of rent and utilities: $38,713.50
Filed: 5/1/15

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Connecticut Valley Artesian Co. v. Cherokee Enterprises d/b/a Cherokee Environmental
Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $20,634.04
Filed: 5/13/15

Perkins Paper, LLC v. Diamond Gourmet Meat and Deli, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $2,022.66
Filed: 4/23/15

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Simplicity Engineering N.E. Inc. v. Wood Waste of Boston Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of rental machinery: $4,785.00
Filed: 4/15/15

Sue Drumm Named  2015 Realtor of the Year

By BusinessWest Staff June 15, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — Sue Drumm, a real-estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Longmeadow, has been named the 2015 Realtor of the Year by the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV). The announcement was made during the association’s annual awards banquet on June 11.

As the highest honor given to a member, the Realtor of the Year award is bestowed upon the one person who has shown outstanding service and devotion to the 1,650-member organization during the past 17 months in the areas of Realtor activity, community service, and business activity.

A Realtor since 2009, Drumm serves on the association’s board of directors, grievance committee, community service committee, and centennial president’s advisory group. She is a co-presenter at the bi-monthly new-member orientation promoting involvement and explaining the benefits of membership. In 2014 she was a member of the strategic planning committee and affiliate of the year committee.

She is a longtime member of the association’s community service committee and an active participant in numerous projects, including a book and blanket drive for Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, and shopping, wrapping, and delivering gifts to area homeless shelters during the holidays. She is involved in the association’s charitable fund-raising efforts as a member of the Benefit Golf Tournament subcommittee, Comedy Night subcommittee, and Fantasy Auction subcommittee.

Drumm has been a Girl Scout troop leader in Agawam for six years and assists with its annual food drives. In November 2014, the troop held a fill-the-truck event to benefit Open Pantry and collected more than 1,700 pounds of food and $1,000 in cash donations. She also helps the troop with Stockings for Soldiers and various other charitable activities throughout the area.

She was also a driving force behind securing a $2,100 placemaking grant from the National Assoc. of Realtors to help fund the Agawam Dog Owners Group’s new dog park currently under construction. In recognition for her many community service efforts, she was a nominee for the 2014 Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors Good Neighbor award, and a nominee for the Volunteering Works Award Program sponsored by the National Assoc. of Realtors.

At the state level, Drumm participated along with 400 Massachusetts Realtors in the 2014 and 2015 Realtors Day on Beacon Hill to lobby on behalf of homeownership and private property rights. She attended the 2014 Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors Convention and Trade Show. She is an annual contributor to the Realtors Political Action Committee.

For achievements in business, Drumm received the Sterling Society Award from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. She is the recipient of a RAPV Silver President’s Award in 2014 in recognition of outstanding real-estate sales and service.

She now competes for the coveted Massachusetts Realtor of the Year honor, which will be announced later this year.

MGM Springfield Could Seek Delay in Casino Opening

By BusinessWest Staff June 10, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — City officials confirmed Tuesday that MGM Springfield may coordinate its $800 million casino project in the South End with the reconstruction of the Interstate 91 viaduct through the city’s downtown, which could delay the casino opening until 2018. The original target date was late 2017.

“While the actual opening date is subject to the approval by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the city recognizes that changes may be required to the schedule set forth in the host-community agreement to coordinate with the viaduct construction schedule,” said City Solicitor Ed Pikula. “The city intends to work cooperatively with MGM, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to hold MGM to the promises it made in the host-community agreement, while allowing for the flexibility required to assure a successful opening.”

An MGM Springfield spokesman said the company plans to bring the discussion before the Gaming Commission. Its host-community agreement with Springfield sets financial penalties for opening more than 33 months after licensing, which occurred on Nov. 7, 2014. The I-91 viaduct project is expected to last until the summer of 2018, but financial incentives for an early finish could see it completed by February 2018.

Committee Narrows Pope Francis High School Location to Two Sites

By BusinessWest Staff June 9, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — A review committee for the Diocese of Springfield has narrowed the possible locations for the new Pope Francis High School to two sites: the Surrey Road property in Springfield’s East Forest Park neighborhood that formerly housed Cathedral High School, and a wooded site off Memorial Drive in Chicopee, near St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

The final decision rests with Bishop Mitchell Rozanski. A diocesan spokesman said both sites are about 25 acres, meet engineering and environmental criteria, and offer sufficient space for the school building and athletic fields.

The committee discussed potential sites Monday night during a joint meeting of the school committees of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic high schools, which are merging into the new, regional school. Three potential sites in West Springfield were rejected, leaving the bishop to choose between Springfield and Chicopee.

Cathedral High School and Holyoke Catholic High School will continue to operate under their current names and locations this fall, and the two schools will be merged in the fall of 2016 as Pope Francis High School, although they may continue to operate out of their current locations if construction extends into that fall.

AIM to Honor Begrowicz, Berkshire Health, SABIC at Centennial

By BusinessWest Staff June 5, 2015

DALTON — Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) will celebrate its 100th anniversary on June 11 by honoring three people and organizations shaping the Berkshire County economy — manufacturing entrepreneur Patricia Begrowicz, Berkshire Health Systems, and SABIC Innovative Plastics.

The largest employer association in Massachusetts will present three Next Century awards during a centennial reception at the Crane Model Farm in Dalton from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. AIM President and CEO Richard Lord will be joined by approximately 100 business and community leaders for the event. The Next Century awards recognize individuals, companies, and other organizations for seminal contributions to the Massachusetts economy and the well-being of its citizens.

“Pat Begrowicz, Berkshire Health Systems, and SABIC Innovative Plastics exemplify the transformative and lasting power of economic opportunity. Their vision and leadership have allowed Berkshire County residents to work, support families, and build lives for themselves while making this region a wonderful place to live,” Lord said.

Begrowicz gave new life to a 200-year-old business in 2009 when she and a business partner acquired the assets of MeadWestvaco’s specialty paper division and created Onyx Specialty Papers in South Lee. It was an extraordinary act of courage in the face of both the Great Recession and the ongoing cost and regulatory challenges of manufacturing products in Massachusetts. The action preserved the livelihoods of 152 manufacturing workers, scientists, and engineers who now supply materials for countertops, laminate floors, furniture, filters, graphic arts, and automotive transmissions.

Berkshire Health Systems is among a vanguard of community hospitals developing new models of patient care and financial sustainability in a turbulent healthcare market. The most dramatic example of the company’s innovative approach came when it stepped in and invested more than $6 million to provide medical services to people in Northern Berkshire County in the wake of the closing of North Adams Hospital. BHS has also invested in the recruitment of new physicians to meet the demand from patients who formerly sought treatment from doctors in private practice.

SABIC Innovative Plastics, a world leader in providing thermoplastic solutions, sets a unique standard for balancing success in the global marketplace with addressing the needs of its hometown. Founded with the acquisition of GE Plastics in 2007, SABIC employs 9,000 people in 35 countries making products for the automotive, electronics, transportation, building and construction, and healthcare industries. At the same time, SABIC employees volunteer their time in the Berkshires and elsewhere through programs that support community initiatives focused on education and environmental sustainability.

Baystate Health Announces Workforce Reduction

By BusinessWest Staff June 5, 2015

Business Management Sections

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health is announcing a reduction in its workforce in response to current fiscal challenges and changes in the provision of healthcare.

This week, 24 Baystate employees received notifications that their employment in their current positions will end in 30 days, and 17 employees are seeing their hours reduced. An additional 45 open positions at Baystate Health are being eliminated, effective immediately.

Driving the decision to eliminate these positions is a current budget shortfall of about $22 million across Baystate Health. The shortfall represents the difference between Baystate Health’s budget for the year — the financial performance required to enable the organization to reinvest in its services, facilities, and technology in the coming year — and current projections for its yearly financial results.

All the affected positions are Springfield-based, mainly at Baystate Medical Center. No bedside nurses or physicians are losing their employment. The jobs include management positions.

“We take any decision to end any person’s employment very seriously, and we regret the necessity of it,” said Nancy Shendell-Falik, chief operating officer of Baystate Medical Center. “We will do everything possible to help those affected find new opportunities, either within or outside Baystate Health.” Affected employees will receive severance pay and extension of benefits in accordance with their tenure of service, as well as job-placement assistance.

These actions are part of a multi-faceted effort to reduce costs and return the system to its budgeted operating margin, including work underway in supply chain, process improvement, energy efficiency, and other areas. Every dollar of positive margin at the end of a fiscal year is reinvested into Baystate’s facilities, technology, programs, and services. Improvements such as the renovation of operating rooms at Baystate Franklin Medical Center and construction of the MassMutual Wing and Davis Family Heart & Vascular Center at Baystate Medical Center, as well new clinical technologies and equipment and the development of new clinical programs, are funded primarily by that margin.

“Like many healthcare providers, we are facing a need to adjust our human, material, and financial resources to adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare environment,” said Shendell-Falik. “Difficult decisions such as these make it possible for us to continue to invest in the services we’re able to provide our patients, whether it’s a new program, a new or renovated facility, surgical supplies, or a CT scanner.”

Baystate Medical Center is one of the largest providers of Medicaid services in Massachusetts, and provided more than $112 million in unreimbursed care in 2014. “We are committed to providing these services in line with our charitable mission; unfortunately, the reimbursements we receive for providing Medicaid services are well short of our costs, typically between 70 and 80 cents on the dollar,” said Shendell-Falik.

You Can’t Wing It

By BusinessWest Staff June 2, 2015

Local Consultants Stress the Need for Succession Planning

George Miller was explaining how he came to be the owner and operator of the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in South Deerfield.

He said he would try to make a long story short, but acknowledged that this was probably not possible, and then proved his point.

Kevin, left, and Michael Vann say too many business owners make the mistake of putting off key decisions on succession.

Indeed, it took some time to explain how Miller went from being the construction-company owner originally hired by a team of nine principals to build the unique facility in Deerfield, to eventually becoming one of two partners to create and open the tourist attraction in 1999, and then become sole owner a few years later.

In short, there was obviously a good deal of attrition concerning that original ownership team, Miller told BusinessWest, adding that some of them developed cold feet when they learned the actual price tag for this facility — “I gave them some numbers and then had to perform CPR on a few of them.” Others dropped out during what became a protracted battle with the town for the permits needed to make the concept reality.

“They thought the butterflies were going to eat Deerfield,” said Miller with a chuckle, adding that he was asked to come on as a partner, and eventually, he and the lone remaining original investor prevailed and opened the doors to the facility. But this was to be a short-lived partnership.

“We had different philosophies — I liked making money, and he liked spending it,” Miller said. So he bought him out and continued to operate Magic Wings as a family operation, with daughter Kathy Fiore and son George Jr. eventually taking leadership positions.

Fast-forward to early this year, and Miller decided it was time to move on from the enterprise. Actually, his wife provided much of the motivation.

“She said, ‘when is it going to be my turn?’” he told BusinessWest, a reference to how the venture had come to consume most of his time and attention and how she would like some of both.

So Magic Wings is now for sale, thus becoming one of myriad businesses across this region and around the country now dealing with the complex, often thorny issue of succession.

In many ways, Magic Wings is atypical, said Michael Vann, who, with his father, Kevin, manages the Vann Group, a Springfield-based consulting company now handling the sale, and a company that specializes in such transactions and the larger issue of succession.

Magic Wings is certainly unique — a butterfly conservatory is an unsual business and one that commands a distinct brand of passion from its owner, said Mike Vann, adding that, in this case, there were few, if any, options concerning succession; the next generation has no interest in taking over the venture, and a sale to other employees is not a possibility, leaving Miller to sell.

But in many ways, Magic Wings is typical in that it presents lessons in how succession is something owners must be thinking about and planning for; otherwise, the process can become more tedious and difficult.

It also demonstrates how there are many moving parts to succession planning and the many other issues — from estate planning to retirement savings — that older business owners face as they come to grips with deciding the fate of what many describe simply as “my baby.”

Kevin Vann likened the process to putting together a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces.

“I tell new clients to picture it this way: you take a puzzle box that has 500 pieces in it, and you dump them out on the table,” he explained. “And you try to fit all those pieces to the puzzle — their personal life, their business life, and all those offshoots like the retirement plan — together. And when we get started, we don’t know what it’s going to look like.”

These days, the Vanns are helping many business owners with their figurative jigsaw puzzles — Mike estimates that maybe 40% of the company’s revenues are succession-plan-related — and the numbers will only move higher as the Baby Boomer generation ages and business owners confront something they probably don’t want to confront — succession.

They have forged an alliance with the consulting firm ROCG, a multi-national corporation that specializes in business consulting and especially succession issues, and are thus adjusting their own business plans to acknowledge succession planning as a major growth opportunity.

For this issue and its focus on business management, BusinessWest looks at that opportunity and the many issues involved with succession planning.

Getting the Bugs Out

Mike Vann says the numbers tell the story when it comes to the issue of succession planning, why it’s important for business owners to start thinking and doing something about it, and also why it represents a strong growth opportunity for his company.

“Statistics from a study that MassMutual conducted show that 26% of businesses have done some kind of succession planing, and 74% haven’t done anything,” he explained, adding quickly that many, if not most, of the companies in the former category would be considered larger, more sophisticated enterprises, with dozens or hundreds of employees.

Thus, the number of small and mid-size businesses — the kind of ventures that dominate the Western Mass. economy — with a plan of any kind is much smaller, perhaps as low as 10%.

There are a number of factors contributing to those statistics, said the Vanns, including a reluctance to face the issue of succession (there are several reasons why), preoccupation with other matters, especially the day-to-day operations of the business in question, and the general attitude that there will be time to do succession planning ‘later.’

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Deerfield is a unique business, but shares many of the common issues involved with succession.

While that’s true, later can sometimes be too late, said the consultants, adding that, ideally, business owners should be thinking about succession from the day they start their venture, but more realistically, they should give it strong consideration starting no later than 10 years before their projected exit from the stage.

Put another way, said Kevin Vann, business owners should put as much energy into how they’re going to exit their business as they do with how they’re going to start it.

Helping clients with these issues has become a steadily larger potion of the business portfolio for the Vanns, who also assist clients with sales of businesses (work that is often related to succession planning), mergers and acquisitions, organic growth opportunities, and strategic planning.

“We carry an inventory of six to a dozen succession-planning cases in different stages at any given time,” said Kevin. “It’s a part of our business that’s growing rapidly.”

When asked about those stages, he said there are several, starting with creation of an actual plan itself. This is followed by diligent updating of this document as time moves on and circumstances change. And then, there’s execution of the plan.

In many cases, companies will have a plan, but it will sit on a shelf neglected, said Mike, adding that this is a common mistake business owners make.

He cited the example of a local manufacturing company operated by two brothers who put a buy-sell agreement together.

“One of them’s 68, the other’s 63, and they have a buy-sell agreement in place,” he explained. “At that age, [the younger partner] doesn’t want to have to deal with buying out his brother, and there are no family members to take over. So it’s great that you have a buy-sell agreement, but it’s bad news if you’re the one who doesn’t die.”

Kevin agreed. “Succession and the many issues involved with it are a big problem today,” he told BusinessWest. “Over the past 20 years, the population has been conditioned to think, ‘let’s get our retirement planning done; let’s get our elder-care planning and our estate planning done.’ If you’re in business, succession planning has often been pushed off, and it’s catching a lot of people off guard. And we’re all living longer, so it’s easier to put it off.”

Flight Plans

Returning to the example of Magic Wings, Mike Vann said George Miller was not exactly caught off guard — he’s known for some time that neither of his children had an interest in taking over the business when he decided it was time.

But that time came up sooner than he might have anticipated several years ago, and he is now tasked with selling — with assistance from the Vanns — a business that requires a certain kind of owner, one with the requisite passion for its unique purpose, the ability to thrive in what is definitely a ‘people business,’ and one that can see past the many challenges to what Miller believes are solid opportunities.

And it may take some time to find such an investor.

For other business owners, there are different issues to be dealt with. And the list is even longer for those in family businesses, where succession-planning issues and estate-planning issues often collide at high speeds. In those cases, matters include which children will take over the business, on what terms, and with consideration to those children who are not involved in the business.

This crowded intersection of planning issues brings Kevin Vann back to that notion of a jigsaw puzzle. And what business owners need to keep in mind is that a succession is like a will in that it can’t sit on a shelf or in a safe as years and decades go by.

“Succession plans are constantly evolving because people are constantly evolving,” he said. “Someone gets sick, they suffer a health crisis, there’s a domestic problem, an issue with children, divorce … all these kinds of things.

“It’s not just about ‘gee, I’m getting old, I might die,’” he went on, referring to the thought pattern that often spurs one to action on a succession plan. “It’s about all those other things that are going on in your life all day long.”

And succession planning is not just about money — although that is a big part of it, he continued, adding that lifestyle issues often come into play.

“Many people want to stay active, stay productive — they don’t want to let go of their business,” said Kevin. “They have nowhere else to go, have no other vocations, no other hobbies. This is their baby, and they don’t want to let go. And they don’t want to be home with their spouse. These issues are all part of the planning process.”

Overall, succession plans are like snowflakes in that no two are alike, said Mike Vann. Therefore, each situation — meaning each business and the people involved with it — is unique. And there are many moving parts to each plan.

“There’s a big evaluation component to the business,” he noted while referencing where and how the process starts. “There’s a lot of analysis with the company and the people involved with it. We spend a lot of time coming to understand not only the business, but the personalities and the expectations of those individuals. You’re dealing with some very interesting nuances with business owners’ spouses; there’s a lot of discussion as to what’s next.

“There’s a recommendation component that addresses various options,” he went on. “You look at the estate plan that’s in place and what the individuals are doing from a financial-services component. It’s a holistic piece, and it needs to be, because, for many business owners, the company is the largest and most valuable asset they own.”

As for the execution phase, well, that comes complete with its own set of issues, said the Vanns, adding that it’s one thing to have a plan, but another thing altogether to carry it out — and the latter is often more difficult than the former.

“It’s not uncommon for us to get to a situation where we’ve completed a plan, there’s agreement on the plan, and no one wants to execute,” said Mike. “That’s because there are some hard conversations that have to come, probably some decisions on a family member that an individual doesn’t want to make, and many other things. It can get difficult.”

The Vann Group’s affiliation with ROCG will help in the process of helping clients navigate all that whitewater, said Kevin, adding that company has several offices in North America and provides access to resources and knowledge.

“If we want someone to look at an employee stock-ownership program, they have people who are experts on those,” he said. “The same with valuations and the many types of situations we encounter. There’s a wealth of knowledge and experience that we can tap into.”

Happy Landings

Looking ahead and at their own venture, the Vanns acknowledge that succession planning will soon become a huge source of business for a wide range of companies and individuals involved in consulting.

They believe they will have a leg up (or six legs up, in the case of Magic Wings) on all that competition thanks to their experience, affiliation with ROCG, and work putting together hundreds of those proverbial jigsaw puzzles.

Indeed, succession planning, like running a butterfly conservatory, involves hard work and, well, making sure things take off and land properly.

And they believe they have the perfect flight plan.

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

Real Estate Transactions

By BusinessWest Staff June 2, 2015

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BUCKLAND

46 Avery Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: PDV Inc.
Seller: Susan A. Chadwick
Date: 04/30/15

CONWAY

590 East Guinea Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $275,434
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Donald M. Lampron
Date: 04/30/15

Fields Hill Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $117,000
Buyer: Lawrence K. Guild
Seller: Mary B. Parker
Date: 04/28/15

DEERFIELD

14 Captain Lathrop Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: John W. Oberling
Seller: Sandra A. Patterson
Date: 04/22/15

498 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Carol A. Connare
Seller: Edward W. Wise
Date: 04/29/15

GREENFIELD

70 Allen St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Chapman Silver Allen LLC
Seller: June Foster TR
Date: 04/28/15

51 Church St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Ananda Real Estate LLC
Seller: James S. Roman TR
Date: 04/24/15

726 Colrain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Cara Morano
Seller: Aaron D. Miller
Date: 04/22/15

Columbus Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Chapman Silver Allen LLC
Seller: June Foster TR
Date: 04/28/15

307 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $118,915
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Dale J. Bourbeau
Date: 04/27/15

36 East Cleveland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Valeriu Gheorghita
Seller: Ivan Darmanchev
Date: 04/30/15

214 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Nickolas A. Howe
Seller: Carl W. Kingsley
Date: 04/30/15

38-40 Grove St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $218,500
Buyer: Michel E. Dubois
Seller: Christie Cullen
Date: 04/30/15

HAWLEY

116 East Hawley Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Yvette L. Segal
Seller: Paul S. Carpenter
Date: 04/28/15

LEYDEN

12 Zimmerman Hill Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Eileene P. Farrell
Seller: Paul C. Zimmerman
Date: 04/22/15

MONTAGUE

10 4th St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jimena D. Pareja
Seller: Theresa E. Ferland
Date: 04/28/15

1 Randall Wood Dr.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Celia A. Allen
Date: 04/22/15

97 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01301
Amount: $196,500
Buyer: Sergey V. Lange
Seller: Evelyn J. Walsh
Date: 04/30/15

NORTHFIELD

95 Hinsdale Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $125,900
Buyer: Alberta Z. Chartier
Seller: USA VA
Date: 05/01/15

ORANGE

80 King St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Andrea S. Williams
Seller: Francis D. Shanahan Jr. NT
Date: 04/29/15

239 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Sean D. Nolan
Seller: William C. Woodcock
Date: 04/30/15

233 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $131,489
Buyer: Citimortgage Inc.
Seller: Robert M. Ellison
Date: 05/01/15

SHELBURNE

66 Colrain Shelburne Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $343,750
Buyer: Sarah Martin
Seller: Elaine Hinze
Date: 04/24/15

510 Little Mohawk Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Julie Dubreuil
Seller: Carolyn G. Wheeler
Date: 04/27/15

97 Lucy Fiske Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Lindsey M. Adamski
Seller: Renae S. Parker
Date: 05/01/15

SHUTESBURY

140 Leonard Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Marina R. Gurman-Wangh
Seller: Robert R. Laclair
Date: 04/29/15

WARWICK

42 Dusty Lane
Warwick, MA 01364
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Keith D. Poulin
Seller: Stephen A. Brosca
Date: 04/30/15

WHATELY

State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Smiarowski Brothers LLC
Seller: Marjorie Borowski
Date: 04/29/15

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

187 Clover Hill Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Quinby
Seller: Brendan D. Reilly
Date: 04/23/15

49 Edward St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Edward N. Cahill
Seller: Erin C. Cormier
Date: 04/28/15

75 Lealand Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $129,900
Seller: Robert T. Harkins
Date: 05/01/15

103 Parkedge Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $268,500
Buyer: Matthew J. Couture
Seller: Arthur E. Wheeler
Date: 04/30/15

23 Robin Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $149,500
Buyer: Allison Sitler
Seller: Kikowski, John T. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 04/30/15

129 South St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $182,668
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: John T. Hilt
Date: 04/22/15

300 South St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Antonio M. Castro
Seller: Philippe O. Raiche
Date: 04/30/15

205 Southwick St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Timothy S. Maxton
Seller: Robert L. Maxton
Date: 04/24/15

30 Stanley Place
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Arnold M. Bernstein
Seller: Nathan Kibbe
Date: 04/24/15

16 Sycamore Terrace
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Valeriy Kuznetsov
Seller: Svetlana Mokan
Date: 04/30/15

65 Valley Brook Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Matthew C. Chapman
Seller: Matthew J. Quinby
Date: 04/24/15

105 Witheridge St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Robert J. Carey
Seller: James M. Mullen
Date: 04/28/15

BRIMFIELD

48 Tower Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Edouard Devarennes
Seller: John L. Fearing
Date: 04/21/15

CHICOPEE

116 9th Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $214,900
Buyer: Rosalina M. Acevedo
Seller: Thomas G. Cantin
Date: 04/30/15

150 Beauchamp Terrace
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $123,600
Buyer: Kenneth R. Vitali
Seller: Dorene Lepage
Date: 04/30/15

22 Beauregard Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Charity Michon
Seller: Arleen L. Sassi
Date: 04/24/15

309 Casey Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Edwin Ocasio
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/23/15

Center St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Pride Limited Partnership
Seller: Biskit Chicopee LLC
Date: 04/21/15

444 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Manuela G. Leblanc
Seller: Jacob Kifa

80 Dunn St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Michael P. Mailhott
Seller: David Bernard
Date: 04/29/15

128 Gill St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Rey Camacho
Seller: Donald J. Moneau
Date: 04/22/15

520 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Carrie L. Seymour
Seller: Maria Tylek
Date: 04/23/15

19 Hudson Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Sarnelli
Seller: Mark E. Vincelette
Date: 04/23/15

44 Larchmont St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $121,500
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Austin R. Gordon
Date: 04/28/15

Manning St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Robert E. Hohenberger
Seller: Corinne Renauld
Date: 04/30/15

29 Mount Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Steven E. Humel
Date: 04/28/15

21 Oakridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $171,100
Buyer: Enrique Melendez
Seller: Melissa M. Lavallee
Date: 04/30/15

49 Riverpark Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $194,900
Buyer: Jessica S. Riendeau
Seller: Leo P. Arel
Date: 04/30/15

89 Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Beaulieu
Seller: Robert J. Kosiorek
Date: 04/28/15

41 Saint Onge St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Nichole D. Ayala
Seller: Oak Ridge Custom Home Builders
Date: 04/30/15

75 Sampson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Glenn R. Depot
Seller: Michael L. Klofas
Date: 04/22/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

17 Hillside Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $194,500
Buyer: Annker Jr. LLC
Seller: Robert C. Andwood
Date: 04/21/15

21 Holland Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $165,465
Buyer: Jason L. Rowe
Seller: Thomas F. Kennedy
Date: 04/24/15

312 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Carole L. Podesta
Seller: Joseph Nadeau
Date: 04/23/15

16 State St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Peter M. Hall
Seller: Marie M. Trudel
Date: 05/01/15

165 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Turgeon
Seller: Donald J. Turgeon
Date: 04/27/15

4 Sturbridge Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: James G. Kantany
Seller: 4 Sturbridge Lane LLC
Date: 04/24/15

8 Urban Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Richard J. Tyrrell
Seller: Zeker RT
Date: 04/30/15

59 West St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $208,500
Buyer: Anthony Alvaro
Seller: Pease LLC
Date: 04/30/15

50 William St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Angel L. Chiclana
Seller: Raymond J. Murray
Date: 04/30/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

149 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Christina E. Rolfe
Seller: Michelle A. Murray
Date: 04/27/15

15 Hunting Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Trang T. Dam
Seller: Ruth B. Weaver
Date: 04/29/15

46 Lori Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Leah M. Kenney
Seller: John Hasley
Date: 05/01/15

95 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Kyle A. Murray
Seller: David F. Bressem
Date: 04/27/15

237 Millbrook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Gerard P. Roeder
Seller: Allan J. Ouellet
Date: 04/29/15

250 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: KJTS LLC
Seller: Carol Dougan
Date: 04/29/15

61 Nelson St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $174,500
Buyer: Jill A. Labonte
Seller: Richard A. Macgovern
Date: 04/28/15

108 Rogers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Pollock
Seller: Maryann Mcgrath
Date: 04/28/15

GRANVILLE

523 Beech Hill Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Steve G. Bedford
Seller: Phillip J. Girard
Date: 04/28/15

831 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Buyer: Jessica Macknight
Seller: Billie Charles
Date: 04/24/15

8 South Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Mountain
Seller: Jessica Macknight
Date: 04/30/15

HAMPDEN

Chapin Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jack Straw RT
Seller: Robert D. Ober
Date: 04/21/15

15 Woodland Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Craig A. Rivest
Seller: Brian Normoyle
Date: 04/27/15

HOLYOKE

181 Appleton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Nestingly 181 LLC
Seller: Maraline Development Corp.
Date: 04/22/15

83-85 Center St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Jose D. Salazar
Seller: Maria E. Montano
Date: 04/30/15

63 Cherry Hill
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Brittnie L. Aiello
Seller: Leah M. Kenney
Date: 05/01/15

24 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Melissa Paniagua
Seller: Barbara A. Gregg
Date: 04/30/15

1454-1456 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Herminio Torres
Seller: Robert C. Fine
Date: 04/30/15

842 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Jorge R. Diaz
Seller: Rose Property Management
Date: 04/27/15

228 Easthampton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Mark G. Anderson
Seller: Vandelyn Wright
Date: 05/01/15

66 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,400
Buyer: Kristen L. Troccolo
Seller: Patrick S. Taylor
Date: 04/30/15

24 Gary Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $173,840
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: Mark A. O’Donnell
Date: 04/23/15

31 Gates St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $139,615
Buyer: Allison J. Reid
Seller: Joseph B. Lewis
Date: 04/22/15

354 Hampden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Caadstone 2 LLC
Seller: Victor O. Licorish
Date: 04/30/15

53 Howard St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Karen E. Kent
Seller: Brian J. Roule
Date: 04/23/15

Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Nestingly 181 LLC
Seller: Maraline Development Corp.
Date: 04/22/15

47 Mount Tom Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ruth N. Vega
Seller: Bigelow, John, (Estate)
Date: 04/21/15

216 Ontario Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $180,600
Buyer: Christine Munro
Seller: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Date: 04/28/15

158-160 Race St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Nestingly 181 LLC
Seller: Maraline Development Corp.
Date: 04/22/15

164 Race St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Nestingly 181 LLC
Seller: Maraline Development Corp.
Date: 04/22/15

15 School St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Roberto Camacho
Seller: Pentre Farm Properties
Date: 05/01/15

118 Sheehan Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Michael J. Dubois
Seller: Urdzela, Frederick, (Estate)
Date: 04/24/15

139 South Martin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $154,650
Buyer: Indira M. Lalchandani
Seller: Paul Blazejowski
Date: 04/21/15

LONGMEADOW

220 Ardsley Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Terry C. Anthony FT
Seller: Robert A. Fagin
Date: 04/21/15

86 Cambridge Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Santos
Seller: James F. Moran
Date: 05/01/15

109 Cooley Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $263,500
Buyer: Heather Tirpaeck
Seller: Patti J. Goldstein
Date: 04/30/15

30 Crestview Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Joseph M. O’Brien
Seller: Ira R. Thomas
Date: 05/01/15

7 Duxbury Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Adam D. Dalessio
Seller: Brian J. Long
Date: 04/30/15

20 Edward Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Kirsten Schoenberger
Seller: Andrea L. Brinnel
Date: 04/30/15

134 Field Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $257,700
Buyer: David C. Sinaguglia
Seller: K. Marceau
Date: 04/30/15

791 Frank Smith Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Michael E. Youngblood
Seller: Elaine L. Peters
Date: 05/01/15

85 Greenacre Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Raymond Beattie
Seller: David A. Mundrick
Date: 04/30/15

916 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: Colvest & Longmeadow LLC
Seller: First Church of Christ
Date: 04/23/15

122 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Ruth B. Weaver
Seller: Therese M. Dupre
Date: 04/29/15

322 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Anzhela Savonina
Seller: Christine J. Santos
Date: 04/24/15

90 Woolworth St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Chin C. Yi
Seller: Smith, Florence M., (Estate)
Date: 04/24/15

LUDLOW

92 Fox Run Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $378,000
Buyer: Michele L. Lane
Seller: Richard P. Roy
Date: 04/30/15

7 Laroche St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Jesse Os
Seller: Stephen H. Rodolakis
Date: 04/28/15

16 Posner Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Rachel M. Carvalho
Seller: Cindy Nguyen
Date: 05/01/15

MONSON

15 Bridge St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Gaston M. Mengel
Seller: Marth E. LLC
Date: 04/27/15

158 Bumstead Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $143,373
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Glenn M. Pittsinger
Date: 04/21/15

56 Munn Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Craig B. Baskin
Seller: Linda Pianka
Date: 04/30/15

MONTGOMERY

91 New State Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $355,200
Buyer: James W. Hayes
Seller: Mary-Lynn K. Green
Date: 04/30/15

PALMER

10 Carol St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Michael R. Turgeon
Seller: Waite, Dorothy E., (Estate)
Date: 04/30/15

99-105 Lawrence St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $1,275,000
Buyer: Tyrone Co LLC
Seller: 99-105 Lawrence St LLC
Date: 04/30/15

53 Mount Dumplin Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Zachary S. Lane
Seller: Hugh K. Martin
Date: 04/21/15

3053 Palmer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Jeremy J. Wizeman
Seller: Mark Jackson
Date: 05/01/15

365 River St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Christine E. Kent
Seller: John D. Voight
Date: 04/30/15

RUSSELL

1500 General Knox Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Brian Shea
Seller: CSB Service Corp.
Date: 05/01/15

SOUTHWICK

8 Eden Hill
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Gregory R. Lalak
Seller: James A. Roncone
Date: 04/30/15

17 Granaudo Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $251,500
Buyer: Anna Shtefan
Seller: Ceal S. Lemanski
Date: 04/29/15

98 Mort Vining Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: John H. Viel
Seller: Davey Reyes
Date: 04/23/15

20 Ranch Club Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Brendan D. Reilly
Seller: Rockwood Builders Inc.
Date: 04/23/15

21 Shaggbark Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Kimberly L. Porter
Seller: Lbdnbd LLC
Date: 04/28/15

18 Woodland Ridge
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Dennis J. Billings
Seller: Steven M. Kunsman
Date: 04/30/15

SPRINGFIELD

15 Angelica Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Kevin George
Seller: Shanna M. Rhoades
Date: 04/22/15

43 Barrison St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Brendon Struck
Seller: Christina E. Rolfe
Date: 04/27/15

147 Belvidere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Rachael B. Lawrence
Seller: Huynh T. Do
Date: 04/30/15

234 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Isaac Arhin
Seller: Dion Creative Construction Inc.
Date: 04/24/15

17 Blueberry Hill St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Adriel J. Alicea
Seller: Joseph R. Girard
Date: 04/30/15

153 Bowles St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $131,250
Buyer: Catfish Properties LLC
Seller: Macfish Properties LLC
Date: 04/30/15

78 California Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. McCarthy
Seller: Brett Duchon
Date: 04/30/15

1484-1490 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: 855 Liberty LLC
Seller: City Of Springfield
Date: 04/28/15

109 Caseland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Christopher J. McCauley
Seller: Kathleen S. Sarno
Date: 05/01/15

324 Central St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Hipolito Mendez
Seller: Viva Development LLC
Date: 04/24/15

253-255 Centre St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $210,000
Seller: 253 Center Street Propertiess
Date: 04/29/15

95 Cliftwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $202,125
Buyer: Frank Raschilla
Seller: Elsie Lindor
Date: 04/22/15

24 Curtis St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Cheickh A. Tidjani
Seller: Eric O. Berrios
Date: 04/30/15

39-41 Daniel St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Greco Property Management
Seller: C. Squared Realty LLC
Date: 05/01/15

167 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $229,750
Buyer: Brenda G. Tirado
Seller: Nu Way Homes Inc.
Date: 04/24/15

80 Euclid Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $131,250
Buyer: Catfish Properties LLC
Seller: Macfish Properties LLC
Date: 04/30/15

14 Fenwick St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Lemeca S. Archie
Seller: Carmax Auto Superstores
Date: 04/27/15

140 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Jeffrey Moore
Seller: Donna L. Hobart
Date: 04/30/15

38 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Alicia L. Raymond
Seller: Michael D. McKay
Date: 04/27/15

45 Glenoak Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Matthew W. Owczarski
Seller: Tatiana A. Torres
Date: 04/21/15

440 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $123,900
Buyer: Helena E. Gagnon
Seller: Ibitsam Qasem
Date: 05/01/15

100 Harvey St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $158,900
Buyer: Ryan A. Reeves
Seller: Carina Leblanc-Reno
Date: 04/30/15

30 Hebron St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $131,250
Buyer: Catfish Properties LLC
Seller: Macfish Properties LLC
Date: 04/30/15

23 Jordan St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Kerrian A. James
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/30/15

193-195 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Wesley R. Crouch
Seller: Peter J. Kelly
Date: 04/30/15

29 Leete St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Samara A. Rosado
Seller: Yuri Grechka
Date: 04/22/15

76 Lucerne Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $129,511
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Deborah J. Flechsig
Date: 05/01/15

197 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $160,852
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Lenora M. Peloquin
Date: 04/23/15

79 Newhall St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Maureen E. Peeler
Seller: Dorothy Daboul
Date: 04/29/15

5-7 Newman St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Carlo Icart
Date: 04/24/15

46 Ogden St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Mahmoud Awkal
Seller: Oussama M. Awkal
Date: 04/30/15

41 Overhill Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Ibtisam D. Qasem
Seller: Jeffrey D. Sias
Date: 05/01/15

392-394 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Mui N. Hoang
Seller: HSBC Bank
Date: 04/22/15

2165 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Desiree N. Sanchez
Seller: Gary E. Edwards
Date: 05/01/15

162 Pinevale St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Tory G. McCloud
Seller: Hector L. Rivera-Delbusto
Date: 04/27/15

57-59 Quebec St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $117,039
Buyer: Dariusz Winkiewicz
Seller: Julie E. Colon
Date: 04/24/15

103 Redden St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Antonio Rivera
Seller: London Realty LLC
Date: 04/28/15

15 Ross St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Rosemary Hernandez
Seller: Cassandra Suleri
Date: 04/30/15

77 Somerset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: H. A. Weck
Seller: Stephen Patterson
Date: 05/01/15

23 Whitaker St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Monica M. Leang
Seller: Maritza Hernandez
Date: 04/30/15

1506 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Emmanuel Jacoby
Seller: William T. Carabine
Date: 04/22/15

221 Wollaston St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Pamela A. Jumba
Seller: Andre E. Stewart
Date: 04/23/15

26 Woodside Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Payano-Abarua
Seller: Russell A. Thompson
Date: 04/30/15

WALES

Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: Jeffrey Linnell
Date: 04/29/15

WESTFIELD

59 Brentwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Bryan A. McBride
Seller: Sara E. Taylor
Date: 04/30/15

20 Butternut Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $161,500
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Kevin J. Powers
Date: 04/28/15

97 Colony Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $267,500
Buyer: Lawrence J. Plude
Seller: Philip J. Naworski
Date: 04/30/15

12 Cortez St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $133,900
Buyer: Stephanie M. Marotte
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/21/15

3 Delancy St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Ann Barone
Seller: Welcome, Frances C., (Estate)
Date: 04/29/15

Elm St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $889,900
Buyer: Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
Seller: Joseph G. Flahive
Date: 05/01/15

15 Grove Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Tyler Desnoyers
Seller: George L. Ashley
Date: 04/27/15

105 Hubbard St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Louis E. Bernardi
Seller: Wendy A. Caputo
Date: 04/30/15

90 Massey St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $379,900
Buyer: Cynthia A. Kelly-Grady
Seller: RSP Realty LLC
Date: 04/27/15

20 Myrtle Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $131,000
Buyer: Tina M. Benson
Seller: Josephine R. Gusek
Date: 04/30/15

15 Northridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $192,900
Buyer: Jonathan A. Lastowski
Seller: Crystal E. Lavallee
Date: 04/29/15

61 Overlook Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Kevin R. Queenin
Seller: Robert J. Carey
Date: 04/28/15

81 Pequot Point Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Brian D. Moynihan
Seller: Saris Resources LLC
Date: 04/28/15

59 Putnam Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Steven M. Wood
Seller: Rebecca Q. Miller
Date: 04/30/15

149 Root Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Brandyn J. Peterson
Seller: Mathew Geffin
Date: 05/01/15

280 Russell Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Donna M. Howe
Seller: Richard S. Alger
Date: 04/30/15

3 Sherman St. Ext.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $221,316
Seller: William M. Lafreniere
Date: 04/24/15

24 Sunrise Terrace
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Lyudmyla Lytvynchuk
Seller: Everbank
Date: 04/23/15

55 Westfield Industrial Park
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Beaver Lake Realty LLC
Seller: H. B. Smith Co. Inc.
Date: 04/30/15

6 Westwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Michael P. Stolpinski
Seller: Mongeau, Ralph A., (Estate)
Date: 04/22/15

75 Wildflower Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Amanda Roy
Seller: Cui X. Lin
Date: 04/24/15

WILBRAHAM

14 Brentwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Jeffrey Sias
Seller: Patricia M. Carr
Date: 05/01/15

1 Carla Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $361,450
Buyer: Karen Edgar
Seller: AC Homebuilding LLC
Date: 04/24/15

481 Dipping Hole Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Richard M. Williams
Seller: New Start Properties LLC
Date: 04/30/15

5 Pearl Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: David E. Deane
Seller: Deane Eileen L., (Estate)
Date: 04/30/15

11 Ridgewood Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Tiffany L. Tranghese
Seller: Abishag LLC
Date: 04/24/15

12 Ridgewood Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Tiffany L. Tranghese
Seller: Abishag LLC
Date: 04/24/15

19 Wright Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Stephen Patterson
Seller: Richard Paluck
Date: 05/01/15

WEST SPRINGFIELD

73 Chester St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Jose A. Gomez
Seller: Margaret Garibian
Date: 04/30/15

190 Doty Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Joseph S. Spano
Seller: Mark E. Kimball
Date: 04/29/15

142 Ely Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $292,500
Buyer: Edward A. Pacitti
Seller: Jacobus M. Weimann
Date: 04/24/15

39 Gay Terrace
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Fitore B. Makolli
Seller: Giorgi, Angela A., (Estate)
Date: 04/24/15

West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Anne Beauregard
Seller: Brian P. Stamand
Date: 04/24/15

1032 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: CN Sons LLC
Seller: Maniba Corp.
Date: 04/21/15

64 Robinson Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Gregg E. Stevenson
Seller: Sean B. Murray
Date: 04/30/15

275 Upper Virginia Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $304,989
Buyer: Robert A. Benson
Seller: Roberto B. Otero
Date: 04/24/15

1440 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: P. Albano Realty LLC
Seller: First Niagara Bank
Date: 05/01/15

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

35 Farmington Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $116,500
Buyer: KSCBJ Properties LLC
Seller: Christopher R. Hrasna
Date: 04/23/15

84 Grantwood Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Adams B. Steven
Seller: Ronald E. Anderson
Date: 04/24/15

330 Harkness Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Darrin Brown
Seller: Jeffrey S. Weeks
Date: 04/30/15

95 Red Gate Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $333,500
Buyer: Jacob A. Mayfield
Seller: Carol A. Connare
Date: 04/29/15

57 Rosemary Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $402,000
Buyer: Laura C. Draucker
Seller: Chung C. Lee
Date: 04/30/15

236 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $327,750
Buyer: David W. Foster
Seller: Michelle A. Lazarz
Date: 05/01/15

205 Shays St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Cox
Seller: James W. Becker
Date: 05/01/15

48 Tanglewood Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $590,000
Buyer: Christopher S. Geissler
Seller: Konstantinos Adamos
Date: 04/30/15

BELCHERTOWN

15 Forest Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $264,900
Buyer: Donald L. Hersom
Seller: Sheldon F. Finlay
Date: 04/30/15

22 Meadow Pond Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $363,000
Buyer: Amanda K. Kuzontkoski
Seller: Carriage Town Homes LLC
Date: 04/24/15

191 North St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $765,000
Buyer: Patrick McFarlane
Seller: Charles E. Molnar
Date: 05/01/15

80 Oakridge Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $337,500
Buyer: Fiona A. Desantis
Seller: Dahlia Development Ltd
Date: 04/24/15

281 Springfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Old Springfield Road LLC
Seller: Michael F. Loftus
Date: 04/21/15

EASTHAMPTON

48 Clark St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Scott J. Rebmann
Seller: Stefanie Santora
Date: 04/23/15

94 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $236,500
Buyer: Christa C. Chiarello
Seller: Jonathan P. Buell
Date: 04/23/15

11 Kingsberry Way
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: F&G Development Corp.
Seller: Crown Meadow Corp.
Date: 05/01/15

58 Phelps St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $188,000
Seller: Mark E. Majeski
Date: 05/01/15

124 Plain St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Christie L. Cullen
Seller: Roy NT
Date: 04/30/15

8 Sandra Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Jeremiah S. Micka
Seller: Jason E. Duda
Date: 04/29/15

4 Torrey Way
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Sarah Z. Gruber
Seller: Sandra Gruber
Date: 04/24/15

GRANBY

544 East State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $159,250
Buyer: Jared Howes
Seller: Louis Delong
Date: 04/30/15

4 Ken Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Richard A. Twining
Seller: Pastomerlo, Joseph, (Estate)
Date: 04/28/15

288 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $265,500
Buyer: Deborah A. Matthew
Seller: William D. Porter
Date: 04/22/15

HADLEY

146 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $337,300
Buyer: Gregory C. Schwartz
Seller: Jinbae Hong
Date: 04/23/15

HUNTINGTON

2 Brookside Glen
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Lucia
Seller: William N. Miller
Date: 04/30/15

57 Searle Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Eric D. Jacques
Seller: Christopher F. Rose
Date: 04/30/15

NORTHAMPTON

33 Birch Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $522,000
Buyer: Sherri A. Kuchinskas
Seller: Timothy J. Dachos
Date: 05/01/15

347 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Helen D. Boston
Seller: Mark A. Battey
Date: 05/01/15

65 Fairview Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $528,000
Buyer: Jonathan Lash
Seller: Benjamin C. Todd
Date: 04/27/15

17 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Margaret J. Scott
Seller: Robert L. Gould
Date: 04/28/15

75 Moser St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Kim Wolfson
Seller: Wright Builders Inc.
Date: 04/30/15

265 State St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Huong C. Chow
Seller: Wang FT
Date: 04/30/15

Village Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Wright Builders Inc.
Seller: Hospital Hill Development LLC
Date: 04/29/15

28 Winchester Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Corie E. Baker
Seller: John P. Donaldson
Date: 04/30/15

PELHAM

59 Arnold Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $211,500
Buyer: Peter A. Teraspulsky
Seller: Adriennes RT
Date: 05/01/15

141 Packardville Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Justin R. Laramie
Seller: Lawrence H. Pratt
Date: 04/28/15

SOUTH HADLEY

44 Berwyn St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Boyang Li
Seller: Du Con Properties LLC
Date: 04/24/15

8 Boynton Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Shannon L. Fitzpatrick
Seller: Eric J. Boulais
Date: 04/23/15

12 Cypress Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Buyer: Page FT
Seller: Josh E. Dufresne
Date: 04/30/15

8 Garden St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Jordan P. Scibelli
Seller: Michele L. Lane
Date: 04/30/15

29 Hildreth Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Meredith A. Creeden
Seller: Christopher G. McDaniel
Date: 04/30/15

8 John Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $267,900
Buyer: Sai Z. Tu
Seller: Donald L. Hersom
Date: 04/30/15

187 Lathrop St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Carolyn J. Andre
Seller: David A. Giroux
Date: 04/30/15

12 Laurie Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Jennifer M. Murphy
Seller: James Murphy
Date: 04/27/15

14 Maria Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Eric J. Boulais
Seller: Blanchard, Theresa A., (Estate)
Date: 04/23/15

3 Normandy Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Kaleigh A. Magri
Seller: Ronald W. Bush
Date: 04/24/15

3 Plainville Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $354,900
Buyer: Christopher G. McDaniel
Seller: Thomas R. Costello
Date: 04/30/15

7 Skinner Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: First Niagara Bank
Seller: Henry J. Lukasik
Date: 04/28/15

22 Valley View Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Margery L. Gerard
Seller: Catherine Lannon
Date: 05/01/15

SOUTHAMPTON

3 Madison Ave.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $366,500
Buyer: Mathew K. Geffin
Seller: Kevin R. Kraus
Date: 04/28/15

1 Nicholas Lane
Southampton, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Zed O. Griffin
Seller: Chester J. Kellogg
Date: 04/28/15

71 Pequot Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Mark D. Mason
Seller: Ann M. Shea
Date: 04/22/15

106 Valley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $379,500
Buyer: Jonathan P. Buell
Seller: Lori A. Slezek
Date: 04/23/15

WARE

5 Clifford Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Mary E. Stelmokas
Seller: Grazyna Zawada
Date: 04/28/15

168 Fisherdick Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Luke M. Powers
Seller: Cecile A. Blake
Date: 04/24/15

19 Juniper Hill Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Holly E. Bruso
Seller: Gary R. Boivin
Date: 04/27/15

WESTHAMPTON

376 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Caralyn L. Whipple
Seller: Mary T. Lewis
Date: 05/01/15

WILLIAMSBURG

67 Adams Road
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $810,000
Buyer: Diane M. Shenberger
Seller: Mark Wisotzky
Date: 05/01/15

2 Pine St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Mary A. Moriarty
Seller: Kanus Shallcross NT
Date: 04/28/15

Incorporations

By BusinessWest Staff June 2, 2015

Departments Incorporations

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

ASHFIELD

Sears Tree & Landscape Service Inc., 107 South St., Ashfield, MA 01330. Randall E. Sears, same. Tree and landscaping services.

HOLYOKE

Singh Corporation, 539 Pleasant St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Mohinder K. Grewal, 8 Eagle Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Convenience store.

PITTSFIELD

Elite Crete Systems East Inc., 1400 East, Pittsfield, MA 01201. John Massery, same. Distribution and training related to construction materials.

Great Wall Spa Inc., 5 Newell St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Fang Tian, 289 Springfield Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Nail salon and other salon services.

SPRINGFIELD

Black and Latino Chamber of Commerce Inc., 32 Hampden St., Springfield, MA 01103. Rev. Timothy Baymon, same. To promote interest in local business possibilities, funding, planning, inspiration, and guidance.

Dr. Dental of Springfield, P.C., 1225 Liberty St., Unit 3, Springfield, MA 01104. Julia O. Faigel, 20 Boulder Road, Newton, MA 01104. Dentist.

Mi Pequeno Mexico Inc., 258 Oakland St., Springfield, MA 01108. Erika Linares, same. Mexican grocery store.

NSA Market Inc., 2760 Main St., Springfield, MA 01107. Hipolito Abreu, 358 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA 01104. Food and miscellaneous market.

Surprise Me Inc., 110 Manor Court, Springfield, MA 01118. Mark R. Schmidt, same. Development of cell phone applications.

T. John Megas Jr., D.M.D., P.C., 299 Carew St., Ste. 218, Springfield, MA 01104. T. John Megas Jr., same. Periodontics and oral implantology.

WESTFIELD

Kisiel Inc., 204 Russell Road, Unit D, Westfield, MA 01085. Kazimierz Kisiel, same. Transportation and hauling various types of freight.

Pasquale’s Italian Family Restaurant Inc., 278-288 Elm St., Westfield, MA 01085. Pasquale Cardenuto, same. Restaurant.

Power Control Services & Electric Inc., 227 Loomis St., Westfield, MA 01085. David Armand Budreau, same. Maintain and design power plants.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

QQ International Inc., 203 Circuit Ave., Ste. 128, West Springfield, MA 01089. Ruohung Kuo, same. Bus charters.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Destination Williamstown Inc., 62 Spring St., Ste. 2-D, Williamstown, MA 01267. Carol Stegeman, 275 Riverview Run, Williamstown, MA 01267. Spurring economic development in the Northern Berkshire County region.

Global Forest Carbon Inc., 166 Sand Springs Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Yasir Yahya, same. Carbon exchange.

DCR Seeks Applications for Park-improvement Program

By BusinessWest Staff May 28, 2015

BOSTON — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is now seeking applications for the first phase of the fiscal year 2016 Partnerships Matching Funds Program from park-advocacy groups, civic and community organizations, institutions, businesses, municipal governments, and dedicated individuals with an interest in improving the Commonwealth’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

Through the program, DCR will allocate $1.25 million in matching funds to finance capital projects at the agency’s parks, beaches, and other facilities. Past projects include the design and construction of a new playground, repairs to historic buildings, trail and path enhancements, and landscape improvements.

“The Partnerships Matching Funds Program is a great example of how DCR works together with residents and stakeholder organizations to improve our public resources,” said DCR Commissioner Carol Sanchez. “We are proud to continue to build upon the success of the Partnership Matching Funds Program, which has been responsible for a combined investment by the Commonwealth and public and private partners in trails, green spaces, historic structures, and water resources of more than $10 million since 2004.”

Applications for DCR’s matching-funds program must provide a match of non-state funds for capital projects at the agency’s parks, beaches, and facilities to be considered. Projects that require more than one year to plan and complete will be under consideration. Once approved, DCR will manage the implementation of the projects in close consultation with the partners making contributions. The agency will match projects dollar for dollar and will also consider providing a two-to-one match in certain instances.

For more information on the program, and to receive an application, call (617) 626-4989 or e-mail [email protected]. Information and applications are also available at www.mass.gov/dcr; click the ‘Get Involved’ tab, then click on ‘Partnerships.’

Holding the Line

Features

Natural-gas Issues Could Hinder Economic Development

Kenn Delude says businesses looking to locate in Western Mass. could be scared off by limited access to natural gas.

Rick Sullivan acknowledged the obvious: No one likes paying more for heating their home.

“It’s a very real pocketbook issue. The average resident saw what happened to their electric bill this winter; it went up drastically because of the availability and price of natural gas,” said Sullivan, president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC). “Right now, natural gas is setting the price for power in this region.”

But, on a larger scale, it’s also setting back the region’s economic-development potential at a time when Western Mass. is starting to see signs of growth and recovery.

The issue is natural-gas capacity in Massachusetts. Simply put, demand for natural gas — among the cleaner and more plentiful fossil fuels available today — has begun to outstrip the capacity of the Commonwealth’s pipeline distribution system.

As a result, Columbia Gas stopped accepting new customers in Easthampton and Northampton at the end of 2014. Berkshire Gas did the same for new customers in Franklin County around the same time, and has since imposed a similar moratorium on Amherst, Hadley, and Hatfield. Similarly, National Grid has a moratorium in place on Cape Cod.

Kenn Delude, president and CEO of Westmass Development Corp., which works to attract new businesses to the region, said the natural-gas shutoff to those communities might hinder future development.

As an example, he cited American River Nutrition, a company that develops and produces natural products to stem age-related or degenerative disease states. The firm has been in the region for 17 years and recently signed a deal for 25,000 square feet of additional space in the Hadley University Industrial Park.

“They’re a local company, and they got trapped by the moratorium — shut off, if you will,” Delude said. “They were counting on — and all their permits and plans were approved for — natural gas. And now, because of the moratorium, they’re forced to find an alternative fuel source.”

That source is propane, which is much more expensive than natural gas, and requires outdoor tanks and truck delivery.

“Propane is not necessarily a good alternative,” Delude said. “It can certainly be very difficult and expensive and challenging to run an industrial plant on propane, especially one of any size. Propane is not the ideal substitute for natural gas.”

The impact, however, extends far beyond companies already established in Western Mass.

“We’re already in a region of the country where utility rates are very high compared to other sections of the country,” Delude said. “This is all about competition for businesses, competing with the Southeast or the Southwest or somewhere else that doesn’t have the same challenges.”

And in communities hit by the recent moratoriums — which are expected to last years — developers are going to be very restricted, he went on. “And it occurs at a very, very difficult time. We spent nearly eight years working through an economic downturn as a region, and we might be at the beginning of a recovery, where we’re starting to see growing businesses need to expand. With this situation where we don’t have any gas, we’re not going to be able to attract certain businesses — and it’s not a short-term problem.”

Outside the Lines

Sullivan, who was secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs under Gov. Deval Patrick, said that administration was fretting over a growing natural-gas capacity issue three years ago.

“The Patrick administration was concerned about the growing demands for natural gas,” he said. “In the big picture, you’ve got a lot of newer generators going online with natural gas as the primary source of fuel, or converting over to natural gas. In combination with coal going offline and some of the nuclear generators going offline, there is obviously a need [for distribution].”

Rick Sullivan says the state needs to find a way to balance pipeline expansion with continued development of renewable-energy sources.

That means pipelines. At issue has been the desire of energy giant Kinder Morgan to expand its pipelines from Pennsylvania into the Northeast, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Berkshire Gas supports that plan and insists that, without it, natural gas will remain unavailable — indefinitely — to new customers in communities affected by the current moratorium. If the Kinder Morgan pipeline is built over the next few years, the moratorium could be lifted by late 2018, the company claims.

“Our first and foremost responsibilities to our customers are safety and reliability,” Berkshire Gas President Karen Zink said in a statement earlier this year. “The only way that we can assure continued safety and reliability, given current circumstances, is to invoke an across-the-board moratorium. We are in the business of selling and delivering natural gas, and as such, be assured that a moratorium is the last option that we would consider. But reasonable system planning and operation requires that we do so at this time to assure continued reliability for our existing customers.”

She and others noted that inexpensive natural gas has never been more plentiful in the U.S., and that the ability to deliver it to customers is the only challenge.

“There’s no doubt there’s a need currently and going forward,” Sullivan told BusinessWest. “We need future additional generation and additional capacity. Some of that can be filled with true energy efficiency, some filled by renewable energy, but even with all of that, there’s still a need for some additional natural-gas capacity.

“Here in New England — Massachusetts specifically — the infrastructure is old, and it’s also built to a standard of years ago, that no longer meets the needs of today,” he added. “So we had the beginnings of discussions — six New England governors talking about the need to bring in some additional capacities, meaning pipelines. Also, at the same time, we talked about how we can build transmission lines for electricity to hook up to wind and renewable sources, mostly to the north, and also Canadian hydroelectric.”

Patrick supported a bill three years ago that would have paved the way for pipeline expansion, but it ultimately did not pass. For its part, Kinder Morgan has run into often highly coordinated opposition from land owners, conservationists, and other citizens concerned about running a pipeline 180 miles across Northern Mass. — even after the company shifted a long portion of the proposed route into Southern New Hampshire.

When the Franklin Regional Council of Governments asked Kinder Morgan why the pipeline couldn’t run along the Mass Pike, the company said routing lines along existing highway or road corridors presents several challenges.

“First and foremost is safety,” it noted. “Highway corridors generally already have existing utility infrastructure located in or around their corridors. By locating a pipeline in a separate corridor, there is much less likelihood that damage will occur to the existing infrastructure during construction, or that the new pipeline will be damaged by third-party construction or maintenance activities by other utilities or road crews. Separate corridors are also generally less populated as compared to road corridors.”

That doesn’t placate Northern Mass. land owners whose property would be disturbed for a pipeline, and Sullivan understands their concerns. “With energy, there’s never an easy solution, never anything everyone can agree on. For every good thing it can do, there is another side of the coin. To get increased pipeline capacity into the region means you have to build new or expand existing pipelines, and that means construction; that means disturbing rights of way. Everybody needs to understand what those impacts are.”

Then there’s the philosophical question of whether the state should build more capacity for fossil fuel or force additional conservation efforts and renewable-energy generation, such as solar and wind. It’s a question, he said, that must be answered eventually.

“We have concerns about being able to do economic development, particularly as we’re coming into a time of increased interest in Western Mass., either by expansion of existing companies or new companies moving into the region,” Sullivan explained. “Obviously, part of what they look at is, what is the reliability and cost of power? We cannot, from an economic-development point of view, be in a position to say, ‘sorry, we’d love to have you come, but we can’t hook you up to natural gas or supply you with power.’”

Waiting Game

Meanwhile, the ability of energy companies to supply natural gas to new customers — existing customers are not expected to be affected by the moratoriums — is dwindling.

“We have not yet issued a moratorium for gas customers; we have capacity at the moment,” said James Lavelle, manager of Holyoke Gas & Electric. “But we are close to the limit of what we can reliably serve; we don’t have a lot of room for large industrial growth. We can bring in the equivalent of a couple of large industrial customers; that’s what we can accommodate at the moment. But we would like to have much more room than that.”

Even without a moratorium, he said, customers have to deal with cost increases during peak periods as a result of capacity constraints.

“It is to some degree a waiting game,” he said. “The pipeline companies would bring additional capacity, but they have to get various approvals. There also has to be a funding mechanism in place. We’ve had discussions about whether pipeline companies are going to get secured contracts from gas-distribution companies like Holyoke Gas & Electric or Columbia. The other discussion is a tariff, through ISO New England, where the electric rate payers would potentially finance the pipeline.”

Lavelle agreed with Sullivan and Delude, however, that the natural-gas capacity problem is very much an economic-development issue.

“Without doubt there will be impacts,” Delude added. “You may not see most of them or hear of most of them. When word gets out that there’s no natural gas available, you won’t know when a site selector Googles an article or two about gas not being available, and decide they’re not able to give your site consideration.”

But the impact of those invisible decisions could be felt over time, he told BusinessWest, adding that the EDC benefits from the leadership of Sullivan, who is well-versed in economic development, energy policy, and the workings of municipal government, as former mayor of Westfield.

“Ultimately,” Sullivan said, “the responsible position, one the EDC has taken, is that we need more capacity, we support additional capacity, but we don’t necessarily pick which pipeline or how that line would be built or where it should go, specifically. The whole process needs to be honest and transparent, and needs to play out. Whatever the answer is, it has to bring some relief to the capacity issues in Western Mass.”

He added that any pipeline expansion doesn’t have to be overbuilt, and there’s no reason why the state can’t continue to move forward on developing new renewable-energy solutions at the same time. He understands, as well, the environmental concerns some people have about accessing the massive shale reserves from which companies like Kinder Morgan draw.

“Again, that’s another issue,” Sullivan said. “Many passionate people argue on the environmental side of things as well. There’s just nothing easy, or something absolutely everyone can agree on, when it comes to energy. It’s not an easy issue.”

But it could be a precarious one for the entire Western Mass. economy if it isn’t resolved soon, Delude said.

“Clearly, this is a broad-based challenge at a time when the region is beginning to show signs of recovery,” he noted. “Businesses have done a great job becoming more efficient, but at some point, you can only do so much with the space you have, and without gas, it’s going to be a challenge to expand and grow.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Story Angles

Architecture Sections

Dietz & Co. Marks a Milestone with Some Imaginative Initiatives

Dietz & Co. Architects owner Kerry Dietz in the lobby at the UMass Center at Springfield, which the firm designed.

Kerry Dietz says talk about what to do for the 30th anniversary of the architectural firm that bears her name started last fall, four or five months before the actual anniversary date.

There were discussions about some sort of party, she told BusinessWest, meaning one of those affairs with a deep invitation list including a wide range of clients, elected officials, and area business and economic-development leaders.

But those talks never got very far.

“You can have a party and get a caterer, and everyone can sit around and drink some chardonnay and eat some cheese; that would be cool,” she told BusinessWest. “And I love seeing all those people we’ve worked with over the past 30 years — it’s actually a lot of fun. But this just seems like a different place and time, and those kinds of parties…”

She never actually finished that sentence, but she didn’t have to. She’d already conveyed the message that the employees of Dietz & Co. Architects Inc. had decided to do something much more meaningful — and lasting — to mark a milestone that eludes many in this business, where one’s fortunes are tied inexorably to the peaks and valleys of the economy, and especially the latter.

Actually, they decided to do several things — starting with some much-needed work on the home of an 85-year-old resident on King Street in Springfield’s Old Hill neighborhood. As part of Revitalize Community Development Corp.’s annual Green-N-Fit Neighborhood Rebuild late last month, Dietz employees did some painting, cleaned out the yard, and repaired the decking on his porch, among other projects.

In June, employees will host a cookout for residents of the Soldiers Home in Holyoke and make a $5,000 donation for medical equipment. And later this year, they’ll fund $25,000 worth of needs identified by Springfield public-school teachers through the education-crowdfunding website donorschoose.org. That’s the same initiative to which comedian Stephen Colbert, in partnership with Share Fair Nation and Scansource, recently pledged $800,000 to fund every request made by South Carolina public-school teachers.

“We want to honor initiative … we’re about ideas; that’s what we do here,” said Dietz as she encouraged teachers to log on and submit a project. “We try and be a step ahead, and so we want teachers to be thinking about what kids need to know and what they need to do in order to learn.”

Finding the time to do all this will be a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the community, said Dietz, but it will also be an extreme challenge.

That’s because her team is quite busy right now as the company continues to recover and build its portfolio in the wake of the latest of many economic downturns Dietz has weathered over the past three decades.

“The recession hit us very hard, and it took a couple of years to pull out of that,” she told BusinessWest. “We had our best year ever last year, as in ever, ever, ever — off the charts ever — and I think this year looks to be similar based on our projections.”

Indeed, the list of ongoing and recently completed projects includes everything from the UMass Center in Springfield, which opened last fall, to the new, 21,500-square-foot senior center now under construction in Westfield and slated to open in September; from upgrades to several buildings on the campus of Worcester State University to the zero-net-energy affordable senior housing project in Williamstown known as Highland Woods; from a comprehensive building assessment of the historic Chicopee City Hall and its annex and planned restoration of its second floor to renovation of the Juniper Elementary School on the Westfield State University campus into the new home of the school’s Fine & Performing Arts Program.

As she discussed these and other projects, Dietz said the company has built a solid reputation over the past 30 years for work in a number of realms, in both the public and private sectors, and for meeting client needs — for ‘green’ design elements, more efficient workspaces, and everything in between.

Given its age and the depth of its portfolio, Dietz summoned the term ‘venerable’ to describe what the firm, now the largest in the region, has become, and it’s an adjective she and her staff wear proudly.

“We’re really busy, and I think part of the reason for that is we’ve been around for a long time, and all that experience comes into play,” she said. “People value that.”

For this issue and its focus on architecture, BusinessWest looks at how Dietz & Co. has drafted a blueprint for business success, as well as a working schematic for how to give back to the community.

Learning Curves

As she talked about her 30 years as a business owner and nearly four decades as an architect, Dietz said those in this field earn a good deal of their money — and hang most of those pictures of their work that dominate their lobbies and conference rooms — when times are good.

But it is the ability to slog through those times when things are far from good that often defines one’s career — and determines its ultimate path.

An architect’s rendering of Parson’s Village, a zero-net-energy affordable-housing complex in Easthampton, and one of many projects in the Dietz portfolio.

To get her point across, she ventured back to the weeks and months just after 9/11. This was neither the longest nor deepest of the downturns she’s weathered — the one in the early and mid-’90s wins that first honor, and the Great Recession earns the latter — but it was perhaps the most frightening and career-threatening.

“I have never seen things dry up as quickly as they dried up,” she recalled. “Things just disappeared. People got scared; I’ve never seen fear like that.

“I remember meeting with my banker at one point,” she went on, “and basically saying, ‘here are the keys [to the business] — do you want them?’ Fortunately, he didn’t take me up on my bluff.”

Indeed, the company managed to weather that terrible storm and add several more pictures to the conference-room walls. The key to doing so was that aforementioned diversity as well as the diligence and sheer talent of the staff, she said, noting that the firm now boasts 20 employees and 10 architects.

That kind of success might have been difficult for Dietz to envision when she first decided to go into business for herself.

She started down that path after earning a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Michigan. Soon after graduating in 1977, she joined Architects Inc. in Northampton (see related story, page 31) and later became part of the team at Studio One in Springfield.

In addition to her architectural talents, though, she possessed an entrepreneurial spirit, and decided in late 1984 that it was time to put her own name on the letterhead and over the door.

“It seemed like the next logical thing to do,” she said with a touch of understatement in her voice. “It sounds like a rational decision, but it wasn’t, necessarily, nor was it a well-thought-out decision. I didn’t go read a book to see how you start a business, let alone an architecture business. I learned by doing.”

Fortunately, this was a time when things were good. The real-estate boom of the ’80s had just begun, and there was considerable work to be had.

“We rode the historic-tax-credit boom that ended when Reagan’s tax plans made it less lucrative,” she explained, adding that the firm enjoyed solid growth through the end of the decade, when the real-estate boom went bust and the well of projects dried up, offering a challenging, but nonetheless valuable, learning experience.

“I had no concept that things like that could happen,” she said of what turned out to be a lengthy downturn. “What did I know? We got through it somehow.”

There have been several ups and downs since as the company has amassed a huge portfolio of projects in sectors ranging from public housing to education to healthcare, said Dietz, adding that one thing she’s been able to learn by doing is how to read the economic tea leaves, try to anticipate the next downturn, and prepare for it to the extent possible.

“This is a very volatile business, and one of the things you have to have are some planning tools and some prediction tools in place, which I’ve developed over the years that allow me to look out a year and say, ‘oh, look, there’s no work in six months, what am I going to do?’” she explained. “So, every month, I’m doing an analysis of the future on both an accrual and a cash basis.”

Westfield’s new senior center is one of two such facilities currently in the Dietz portfolio.

Looking ahead, she sees reason to be concerned about global instabilities and other factors such as national fiscal policies, but she believes the current period of modest growth and solid consumer and business confidence will continue for the foreseeable future.

Growth — by Design

This forecast is reflected, to a large degree, in the number of proposals for new projects being drafted by Ashley Soloman, the firm’s marketing coordinator, who puts the number at several a week on average.

It is also reflected in the current and recent projects list, which reveals not only the firm’s diversity and work across both the private and public sectors (especially the latter), but also current trends in building design and construction.

Indeed, several projects on that list involve new construction or renovation aimed at making the structures in question energy-efficient — or much more so.

One such project involves renovation of 209 units of elderly housing in the Boston suburb of Brighton that Dietz called “an energy monstrosity.”

“We’re looking at ways we can tighten this building up — strategies we can devise for decreasing energy use,” she explained. “Its claim to fame, if you can call it that, is that it’s one of the largest consumers of energy in MassHousing’s portfolio, on a cost-per-unit basis, and we’re hoping to reduce their status.”

Meanwhile, already under construction is a 40-unit, net-zero-energy affordable-housing project in Easthampton called Parsons Village, she went on, and the foundations were just poured for that aforementioned net-zero-energy elderly-housing project in Williamstown.

“Both of these are really exciting projects,” she told BusinessWest, because we sort of pushed the envelope, if you will, on envelope design, insulation levels, and looking at really sealing the buildings using good building-science technology.” Meanwhile, Chicopee City Hall is another intriguing project, said Dietz, adding that there will be a historic-renovation study to examine not only the exterior of the building, built in 1871, but also the feasibility of converting the long-unused meeting space on the top floor into a new chamber for the Board of Aldermen.

That study will also involve the historic stained-glass window in that room, which has been damaged amid deterioration of the ceiling.

Other work in the portfolio includes a series of projects at Worcester State University, said Dietz, adding that many of the buildings on the campus are now 30 or 40 years old and in need of maintenance and renovations aimed at greater energy-efficiency.

And while the company is being imaginative and cutting-edge in the field, it is doing the same, she believes, with its work within the community.

The company has had a long track record for giving back, said Dietz, and years ago, it decided to establish a donor-advised fund with the Community Foundation to help ensure that it could continue to be active, even during those downturns.

“We already had a fairly robust program for charitable giving,” she noted, “but this allows us to be even more … interesting and have a little more money to play with.”

An architect’s rendering of Highland Woods, a zero-net-energy senior-housing project in Williamstown, and one of many ‘green’ projects the Dietz firm has designed.

The company was to mark its 30th year — and celebrate its best year ever — by pumping $30,000 back into the community, she went on, adding that this number has since risen to $35,000. And the entire staff has provided input into how best to apportion those funds.

The projects eventually chosen reflect the company’s values, and in each case they also involve another of its strengths — teamwork, said Tina Gloster, the firm’s operations manager, noting that 25 employees and family members were involved on King Street, a large crew will be needed for the picnic at the Soldiers Home, and many individuals will be involved in deciding which school projects to support if requests exceed the available funds.

And they anticipate that there will be many to choose from.

The site donorschoose.org enables teachers in a given community to post a specific request, said Gloster, meaning materials or an activity that they cannot afford. Individuals and groups can go on the site and choose initiatives they want to support.

“Between August 1 and September 25, we’re making a big push to get Springfield public-school teachers to log onto this site and put their projects there,” she added. “And then we’re going to pick projects to fund in their entirety.”

There will likely be more projects than can be funded with $25,000, she went on, adding the company is encouraging other businesses and the community at large to get involved with the initiative, either in Springfield or other area communities.

“Rather than send us a plant and say, ‘happy 30th,’ we want people to fund a project,” said Dietz. “That’s a much more interesting way to help us celebrate.”

Drawing Inspiration

The actual 30th anniversary for Dietz & Co. came in February. As mentioned earlier, there was no party for clients, politicians, and friends.

More to the point, there wasn’t even anything small in-house for employees.

“We just couldn’t get our act together,” said Dietz with a laugh, adding that, roughly translated, this means everyone was simply too busy.

As in too busy with all those projects in the portfolio, and too busy with those initiatives within the community and the planning involved in making them happen. These are the things the company has managed to make time for, said Dietz, adding that the sum of these various parts constitutes a great way to mark a milestone and celebrate being “venerable.”

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

Community Spotlight: Great Barrington

Community Profile Features

Great Barrington Gets Creative for Its Own ‘Big Dig’

Christopher Rembold and Jennifer Tabakin say construction hasn’t halted plans to transform the former historic Searles High School into a hotel and conference center.

Main Street in downtown Great Barrington has always been an interesting place with lots to do. These days, it still fits that description, but for many more — and quite intriguing — reasons.

A few weeks ago, for example, a crowd of people outfitted in western clothing, including cowboy hats, gathered in front of the coffee shop known as Fuel for what became a Wild West flash-mob gathering.

“Two large hitching posts had been planted in the dirt outside, and two horses, a wagon, and young calves were tied to them as if it was an old western tavern,” recalled Town Planner Christopher Rembold, adding that farmer Stan Stanton, who brought the animals to the site, gave people rides on the horse and buggy, while others enjoyed unlimited coffee on the dusty sidewalk.

Dusty, because the street and its sidewalks have been torn apart as part of a massive reconstruction project on the half-mile stretch of Main Street along which 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles travel each day.

That western-themed gathering was just one of many events and activities drawn up by the town, the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, and individual business owners to maintain vibrancy in a thriving downtown during a project that is long overdue and will yield long-term dividends — but is, at this moment, a huge pain in the neck.

“We’ve taken a proactive approach because we want to make sure our downtown remains vibrant, so we’re working with local businesses to increase the number of activities they offer,” said Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin, noting that, collectively, these efforts are part of something called the “placemaking” program (more on that later).

“Main Street is not just a road; it’s a place to be. It’s the cultural and commercial hub for all of Southern Berkshire County, and has become our community common,” said Rembold. “We recognized the construction could be disruptive before it began, so we needed to find a way to keep people coming downtown to gather, shop, and dine.”

But while the ongoing construction work is in many ways dominating day-to-day life downtown, there is much going on beyond those scenes, including progress with redeveloping some of the town’s better-known but long-idle landmarks.

For example, the former St. James Episcopal Church, which marks the southern gateway into town, will be transformed into a cultural performing space. Meanwhile, the former Methodist Church at the northern gateway into town, which had also been vacant for several years, was purchased last year by a local developer who just received the permits needed to renovate it.

And the privately owned former train station, just west of Town Hall, was turned into a dance studio last fall, and last year the former Searles High School was purchased by nationally known Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, whose headquarters are downtown.

“They’re working with local hotel owner Vijay Mahida, who owns the Fairfield Marriott on Stockbridge Road, to turn it into a first-class restaurant and conference facility. We hope to see the plans this summer,” Rembold said. “It will bring additional people downtown, as well as jobs.”

Officials say the combination of placemaking events, historic renovations, and infrastructure work will keep Great Barrington vibrant for the coming months — and the long term as well. For this, the latest installment of BusinessWest’s Community Spotlight series, we look at how the picture will likely come into focus.

The Real Dirt

Rembold said Main Street and its sidewalks have needed to be redone for many years.

“They were in very bad shape. We needed new storm-water drainage and a new natural-gas main, in addition to a complete reconstruction of the road and sidewalks,” he said, adding that town officials began planning for the $6 million project in 2009 when they paid Fuss & O’Neill to design a streetscape plan, which included new lighting and traffic signals. At the same time, they applied for state funding to pay for the initiative.

The actual construction began last July, but wasn’t too disruptive because the road had not been torn up. “But we knew this spring and summer would be difficult for businesses,” Rembold said, adding that, by the end of June, the blacktop will be laid from Castle Street to Elm Street, new traffic lights will be installed, and the sidewalks will also be finished. However, J.H. Maxymillian Inc., the firm handling the project, will not complete the work until December, with final aesthetics finished next spring.

That means several more months of Main Street as a construction site, and thus the need for more creative programming to keep downtown humming.

Knowing such initiatives would be needed, town officials last year hired the so-called Project for Public Spaces to conduct a workshop for elected and appointed leaders, the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, and Lee Bank. “We wanted to find out what they could teach us about what other towns have done during similar construction,” Rembold explained.

The next step was a brainstorming session with local businesses, and since that time, everyone involved has gotten quite creative; even Maxymillian has joined the effort.

“We banned single-use plastic shopping bags last year, so Maxymillian donated 1,000 bright yellow canvas bags with a logo that reads, ‘I Dig GB’ printed beneath the shovel of the arm of a large tractor,” Rembold said.

In an effort to keep people informed, Betsy Andrus, executive director of the chamber, pens a weekly construction update to let people know the status of the project and what Maxymillian, Verizon, and other companies will be doing on a day-by-day basis. Businesses receive notification via e-mail, and the information is posted on the chamber’s website, printed in the Berkshire Record, and read on WSBS radio.

“The town is still functioning, and the police are doing a phenomenal job keeping the traffic moving,” she told BusinessWest. “I drive down Main Street several times each day so I can time how long it takes, and it has never been longer than eight minutes.”

Businesses have also held ‘no sidewalk’ sales; the Farmer’s Market is relocating to a parking lot on Church Street, and the town hopes to stage outdoor movies downtown during the summer.

Another placemaker planned for June 1 involves a collaboration between restaurants that will host a GB Dig and Dine Event. “Picture 200 people dressed in white having an elegant dinner on tables with white tablecloths outside in the midst of the Main Street construction,” said Andrus, adding that the food will be provided by Allium, Castle Street Café, and Prairie Whale restaurants, while unusual, construction-related props will add to the fun.

She added that Barbara Watkins, who owns the Evergreen Fine American Crafts store, has been a lead organizer of the dinner and has gone door-to-door to businesses to generate excitement about the placemaking effort.

The multi-faceted infrastructure work should eventually make downtown Great Barrington an even better place to do business, for both existing ventures and several new concepts that will soon take shape in those aforementioned landmarks.

The former St. James Church, for example, sat empty for four or five years and was slated for demolition until Fred and Sally Harris purchased it to prevent that action. The town provided them with $150,000 of Community Preservation Act funding to support their $7 million investment, and the building is scheduled to open next spring and become a venue for concerts, lectures, and more. The first floor, Rembold noted, was attractively renovated to house a food pantry.

At the former Methodist Church, the developer has plans to place an 80-seat restaurant in the historic building, which Rembold described as “critical to Great Barrington’s identity.”

Progress is also being made at the former Leeds Cleaners. It is privately owned, but the town secured funding from MassDevelopment to conduct environmental testing to determine the cost of any contamination cleanup. “It’s been vacant for years, and there has been a lot of interest in it because it’s in an ideal location,” Tabakin said, adding the study results should help to make it more marketable.

In addition to these development initiatives, a number of new activities and programs are intended to bring people downtown and create more momentum for the central business district.

Paint the Town, for example, taking place at the end of July, will give people the opportunity to take painting classes at three or four outdoor locations. “Several organizations have donated easels, artists are donating their time, and we’re working with the stores to donate cookies and lemonade,” Andrus told BusinessWest. “They really understand it’s time to team up and work together.”

Another initiative, dubbed Decorate and Shade, is aimed at recreating the shade that was lost when the trees on Main Street were ripped up. New ones will be planted, but since they will take time to grow, businesses can purchase large planters shaded by 9-foot umbrellas and set chairs around them. “We’re encouraging them to be creative and use the planters to hold signs, flags, or balloons,” Andrus said.

Digging It

Despite all of the placemaking events and activity, it has not been easy for businesses to contend with the traffic backups and construction. However, some, including Alan Kalish, who manages the Vault Gallery, see it as an opportunity for growth. “We’ve doubled our space in the last two months. The town will be so beautiful when the work is done that we will get more tourists than ever before,” he said. “The construction gave us the impetus to want to do more business.”

Rembold said the investments and the collaborations taking place are significant and bode well for the future.

“Great Barrington may be small, but there is a lot happening,” he noted. “Everything here is getting better, and our downtown is being transformed.”

Great Barrington at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1761
Population: 7,003 (2012)
Area: 45.2 square miles 
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $13.72
Commercial Tax Rate: $13.72
Median Household Income: $50,882 (2012)
Family Household Income: $75,508 (2012)
Type of government: Open town meeting
Largest Employers: Fairview Hospital; Prairie Whale; Kutscher’s Sports Academy
* Latest information available

Designs of the Times

Architecture Sections

HAI Architecture Expands Well Beyond Healthcare Niche

Rick Katsanos and Don Hafner have parlayed strong relationships with regional institutions and municipalities into a diverse roster of projects.

When Rick Katsanos and Don Hafner met as freshmen at Penn State in the early ’80s, they couldn’t have foreseen someday co-owning an architecture firm two states away.
As it turned out, however, they were among a knot of architecture students who gravitated north after graduation to find work. Katsanos, a Wilbraham native, was hired in 1986 by Ed Jendry, who had launched Architects Inc. in Northampton in 1976. Two years later, Hafner, who had been working in Vermont, joined him at the firm.
Five years later, they launched a successful partnership at the helm of that company, now known as HAI Architecture.
“In 1993, Ed wanted to slow down, so Don and I bought the business from him. He still works for us, half days — which means he works 12 hours a day instead of 24,” Katsanos said with a laugh. “But the transition was fantastic.”
A few years before that, Jendry had spun off a sister company, Healthcare Architects Inc., to pursue work in the regional healthcare market — a decision that proved lucrative; the company has designed dozens of modern, high-tech spaces for hospitals, health systems, and physician practices across Southern New England.
“Ed basically found that was a good market,” Katsanos said. “Doing work for healthcare institutions provided a very solid workload. People knew we were capable in that area — they didn’t have to look far for somebody with that expertise.”
Hafner said he and Katsanos have enjoyed the challenges of that niche. “We’ve always been involved in those projects, which tend to be equipment-intensive. Rick and I are fairly engineering-minded, and we value the idea of being able to coordinate those disciplines.
“Some of the projects have been really fascinating,” he continued. “When we worked on our first linear accelerator, the gravel had to come from a single quarry in Canada. We found out a lot of unique stuff about medical technology. That was a really cool aspect of our jobs.”
Several years ago, however, the partners felt that the effort of maintaining two corporations outweighted the benefits, so they merged them into one company, called HAI Architecture. Architects Inc. disbanded, Katsanos explained, and Healthcare Architects — which survives for now, due to some outstanding federal contracts — will eventually go away as well.
The problem, he explained, was that the firm had become too well-known in the healthcare world. “People were asking, do you do other stuff? What had been an opportunity was now a problem.”
For this issue’s focus on architecture, Katsanos and Hafner sat down with BusinessWest to talk about their firm’s wide array of work, and how the architecture field continues to evolve in ways that present both new challenges and greater opportunities.

Regional Focus
The name change reflected the company’s broad palette of work, from civic and commercial projects to residential design and historic preservation. Because the company is so well-entrenched in the healthcare realm, Katsanos said, it continues to thrive there based on its reputation.
“We are always doing medical offices, up and down the Valley,” he told BusinessWest, adding that it’s heartening when large health systems tap local talent for their projects instead of larger, Boston-based firms. “We appreciate when Western Mass. businesses use Western Mass. companies. Our people live here and spend money here, and that helps keep the economy local and vibrant.”
But HAI has delved more heavily into the commercial market, he added, citing the new Florence Saving Bank branch in Hadley and the Palmer headquarters of Northern Construction as significant recent projects.
“We did restoration for First Churches of Northampton here,” Hafner added, with other area jobs ranging from the Dakin Humane Society animal shelter in Leverett to renovations to Forbes Library in Northampton; from the new Deerfield fire station to an adaptive reuse project in Florence that turned an 1860s sewing-machine factory into a medical office complex.
HAI has also been increasing its workload at area colleges, particularly Springfield Technical Community College. “Higher education has become a new sector for us,” Katsanos said, “which is natural, since we live in the Five College area.”
‘Green’ building has long been a buzzword in architecture and construction, but Katsanos said sustainable design — with an emphasis on ecological impact and energy efficiency — has become so ingrained in the region that it will eventually be taken for granted.
“The Massachusetts energy code became more stringent, and baseline building standards have become better,” he said. “But Don and I always talked to clients when about sustainable building. Our position is that good design should automatically be sustainable and green. We looked at the building codes and said, maybe we could go a little further, with the materials we put in building. That’s our approach — there should be no such thing as an unsustainable building.”

The new Florence Bank branch in Hadley is among HAI Architecture’s recent success stories.

Hafner agreed. “Codes have driven the industry this way. We’re seeing this whole cachet of ‘green’ being incorporated into all of architecture. And that’s what our philosophy has been about all the time.”
Katsanos said clients are willing to pay for such amenities. For example, “Florence Bank was very pleased, and we’re happy when the clients are happy. It looks wonderful; they made some smart decisions and didn’t just try to go for the cheapest solution. Being a financial institution, they know what money is worth, and they spent it wisely. That was a good group of people to work with.”
Hafner agreed, and said he and Katsanos have tried to build relationships — and repeat business — with clients they like working with. “We want to establish these relationships, so that people trust us and know we can meet their expectations.”
Those expectations, Katsanos said, are becoming more challenging to meet.
“We’re doing projects on tighter time frame,” he said, partly due to technological advances such as building information modeling, or BIM, by which architects and clients manage and share designs and project information in three dimensions and real time. Having come up in the industry in the era of two-dimensional drawings, they’re nostalgic about the craft of architecture, but have embraced the future — and the shorter schedules clients demand as a result.
“People are so accustomed to seeing the end product right away, they don’t always understand the process,” Hafner said, adding that, in the past, “we were taking a three-dimensional object and reducing it to two dimensions, then handing it to someone else to create in three dimensions. That’s an odd process. With building information modeling, we’re doing away with that, and allowing everyone to think three-dimensionally. That should be the wave of the future.”

Back to Basics
At the same time, Hafner said, HAI is strongly rooted in the traditions of garnering business through relationships and reputation, which is why the firm has not done a great deal of advertising in the past. “Our clients have always been happy with the work we’ve done, so they’ve called us back. For a long period of time, we didn’t have to worry about marketing.”
“We’ve run under the radar a lot,” Katsanos added.
However, Hafner went on, “we have started to elevate our marketing efforts. With the recent downturn we’ve seen in the economy, a lot of larger firms from Boston have started doing what we call downfeeding. Where we controlled a segment in the range of $200,000 to a couple million dollars, a lot of the larger firms in the state are coming over this way and moving down into that segment.”
What’s not changing is the collaborative way the HAI team works on projects, he added.
“We let everyone take part in everything, from design through construction administration,” Hafner said. “When we’re working on something, we start in the beginning at the table, and everyone gets a say in what things might look like. It doesn’t always translate to the project, but it lets everyone work together, and they develop a healthy respect for each other.”
Katsanos agreed. “We work with a good team,” he told BusinessWest, “and we work very collaboratively in this office. It’s not a trickle-down design process.
“A lot of us have been here a long time, but we always try to bring in someone new — either a summer intern or a staff person — because, what they lack in experience, they more than make up for in a fresh perspective,” he went on. “They don’t know not to ask dumb questions, and questions sometimes show that you’re on the wrong path. If you do the same thing over and over again, you can become complacent. It’s good to have someone asking, ‘why do that?’ It makes you constantly analyze what you’re doing.”
Which is — appropriately, for this firm — a healthy way of doing business.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Role Player

Health Care Sections

BFMC’s Bradley Embraces a Demanding New Challenge

Steve Bradley says it’s his goal to place Baystate Franklin Medical Center in the top 10% of community hospitals nationwide.

Steve Bradley’s commute to what might still be considered his new job — he’s been at it about nine months now — is roughly the same, time and distance-wise, as the one to his old position.

But the destinations, not to mention the job descriptions, are worlds apart.

Indeed, from his home in Pelham he used to travel south and slightly west to Springfield, population 160,000, and the administrative offices of Baystate Health, one of the state’s largest health systems, which he served as vice president for Government, Community & Public Relations. Now, he travels north and west, to Greenfield (population roughly 18,000), and Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC), part of the Baystate system and one of the state’s smallest hospitals with only 90 licensed beds. There, his name badge reads ‘president.’

“It’s a huge change,” said Bradley. “I went from one of the largest urban centers in the state to the most rural area in the Commonwealth; all of Franklin County only has about 80,000 people.”

But when one gets past the differences in population, demographics, and compass points, the challenges inherent with both jobs — and both healthcare providers — are quite similar, Bradley told BusinessWest.

“These areas are very different, except in a few very important regards,” he explained, starting with the overriding common denominator. “Poverty drives everything challenging in Springfield and in Hampden County, and poverty drives everything challenging in Franklin County.

“The poverty looks different, though,” he went on. “In Franklin County, it’s rural poverty, so a lot of it is hidden; this is the poorest county in Massachusetts.”

Meanwhile, the issues that create such poverty are similar as well, said Bradley, adding that educational attainment is an issue in both regions, limiting access to many technology-driven jobs, and, at the same time, many of the manufacturing jobs that would be described as low-skilled or moderate-skilled, have left both areas, leaving fewer alternatives.

But Franklin County has some additional and unique challenges, he went on, adding that the biggest are its remoteness and small population. Public transportation exists but it is quite limited, he said, and this impacts many aspects of everyday life, including healthcare.

Meanwhile, the rural nature of the county makes recruiting and retaining doctors — already a stern test statewide because of the high cost of doing business here — an especially daunting task for BFMC.

Improving access to healthcare, improving the overall quality of the services available at BFMC and its community health centers, and putting the hospital back in the black after years of operating in the red (something that was accomplished last year for the first time in many years), constitute Bradley’s unofficial mission since he succeeded Chuck Gijanto last July — and he credits his predecessor with creating considerable momentum in each area.

The official mission, or goal, is to move the medical center into the top 10% of community hospitals nationwide within five years.

This will occur through the addition of new facilities, such as the 50,000-square-foot surgical center now taking shape on the BFMC campus, said Bradley, who set that goal the day he arrived and knows he now has four years and three months to realize it, and also through new initiatives, such as ongoing efforts to integrate programs at BFMC with those at Baystate Medical Center and other facilities in the system (more on those later).

But mostly, it will come through what he considers a somewhat new attitude, or a renewed and heightened commitment to the people of Franklin County — and all areas served by community hospitals within the system — on the part of Baystate Health and its president and CEO, Dr. Mark Keroack.

“Baystate Health and our new CEO are making it clear that for the first time in a very long time, community hospitals are as important to Baystate Health as any other entity,” he explained. “And he’s backed up those words with resources, not only financial resources, but clinical resources as well. As a result, we’re living our mission in a more authentic way.

“Our mission for years has been to improve the health of the people of our communities every day with quality and compassion, but I don’t think you could really say that this is the way the people of Franklin County felt that Baystate Health was behaving,” he went on. “But under this leadership team, we’re talking the talk and walking the walk.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Bradley about this intriguing change in his career path and also about his ambitious plans for this rural hospital.

Working in the Background

While Franklin County represents a new mailing address for Bradley, it’s a region he’s already quite familiar with, through his work at Baystate Health as well as career stops before that.

Indeed, Bradley spent more than four years as chief of staff for state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, currently president of that body.

While his district includes Hampshire County’s major population centers, especially Northampton and Amherst, it also covers most of eastern Franklin County, including Greenfield and Deerfield.

“Franklin County was a big part of his district, and we were up here quite often,” he said. “I got to know a lot of people, and became familiar with the individual communities and their issues.”

Those years with Rosenberg were wedged between two decidedly different stints within the broad spectrum of healthcare.

Prior to that assignment, Bradley served as the first director of the Western Mass. region of the State Department of Mental Retardation. In that role, he established the department’s first Regional Competency and Diversity Initiative, helped lead the closing of the region’s only institution for people with developmental disabilities, and created a nationally recognized community-based system of services and programs for those individuals.

An architect’s rendering of the 50,000-square-foot surgery center now under construction at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

At Baystate, Bradley saw his role expand and evolve over 15 years. He started as vice president for Government Relations, and eventually added community relations and public relations to his job description.

Over the years, he was involved in a number of high-profile initiatives both within the system and in the community.

Regarding the former, he led the team that gained state approval for Baystate Medical Center’s Hospital of the Future; he helped write the application for the what turned out to be the second-largest determination-of-need (DON) grant in the state’s history. He also helped lead efforts to get Baystate Medical Center added to the state Medicaid waiver.

As for the latter, he was involved with everything from Springfield Technical Community College (he was chairman of its Board of Trustees) to DevelopSpringfield, which he also served as a trustee.

But perhaps the work he’s most proud of has come with making Baystate a major player in an initiative called the Undoing Racism Organizing Collective, which he serves as a member of its steering committee.

Launched by Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation President John Davis, UROC, as it’s called, stages two-day workshops and other initiatives to meet its mission to ‘organize, communicate, and provide resources to undo racism in our families, communities, and institutions.’

“It has a very narrow focus, which is to provide two days of high-quality education centered around understanding the effects of institutionalized white privilege on communities of color,” Bradley explained, adding that Baystate set aside $200,000 from its community benefits budget to help fund the work, which he considers critical to the region’s future.

“There’s a direct link between 400 years of institutionalized racism and economic status,” he went on, adding that since he arrived at Baystate he’s been working in various ways to stem this tide and its many effects on the health of individuals and a community, and the Davis initiative provided a way to take these efforts to a higher plane.

“Our goal is to help people who are not of color to understand what the differences are in day-to-day living,” he told BusinessWest. “White people don’t ever think about walking into a store and being followed, or being turned down for an apartment, or being stopped while they’re driving just because the police officer thinks he can stop you — and they need to think about these things.”

Bradley told BusinessWest that he greatly enjoyed the sum of all the parts that went into his job, and wasn’t exactly looking for another career challenge, especially the one he eventually accepted, when Gijanto approached him about succeeding him.

“I like to joke with my friends and associates that becoming president of a community hospital was not high on my professional bucket list,” he explained. “I loved the job I was doing, I’d been doing it for 14 years; but I will say that you can’t do the same job forever.

“I was asked by Chuck Gijanto to seriously consider the position; I was surprised and really honored, but I hadn’t given it any consideration,” he went on, adding that other administrators at Baystate encouraged him to apply. “Twenty-seven interviews later — well, I interviewed with 27 people, let’s put it that way — here I am.”

The Job at Hand

‘Here’ is a place far removed from Springfield and other Hampden County population centers in many ways.

Indeed, Franklin County is a mostly agricultural region, where the communities are very small, population-wise, with many of them home to fewer than 1,000 residents. BFMC is the only hospital in the county, and there is only one college — Greenfield Community College — as well. And there are only three major employers: GCC, BFMC, and Yankee Candle.

Since formally arriving in Franklin County, Bradley said he’s come to understand even more about the individuals who live and work there.

“This is a very individualistic county — people here don’t like to be told what to do,” he said, adding that he was speaking in generalities, obviously. “It’s also a very self-sustaining community; this county has taken the lead in addressing the opiod-addiction crisis, for example.

“That came out of grass-roots, community organizing, a very tight network of community leaders, political leaders, social service leaders, religious leaders, and healthcare leaders who identified the problem long before anyone else did,” he went on. “And rather than fighting over who was going to lead this effort, they came together in a coalition that has been extremely effective.”

Bradley is already getting involved with the Franklin County community. Indeed, he’s a member of the chamber’s board of directors, and he’s annual campaign co-chair for the United Way of Franklin County.

But most of his time and energy is focused on the medical center and meeting that lofty goal he set upon his arrival. And there are obvious challenges to meeting it, he said, listing everything from the remoteness of the county to the difficulty BFMC faces in recruiting and retaining doctors and other healthcare professionals.

“I think there’s two buses that run between Springfield and Greenfield each day,” he noted. “I’ve talked to many people who’ve said that if they have to go to Springfield for care, they have to take the whole day off from work — they take a bus in the morning, and they take a bus back late in the afternoon. They don’t want to take the whole day off, their boss doesn’t want them to take the whole day off, and they can’t afford to take off the whole day. But they must.”

So in many respects, the evolving strategy is to bring healthcare to the people of Franklin County, rather than bring them to the care, and to improve the facilities on the BFMC campus so area residents won’t be tempted to drive past it to pursue care elsewhere, Bradley explained.

“We’re brining a lot of care up from Springfield and having it delivered inside Baystate Franklin Medical Center,” he said, adding that there are many facets to the broad strategy being deployed.

A Cut Above

One of them has involved improvements to the emergency department, which actually led to a situation where there was a shortage of beds to accommodate those who required admission, a problem resolved by reopening a nursing unit that had been mothballed for eight years, when volume at BFMC had plummeted.

“It was mothballed because there just wasn’t the demand, and the hospital was losing between $2 million and $4 million annually, year after year,” Bradley explained, adding that the surge in emergency room volume was in some ways a good news, bad news situation.

Another step forward is the new surgery center, or the “surgery modernization project,” as it is also known, said Bradley, adding that the new facility rising on the campus is sorely needed to replace facilities that are half a century old and in most all ways antiquated.

“Our operating rooms are 48 years old,” he explained, “and when you’re out there nationally and internationally trying to recruit surgeons and skilled operating room nurses and technicians, and competing against brand new facilities such as the ones at Baystate Medical Center or Cooley Dickinson Hospital, that makes it much harder to compete.”

The new center will feature five operating rooms that are two or three times larger than the ones they’re replacing. Construction is due to be completed in the summer of 2016, and the facility should be operating by December of that year.

In addition to building new facilities, BFMC is also moving forward aggressively with plans to integrate its services with those at Baystate Medical Center and other providers within the system, a step that will improve quality, add needed depth and flexibility, and enable more people to receive care close to home.

“Down the road 40 miles, we have one of the top academic medical centers in the United States,” he said, referring to BMC. “And in the parent company, Baystate Health, we have one of the top 15 health systems in America. Plus, we have one of the top-rated heart and vascular programs in the state in Springfield.

“When you have that kind of expertise 40 miles away, and you’re part of that system, you need to take full advantage of that,” he went on. “What we’re doing is fully integrating all of our clinical service lines with Baystate Medical Center.”

At present, roughly 95% of surgical services are integrated, he continued, adding that rather than being an independent operation, as it has been historically, BFMC’s surgical services are now essentially part of a larger Baystate Health team, with day-to-day operations led by Baystate’s chairman of surgery, with shared governance.

“This will create what amounts to a seamless surgical program,” Bradley explained. “And what that does is get more surgeons who are specialists to actually come up and provide surgery here, rather than forcing the patients to go to Springfield. And the new surgery center will make it even more desireable for folks to come here, because we’ll have a state-of-the-art facility.”

Other clinical service lines will follow, said Bradley, adding that this work in progress will yield a facility far more capable of adequately serving the people of Franklin County than the one operating the past several years.

Bottom Line

And one that he expects will be in that top 10% of community hospitals nationwide.

“That’s our only goal here,” he said of that benchmark. “I think it’s going to take us the better part of the next four years to get there, because every other hospital is getting better too.

“But we’re going to a be a great community hospital,” he went on, “and there’ll be no reason for anyone to have to leave Franklin County to receive high-quality care.”

Becoming the administrator charged with backing up that statement isn’t a career move that Bradley could have envisioned 18 months ago. But it’s a challenge he’s willing accepted.

Indeed, he believes he’s certainly in the right place at the right time.

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

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2015.

AMHERST

James Marley
100 University Dr.
$350,000 — Interior office renovation on second floor for Walden Behavioral Care

Donald Laverdiere
445 West St.
$88,000 — Install 95 solar panels

CHICOPEE

Chicopee Crossing, LLC
490A Memorial Dr.
$834,000 — Construct a 12,448-square-foot retail building

Dinesh Pal
1869 Memorial Dr.
$8,000 — Repair existing wall of gas station

Diocese of Springfield
110 Cyman Dr.
$68,000 — Replace 10 windows

Mass Mutual Financial Group
350 Memorial Dr.
$314,000 — New vinyl siding

Paul Amaral
1271 Memorial Dr.
$8,000 — Interior remodel of walls and doors

Urban Edge Properties
555 Memorial Dr.
$90,000 — Remodel bar area

EASTHAMPTON

City of Easthampton
65 Union St.
$18,000 — New roof

George Paiva
10 Rabideau Dr.
$13,000 — Kitchen remodel

Mass Audubon Society
127 Coombs Road
$11,000 — Renovations

Revampit, LLC
31 South St.
$40,000 — Exterior renovations

Williston-Northampton School
80 Park St.
$281,000 — Install 560 roof-mounted solar panels

LUDLOW

Jose Baltazar
201 West St.
$18,000 — Cell tower alterations

Randalls Farm
631 Center St.
$243,000 — Alterations

NORTHAMPTON

Florence Savings Bank
85 Main St.
$19,000 — Construct partition walls

Forbes Library
20 West St.
$419,000 — Renovate entry and lobby and install elevator

Meadowbrook Preservation Associates
491 Bridge Road
$6,000 — Strip and shingle front side of roof

Northampton Terminal Associates, LLP
1 Roundhouse Plaza
$21,000 — Minor alterations for restaurant

Peter Whalen
7 Old south St.
$10,000 — Replace concrete patio

Trident Realty Corp.
76 Main St.
$12,500 — Install three rooftop antennas

Valley Building Company Inc.
200 King St.
$15,000 — Install replacement windows and vinyl siding

Valley CDC
82 Bridge St.
$4,000 — Renovate second-floor bathroom

SPRINGFIELD

Beacon Communities
1 Beacon Terrace
$25,000 — Renovations

Bilingual Veterans Outreach of MA
60 Cass St.
$1,938,000 — Construction of new building over slab

Department of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation
100 Forest Park Dr.
$3,400,000 — Construct addition to existing building

Eastco Realty
1350 Main St.
$36,500 — Renovate existing office space

FL Roberts
235 Albany St.
$14,500 — Office renovation

New England Center for Youth and Families
130 Berkshire St.
$8,000 — Install fire suppression system

Nowak Funeral Home
15 Ludlow Ave.
$50,000 — Construction of one-story addition

Picknelly Family LTD Partnership
1414 Main St.
$109,000 — Interior office build-out on ninth floor

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Mill City, LLC
150 Front St.
$30,000 — New roof

Taco Bell
25 Morgan Road
$30,000 — Roof-top alterations

Tom Adamczyk
47 Roanoke Ave.
$105,000 — Construct new
70 x 70 x 16 building

Real Estate Transactions

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BERNARDSTON

118 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Peter S. Melnik
Seller: Bonnie L. Bobetsky
Date: 04/06/15

155 Parmenter Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Melissa R. Gerry
Seller: Sharon Whitaker
Date: 04/17/15

COLRAIN

1 Lyonsville Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Patrick A. Greenburger
Seller: James E. Sturgeon
Date: 04/08/15

DEERFIELD

10 Beaver Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Braccia
Seller: Kathleen S. Stanley
Date: 04/08/15

103 Upper Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Benoit
Seller: Edice L. Skalski
Date: 04/15/15

GREENFIELD

5 Adams Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $487,000
Buyer: Jackson Earnest Real Estate
Seller: Bruce H. Schwartz
Date: 04/14/15

324 Federal St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Lorenz Family LLC
Seller: Massachusetts TR
Date: 04/17/15

44 Forest Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $164,500
Buyer: David M. Gaboury
Seller: Aaron M. Gerry
Date: 04/17/15

NORTHFIELD

74 Mount Hermon Station Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Dylan M. Field
Seller: Daniel S. Randall
Date: 04/10/15

765 Pine Meadow Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jamie P. Seidell
Seller: Gloria J. Eddy
Date: 04/17/15

21 Riverview Dr.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Gary G. Conaway
Seller: Donna A. Drolette
Date: 04/10/15

ORANGE

200 Mechanic St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Jayson W. Desmond
Seller: Gary G. Gleason
Date: 04/10/15

191 Packard Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $192,922
Buyer: Citimortgage Inc.
Seller: Lincoln Lacasse
Date: 04/13/15

SHELBURNE

5-7 Grove St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $228,800
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Bukolsky RET
Seller: John L. Occhialini
Date: 04/06/15

WARWICK

155 Royalston Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Michael L. Humphries
Seller: James L. Deming
Date: 04/08/15

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

64 Barney St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Rolandini
Seller: Diane Rolandini
Date: 04/17/15

700 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Corey G. Tower
Seller: Danielle L. Petrangelo
Date: 04/17/15

170 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Nicole A. Hoyle
Seller: Denise L. Mason
Date: 04/16/15

361 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Becky Rivera
Seller: Jean A. Clouse
Date: 04/16/15

109 Vassar Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Jennifer L. Bock
Seller: Sandra E. Barrows
Date: 04/16/15

32 Wilson St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $160,440
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Sandra A. Lynch
Date: 04/08/15

CHICOPEE

63 Arnold Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01119
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Heidi T. Munro
Seller: David J. Makowicz
Date: 04/10/15

69 Arthur St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $204,900
Buyer: Ray Otano
Seller: Gerald R. Archambault
Date: 04/08/15

40 Carriage Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Keith Rattell
Seller: Andrew F. Garstka
Date: 04/15/15

47 Carriage Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Keith Rattell
Seller: Andrew F. Garstka
Date: 04/15/15

192 Lawrence Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Bruce E. Crevier
Seller: Arline L. Cambo
Date: 04/16/15

33 Loomis Ct.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Samantha G. Orzechowski
Seller: David C. Labrie
Date: 04/13/15

95 Lukasik St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Marek Gusciora
Seller: Jason Jordan
Date: 04/08/15

2041 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: AQSA 2041 Realty LLC
Seller: Sandri Realty Inc.
Date: 04/06/15

648 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Janet L. Haney
Seller: FHLM
Date: 04/10/15

126 Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $116,833
Buyer: MHFA
Seller: James P. Bonavita
Date: 04/06/15

78 Warwick Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Mark J. Hines
Seller: Michael D. Micheli
Date: 04/17/15

103 Watson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Sara Robitaille
Seller: Michael J. Twining
Date: 04/13/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

175 Braeburn Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Roland D. Gelinas
Seller: James M. Adcock
Date: 04/17/15

260 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Antonio J. Bordoni
Seller: Ida B. Newell
Date: 04/08/15

42 Gates Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Mary K. Thomas
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/10/15

61 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: LLP North Main LLC
Seller: Barry M. Stephens
Date: 04/17/15

17 Oak Brook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Joel R. Kosciak
Seller: Edward W. Brown
Date: 04/14/15

GRANVILLE

195 Hartland Hollow Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Timothy J. Walsh
Seller: Gregory A. Hart
Date: 04/15/15

18 Julia Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: John L. Occhialini
Seller: Duval, Joyce F., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/15

1665 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Milton H. Stauffer
Seller: David Krupa
Date: 04/15/15

HAMPDEN

25 Allen St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Bean Sprout Realty LLC
Seller: Salvatore A. Scibelli
Date: 04/09/15

HOLYOKE

75 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $134,900
Buyer: Susana E. Navarro
Seller: AHAP LLC
Date: 04/10/15

12 Liberty St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $247,500
Buyer: Elisabeth L. Lagace
Seller: Jill M. Roach
Date: 04/10/15

78 Nonotuck St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: James F. Bickford
Seller: Thomas J. Raschi
Date: 04/17/15

457 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Jessica L. Borowski
Seller: Mayo, Elaine A., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/15

LONGMEADOW

169 Blueberry Hill Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Ryan Collins
Seller: Debra A. Birtwell
Date: 04/15/15

122 Cooley Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $371,000
Buyer: Jennifer P. Metsch
Seller: Barbara A. Labar
Date: 04/17/15

10 Eastham Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Michael C. Mathis
Seller: NESCAC LLC
Date: 04/14/15

18 Edgemont St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Daniel P. Fama
Seller: Richard Fernie
Date: 04/09/15

125 Hillcrest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Susan L. Schmelkin
Seller: Lee A. Feuling
Date: 04/09/15

183 Meadowbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Mary E. Scully
Seller: FHLM
Date: 04/16/15

LUDLOW

19 Daisy Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $331,250
Buyer: Yvan P. Lambert
Seller: Elin M. Zapka
Date: 04/07/15

201 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,500
Buyer: Peter J. Godbout
Seller: William J. Bigda
Date: 04/13/15

32 Focosi Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $324,000
Buyer: Dedan M. Karanja
Seller: Sergio Freitas
Date: 04/06/15

28 Fox Run Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Michael J. Tufariello
Seller: Joanne N. Shaw
Date: 04/17/15

23 Lakeview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Krysten M. Gasparrini
Seller: Richard E. Dumont
Date: 04/15/15

MONSON

15 Elm St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Kevin Gaudette
Seller: John E. Murphy
Date: 04/15/15

PALMER

2002 Calkins Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Austin Vadnais
Seller: Skove Associates LLC
Date: 04/10/15

15 Gay St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Christopher B. Muldrew
Seller: Timothy M. Haley
Date: 04/15/15

1051 Overlook Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $179,250
Buyer: Carol A. Meaney
Seller: Pamela Outhuse
Date: 04/10/15

1218 South Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $133,500
Buyer: David Heyes
Seller: Marc A. Bessette
Date: 04/17/15

RUSSELL

481 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $288,337
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Paul B. Moss
Date: 04/17/15

5 Old Westfield Road
Russell, MA 01034
Amount: $196,772
Buyer: Pennymac Loan TR
Seller: Steven Exware
Date: 04/16/15

4 Park Circle
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $137,500
Buyer: Daniel Albano
Seller: George P. Vincensi
Date: 04/08/15

SPRINGFIELD

62 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Portia J. Thomas
Seller: Icarian Real Estate Advisors
Date: 04/14/15

19 Bedford Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Matthew F. Sullivan
Seller: Stella Mazarakos
Date: 04/13/15

77-79 Bristol St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Victoria O. Martinez
Seller: Maria M. Lebron
Date: 04/13/15

40 Bronson Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Sam M. Steinmann
Seller: Frances Shames
Date: 04/17/15

94-96 Byers St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $152,500
Buyer: Keith W. Fowler
Seller: Russell A. Thompson
Date: 04/07/15

330 Central St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $149,500
Buyer: Carol Y. Arroyo
Seller: Viva Development LLC
Date: 04/10/15

14 Chesterfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $153,418
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Julianne McSwain
Date: 04/08/15

344 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Debora E. Degonzalez
Seller: Thomas F. Sweeney

41 Connolly St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: David Rosoff
Seller: Falardeau, Robert C., (Estate)
Date: 04/06/15

75 Dimmick St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $118,400
Buyer: William T. Norton
Seller: Eagle Home Buyers LLC
Date: 04/07/15

131 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Midfirst Bank
Seller: Richard C. Mayberry
Date: 04/13/15

38 Endicott St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Karen T. Costa
Seller: Joseph D. Daly
Date: 04/17/15

32 Garcia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $181,500
Buyer: Brianna L. Jones
Seller: Toby R. Rutkowski
Date: 04/13/15

54 Haller St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: William B. Watkins
Seller: Christopher P. Mastalerz
Date: 04/15/15

57 Hartford Terrace
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Bineault
Seller: Catherine M. Kennedy
Date: 04/13/15

42-44 Longfellow Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Eryca R. Haase
Seller: Marlene Minardi
Date: 04/17/15

21 Maebeth St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Michael J. Scanlon
Seller: Amy E. Sheehan-Kosciak
Date: 04/14/15

65 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $131,750
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Alejandro Cabrera
Date: 04/08/15

27 Mary St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Aristedes M. Patterson
Seller: Sapphire Property Development
Date: 04/08/15

9 Mattoon St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Keith W. Fowler
Seller: Robert J. Gordon
Date: 04/15/15

323 Naismith St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Alex Owusu
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 04/16/15

456-458 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $172,360
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Jose V. Narvaez
Date: 04/09/15

655 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $12,000,000
Buyer: CNR Springfield LLC
Seller: PNK Ohio LLC
Date: 04/14/15

590 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Robert L. Reid
Seller: Louise Bonavita
Date: 04/07/15

244 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Paul McNaughton
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 04/09/15

148 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Norberto Leon
Seller: Truong D. Vuong
Date: 04/14/15

70 Starling Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Jose O. Santiago
Seller: Peter J. Houser
Date: 04/17/15

18 Vail St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Giuseppe Avella
Seller: Edward J. Nieves
Date: 04/13/15

221 Wollaston St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Pamela A. Jumba
Seller: Andre E. Stewart
Date: 04/14/15

SOUTHWICK

68 Davis Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Daniel O’Sullivan
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/06/15

113 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: A. Karathanasopoulos
Seller: Ida I. Fazio
Date: 04/16/15

8 Kimberly Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Samuel C. Chevalier
Seller: Jeremy J. Cigal
Date: 04/07/15

33 Woodland Ridge
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Rodger C. Bancroft
Seller: FHLM
Date: 04/16/15

9 Woodside Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Jeremy M. Mulinare
Seller: Anthony J. Mulinare
Date: 04/09/15

WALES

17 Orchard Lane
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Jesse P. Martin
Seller: Dale V. Gilley
Date: 04/09/15

WEST SPRINGFIELD

161 Birnie Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Douglas W. Pas
Seller: Thomas FT
Date: 04/06/15

30 Capital Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $1,575,000
Buyer: 73 State Street LLC
Seller: 30 Capital Associates LP
Date: 04/16/15

59 Druids Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Mike Azizov
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/15/15

190 Edgewood Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Beata Grodzicka
Seller: Joseph J. Kroll
Date: 04/07/15

N/A
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: John R. Sweeney
Seller: Joan L. Asinas
Date: 04/10/15

216 Kings Hwy.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Janet I. Malavi-Garrick
Seller: Beata Grodzicka
Date: 04/07/15

30 Lennys Way
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Atif Khan
Seller: Shamin Qureshe
Date: 04/10/15

1520 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Maroun N. Hannoush
Seller: Roderick A. Prewitt
Date: 04/14/15

63-65 Morningside Terrace
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Jake Tourville-Thibault
Seller: Dandy, Susan L., (Estate)
Date: 04/06/15

44 Mulberry St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Merigian Real Estate LLC
Seller: Lion Holdings LLC
Date: 04/15/15

79 Nonotuck Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Joseph P. Turmel
Seller: Matthew J. Hastings
Date: 04/17/15

12 Prospect St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Kristine Difederico
Seller: Joseph A. Tanguay
Date: 04/08/15

7 Riverview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ryan M. Martin
Seller: Reed, Barbara J., (Estate)
Date: 04/17/15

41 West School St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Suk Majhi
Seller: Jennifer M. McNally
Date: 04/17/15

34 Wellfleet Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Ghaeth Alsamraay
Seller: Glenn H. McAdam
Date: 04/15/15

WESTFIELD

76 Alexander Place
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $306,500
Buyer: Amanda R. Collins
Seller: Nathaniel J. Oswalt
Date: 04/17/15

8 Charles St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Buyer: Artem Vysotskyi
Seller: Yuriy Solokhin
Date: 04/14/15

846 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Casale
Seller: James Biscoe
Date: 04/17/15

1331 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joanne L. Drozdowski
Seller: Peter C. Jasinski
Date: 04/10/15

3 Ethan Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $117,347
Buyer: Matthew Scott
Seller: S&C Home Buyers LLC
Date: 04/10/15

80 Glenwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Brendan C. Moran
Seller: Jacobs, Roland A., (Estate)
Date: 04/09/15

739 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Jesse J. Caisse
Seller: Tadeus J. Filipiak
Date: 04/10/15

42 Jefferson St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $152,900
Buyer: Robert J. Mahoney
Seller: Association For Community
Date: 04/07/15

54 Jeremy Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $438,000
Seller: James J. Sullivan
Date: 04/08/15

89 Mechanic St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $179,550
Buyer: Brandon M. Sanchez
Seller: Gina M. Avery
Date: 04/17/15

229 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $156,945
Buyer: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Seller: Emily Bisbee
Date: 04/13/15

551 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $25,420,000
Buyer: Armbrook Village Owner
Seller: Armbrook Senior Living
Date: 04/07/15

Northwest Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Angelica Development LLC
Seller: Harbey Fundding TR
Date: 04/10/15

355 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Frank Brown
Seller: Nathan M. Lecrenski
Date: 04/10/15

14 Sterling St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: LP 4 LLC
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/10/15

28 Union St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Gennadiy A. Lisitsin
Seller: Lyudmila Lisitsin
Date: 04/14/15

WILBRAHAM

10 Cedar Oak Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Nicholas Dussault
Seller: Lindsey M. Ferreira
Date: 04/10/15

7 Falcon Hts.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: John M. Rossini
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/10/15

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

25 Merrick Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $387,800
Buyer: Melissa E. Giraud
Seller: Kevin Brigham
Date: 04/15/15

55 Pokeberry Ridge
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Gary S. Toth
Seller: Thomas E. Korson
Date: 04/15/15

6 Teaberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Kendall D. Doble
Seller: Patrice D. Whaling
Date: 04/10/15

BELCHERTOWN

837 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Tammy Ryan
Seller: Susan M. Carlson
Date: 04/17/15

15 Sylvan Circle
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Edward W. Brown
Seller: A. T. Tetrault
Date: 04/14/15

EASTHAMPTON

493 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Kristan A. Lagueux
Seller: David G. Nicewicz
Date: 04/15/15

55 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Philip K. Peake
Seller: US Bank
Date: 04/09/15

49 Kenneth Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Abdelaziz Afoulous
Seller: Kristine Furkey
Date: 04/16/15

10 Lawndale St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Wilburn G. Dawson
Seller: Julie A. Pearce
Date: 04/10/15

21 Picard Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $217,500
Buyer: Eleanor J. Holmes
Seller: Gregory W. Payeur
Date: 04/15/15

32 Pine Hill Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $335,000
Seller: Dellaquila, Danielle R., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/15

121 Pleasant St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Keystone Enterprises LLC
Seller: Sullivan Easthampton Inc.
Date: 04/14/15

GRANBY

115 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Aimee Weldon
Seller: Cheryl L. Pitt
Date: 04/17/15

13 Ken Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $115,500
Buyer: Daniel Long
Seller: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Date: 04/09/15

HADLEY

100 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $338,000
Buyer: HL Holdings LLC
Seller: Richard M. Gnatek
Date: 04/15/15

HATFIELD

1 Prospect Ct
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Ellen Miller
Seller: Aaron Carpenter
Date: 04/17/15

NORTHAMPTON

227 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: R2R LLC
Seller: JJS Capital Investment
Date: 04/16/15

40 Forest Glen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Annika S. Amstutz
Seller: Marchessault, M. K., (Estate)
Date: 04/15/15

27 Langworthy Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Rosemund LLC
Seller: Taylor, Phoebe S., (Estate)
Date: 04/06/15

3 Laurel St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Alan B. Weiner
Seller: Transformations Inc.
Date: 04/16/15

16 Mann Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Rainbow Properties LLC
Seller: Thomas L. Callaghan
Date: 04/09/15

21 North Main St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: All North LLC
Seller: Timothy E. Shea TR
Date: 04/16/15

35 Walnut St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $297,500
Buyer: Brianna E. Hermanson
Seller: Jason E. Larose
Date: 04/17/15

15 Willow St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Colleen A. Teti
Seller: Susan E. Ferron RET
Date: 04/09/15

SOUTH HADLEY

6 Apple Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $369,000
Buyer: Maggie Cousineau
Seller: Adam & Eve Construction LLC
Date: 04/16/15

137 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jennifer Quinn
Seller: George A. Polizou
Date: 04/10/15

12 Briar Spring Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Shane L. Kouflie
Seller: James McNulty
Date: 04/09/15

38 East Red Bridge Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: M. K. Harwood
Seller: William F. Nelson
Date: 04/07/15

20 Los Angeles St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Kristie Larosa
Seller: Gelineau, Roger A., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/15

9 Marcel St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Vannoy
Seller: Joann L. Jordan
Date: 04/06/15

46 Richview Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: James M. McNulty
Seller: Gary G. Jodoin
Date: 04/09/15

SOUTHAMPTON

34 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: David Kent
Seller: US Bank
Date: 04/10/15

WILLIAMSBURG

46 Hyde Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $411,394
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: John P. Slowik
Date: 04/08/15

Incorporations

Departments Incorporations

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

ASHFIELD

Lakeside Park Improvement Inc., 141 Buckland Road, Ashfield, MA 01330. Andrea N. Hynes, 154 Dyer Road, Ashfield, MA 01330. Bar and restaurant.

HAMPDEN

GIV Home Improvement Inc., 21 Kibbe Lane, Hampden, MA 01036. Igor Gusev, same. Construction.

HOLYOKE

Ray & Rae Rental Inc., 64 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Raymond Houle, same. Purchase, sale, and management of property.

LONGMEADOW

Hot Pepper Promotions Co., 144 Franklin Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Spencer Mitchell Ross, same. Promotional products, offset, and digital printing.

PITTSFIELD

Berkshire Rugby Football Club Inc., 56 Oswald Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Kenneth Frank Card III, same. To offer the opportunity to play organized rugby.

Capital Bus Tours Inc., 703 Housatonic St., #222, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Xiang Xing He, 2525 Maxwell St., Philadelphia, PA 19152. Tour bus company.

New England Fence Inc., 965 South St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Todd M. Storti, same. Sales and installation of fences.

SPRINGFIELD

Attorney Christopher J. Brown, P.C., 51 Taylor St., 3rd Floor, Springfield, MA 01103. Christopher J. Brown, 13 Brentwood Dr., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Lawyer.

Born Free Marketing Inc., 235 Hancock St., Springfield, MA 01109. Charlie Holmes, 59 Carew Terrace, Springfield, MA 01104. Event-marketing services.

Cross-Spectrum Acoustics Inc., 99 Florida St., Springfield, MA 01109. Herbert L. Singleton Jr., same. Acoustical consulting services.

Dartmouth Design Studio Inc., 640 Page Boulevard, Room 104, Springfield, MA 01104. David P. Gaby, 1105 Worhtington St., Springfield, MA 01109. Design services.

Interstate Mart Inc., 475 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Mena M. Tiwari, 652 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Convenience store.

New Yummy Cuisine Inc., 882 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Duan Luo, same. Restaurant.

Springfield Merchants Group Inc., 1655 Boston Road, Space 138, Springfield, MA 01129. Alpaben Patel, same. General merchandise store.

Titeflex Commercial Inc., 603 Hendee St., Springfield, MA 01104. William T. Smith, same. Manufacturing.

WESTFIELD

Kevin Lancto Inc., 110 Tannery Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Kevin M. Lancto, same. Sewing machine repair.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Gold Chopsticks No. 2 Inc., 12 Chestnut St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Shang Ying Liao, same. Restaurant.

WILBRAHAM

CLB Enterprises Inc., 16 Horseshoe Lane, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Catherine L. Belleville, same. Retail store.

WILLIAMSTOWN

CBSolutions Inc., 148 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267. M. Lucy Pavalock, 10 Ashton Ave., North Adams, MA 01247. Bookkeeping and accounting services.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

Martin Meehan Elected 27th President of UMass
BOSTON — Martin Meehan, a former U.S. congressman who became chancellor of his alma mater, UMass Lowell, and transformed it into a highly ranked national research university, was unanimously elected today as the next president of the five-campus UMass system. Meehan, the eldest of seven children, who used his UMass Lowell education as a springboard to a distinguished career in Congress and now to the presidency of the region’s largest and top-rated public university, said he was honored by the board’s action and eager to build on the work he has done at the Lowell campus. “Serving as chancellor of my alma mater, UMass Lowell, for the last eight years has been the most fulfilling period of my professional life, so I am excited about the opportunity to lead the University of Massachusetts system,” said Meehan. He will succeed President Robert Caret, who will step down June 30 to become chancellor of the 12-campus University System of Maryland. “I thank the UMass board of trustees and the presidential search committee for their confidence,” Meehan said. “Massachusetts is synonymous with the best in higher education. We will seek to strengthen our position as a world-class public university system that is accessible, affordable, and a catalyst for innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth.” Meehan was one of two finalists chosen by the 21-member search committee, working with the executive search firm Korn Ferry. The other finalist was John Quelch, professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the former dean, vice president, and distinguished professor of International Management at China Europe International Business School. Quelch was formerly chairman and member of the Massachusetts Port Authority. The board of trustees met separately with each candidate in open session before voting to select Meehan as president. They cited Meehan’s strong record of achievement and success at UMass Lowell, his distinguished record of public service, his passion for UMass and its mission, and his ability to communicate and to inspire as being among the reasons for selecting him as the University’s 27th president. The former congressman will be the first UMass undergraduate alumnus to serve as president of the five-campus, 73,000-student system.

State Business Confidence Hits Pothole in April
BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index dropped 1.1 points in April to 59.1, backing off from its post-recession high.
“In April, the snow finally melted, the sunlight got stronger, and Massachusetts employers were a bit more positive about current business conditions — but other concerns weighed more heavily,” said Raymond Torto, chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. “The index’s decline is attributable to lower confidence among the state’s manufacturers, who confront both weak growth domestically and challenges in global markets due to the stronger dollar.” As in 2014, Torto noted, the index performed well through a weak first quarter for the U.S. economy, which recorded a 0.2% growth rate. “We think AIM members have confidence in the fundamental stability of business conditions,” he said. “Slow growth has caused survey respondents to temper their expectations, but they continue to foresee improving conditions ahead. The AIM Index is up 6.1 points from last April and 9.6 points over two years, reflecting a significantly better business climate in Massachusetts and nationally.” The AIM Business Confidence Index, based on a survey of Massachusetts employers, has appeared monthly since July 1991. It is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative. The index reached its historic high of 68.5 on two occasions in 1997-98, and its all-time low of 33.3 in February 2009. Most of the sub-indices based on selected questions or categories of respondent declined from March to April, but all were up from a year before. The Massachusetts Index, assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth, shed 2.2 points on the month to 58.6, and the U.S. Index of national business conditions lost 1.7 points to 53.8. “Despite the weak first quarter, the U.S. Index been above 50 for five consecutive months, and seems at last to be established in positive territory,” said Alan Clayton-Matthews, professor at the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, a BEA member. “The Massachusetts Index continues to lead its national counterpart, and the latest MassBenchmarks Economic Index shows that the state’s economy has outperformed the nation’s so far this year.”

Springfield Issues Permits for Casino Site Work
SPRINGFIELD — Following months of design reviews and coordination meetings, the city is preparing for a significant amount of utility construction work to begin in and around the casino resort area in downtown Springfield. Beginning in the next few weeks, utility upgrades, expansions, and relocation work will begin on roadways surrounding the footprint for the casino resort, specifically Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street. The work is required to terminate existing utilities that currently serve buildings that are slated for demolition; reconstruct, upgrade, and relocate utilities surrounding the MGM Springfield development area to support the size and scale of the project; and perform necessary maintenance on the aged infrastructure to extend its life expectancy into the future to support the casino development and additional growth. The Springfield DPW has issued numerous permits for utility disconnections and installation of project fencing. However, the department is preparing for a significant ramping up of construction activities through the spring and summer. Christopher Cignoli, DPW director, noted that, “based upon our meeting with the MGM Springfield development team, its contractors, and all of the area utility companies, there will be a significant amount of work occurring in the next four to six months in and along Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street. Our job is to coordinate all of the requests for work and attempt to minimize the impact to parking and traffic and to notify the public as much in advance as possible to seek alternate routes, if necessary. We also have to coordinate this utility work with any work proposed for the I-91 viaduct project, which is also scheduled to begin in the next few months.” In order to provide the public with as much information as possible on the construction of the entire casino complex and associated construction work, the city will be launching an MGM Springfield casino-construction website, which will list all the permits issued by the city as well as issue weekly construction updates to notify residents and businesses of potential impacts.

State Announces Solar Milestones
WORCESTER — Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Matthew Beaton announced that Massachusetts has installed more than 841 megawatts of solar electricity, bringing the Commonwealth more than halfway to the Baker-Polito administration’s goal of 1,600 megawatts by 2020. “Today’s announcement further supports the Baker-Polito administration’s commitment to a vibrant clean-energy sector that creates jobs and economic prosperity for the Commonwealth,” Beaton said. “Continuing to diversify Massachusetts’ energy portfolio through the development of solar generation will work to strengthen the state’s growing clean-energy economy while supporting new, innovative technologies.” The 841 megawatts of installed solar electricity is enough to power more than 128,000 average Massachusetts homes, and is responsible for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions equal to taking over 73,000 cars off the road. “Under the Baker-Polito Administration, Massachusetts will continue to harness solar power to protect the environment, save on energy costs, and create jobs,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson. “This is an exciting milestone toward the year when we meet our solar goal of 1,600 megawatts and generate 3% to 4% of today’s electric demands with local, available solar power.” According to the Solar Foundation, Massachusetts ranks second in the U.S. for solar jobs, while every dollar invested in solar in the Commonwealth creates $1.20 in economic benefits to the local economy, according to the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University. Last year, solar electricity capacity installed was the fourth-highest in the country. “Solar energy is an economic driver here in Massachusetts, employing more than 12,000 workers in high-quality clean-energy jobs,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Alicia Barton. “Working together across government and in partnership with industry and communities, we’re well on our way to meeting our goal.” There are solar installations in 350 of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns, with at least 175 local communities hosting projects that directly benefit the municipality. There are more than 25 megawatts of solar at over 180 schools across Massachusetts, 30 megawatts on farms, and eight megawatts on state buildings and land.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

Westfield Financial Reports Q1 Results
WESTFIELD — Westfield Financial Inc., the holding company for Westfield Bank, reported net income of $1.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. Selected financial highlights for first quarter 2015 include:
• Total loans increased $82.2 million, or 12.7%, to $730.4 million at March 31, 2015 compared to $648.2 million at March 31, 2014. This was primarily due to increases in residential loans of $38.9 million, commercial and industrial loans of $29.8 million, and commercial real-estate loans of $13.0 million. On a sequential-quarter basis, total loans increased $5.7 million, or 0.8%, from $724.7 million at Dec. 31, 2014. This was due to an increase in commercial real-estate loans of $8.7 million, offset by a decrease in commercial and industrial loans of $2.8 million, primarily due to normal loan payoffs and paydowns.  
• Securities declined $26.3 million, or 4.9%, to $515.2 million at March 31, 2015, compared to $541.5 million at March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, securities increased by $6.4 million, or 1.3%, at March 31, 2015, compared to $508.8 million at Dec. 31, 2014.  
• Net interest and dividend income decreased $65,000 to $7.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 compared to $7.7 million for the comparable 2014 period. On a sequential-quarter basis, net interest and dividend income decreased $288,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The fourth quarter 2014 included $88,000 in deferred fee income recognized upon the payoff of a relationship.  
• The bank prepaid a repurchase agreement in the amount of $10.0 million with a rate of 2.65% and incurred a pre-payment expense of $593,000 for the first quarter 2015 in order to eliminate a higher-cost liability.  
• Non-interest expense was $6.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 and $6.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, non-interest expense increased by $215,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $6.5 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The increase on a sequential-quarter basis was due in part to an increase in salaries and benefits of $178,000. Of this amount, $51,000 is attributable to salary-related taxes, which are typically higher in the first quarter of each year.
“During the first quarter, harsh winter weather slowed economic activity, and therefore loan demand, particularly commercial construction projects,” said Westfield Bank President and CEO James Hagan. “We continue to cultivate new and existing customer relationships in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, and our outlook for growth remains positive for 2015. We have an experienced, disciplined, regional leadership team prepared to take advantage of continued opportunities for organic growth and expansion into demographically attractive markets.” Hagan continued, “the customer response to our strategic initiatives has been very positive. Our Enfield branch, which opened in November 2014, and our Granby branch, which opened in June 2013, have combined deposits of over $23.0 million. We currently have both a commercial lender and a residential lender based in the Connecticut market, and we anticipate adding another commercial lender in 2015. In addition, we relocated a commercial-loan team to downtown Springfield in 2014, which provides proximity to the I-91 corridor and better access to the borrowers and centers of influence in the Greater Springfield area and Northern Connecticut. We have taken action to strategically expand our market reach, and while this initially has increased non-interest expense, we feel this will create opportunities to grow our franchise and generate higher revenue.”

Marcotte Ford Breaks Ground on Truck Center
HOLYOKE — Marcotte Ford will celebrate the groundbreaking of its new commercial truck-repair facility on Monday, May 11 at 11 a.m. Marcotte Ford acquired the property at 933 Main St. in the fall of 2014 and will construct a 16-bay, state-of-the-art truck-repair facility to accommodate the service and repair of all light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks. This project will add six to 10 new jobs in Holyoke. “We believe in the Ford tradition of quality and service and want to deliver the best in product and service to our customers,” said Michael Marcotte, president of Marcotte Ford Sales. “We feel that this is an ideal time for a new commercial repair facility in light of the strong business momentum in the industry.” Marcotte Ford a third-generation Ford franchise that gives back to the local community through involvement with the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club, Kate’s Kitchen, and Margaret’s Pantry, as well as the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. The new commercial building is located adjacent to Marcotte Ford at 933 Main St. and is scheduled to open this fall.

Holyoke Merry-Go-Round Launches New Website
HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, the region’s prized carousel with a storied history that dates back to the early 1900s, announced the launch of a new website, holyokemerrygoround.org. Site upgrades include a new layout with enhancements for secure payments, easy-to-use forms and downloadable contracts, plus updated historical and photo pages to relive the magic, and more. “Today, more and more people turn to their mobile devices to search the Internet. We wanted a website that would provide them the best, most secure web experience on any device,” said Angela Wright, executive director. “This new site includes easy access to our party and private rental, reservation, donation, and events pages; online store; and forms, all on an easy-to-navigate platform.” The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round is located in Holyoke’s Heritage State Park, which is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The carousel includes 48 horses hand-carved by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., 56 original scenic panels, 864 brightly colored lights, and 98 beveled mirrors. Through the merry-go-round’s new website, users are able to book birthday or private parties and can share their own memories of the carousel’s history from Mountain Park to today. Additionally, secure payment options are available for the merry-go-round’s online store and donation pages. “As a nonprofit organization, we rely heavily on the generosity of the public, many of whom prefer to donate quickly and easily through our website,” Wright said. “With secure payments using PayPal, our supporters can make their tax-deductible donation online with peace of mind.”

Adam Quenneville Roofing, Siding & Windows Earns Top Honor
SOUTH HADLEY — Adam Quenneville Roofing, Siding & Windows announced that GAF, North America’s largest roofing-materials manufacturer, recently recognized the company with a prestigious 2015 Presidents Club Award for high-quality workmanship, safety, training, and reliability. Quenneville was one of five North American contractors to receive this award. GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, developed the Presidents Club Award for Master Elite contractors who excel in workmanship, service, and responsiveness. Adam Quenneville Roofing has been recognized for its long-standing support of GAF products, success in offering homeowners peace of mind in GAF warranties, and attention to detail in all GAF roofing systems. “Some people might think, after owning a business for 20 years, that the passion would dwindle,” Quenneville said. “I feel just the opposite. I am more excited than ever to help area homeowners with their roofing concerns. Having this many years of experience, I can offer unique solutions and recommendations.” He added, “I would like to take a moment and thank my team. I couldn’t have achieved this award or any of the success over the last two decades without them.” For more information about Adam Quennville Roofing, Siding & Windows, visit 1800newroof.net.

AIC Breaks Ground for New Dining Commons
SPRINGFIELD — After a winter for the record books, American International College (AIC) recently celebrated spring and the future of dining in style with a groundbreaking ceremony in anticipation of the college’s $8 million renovation to its dining commons. The new, state-of-the-art facility will expand upon the existing dining-commons space and include a wider variety of seating along with a more abundant variety of food options and services, including customized food preparation, an open-concept kitchen complete with a Mongolian grill, a wood-fired pizza oven, and more, all presented in a contemporary, open setting. Guests and speakers at the event included AIC graduate U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno (who also attended AIC), college board of trustee members, and AIC President Vincent Maniaci, who said, “the dining commons is the heart of social interaction between and among students, faculty, and staff. This new dining commons will greatly benefit our current students by providing a spectacular dining experience and meeting center for social engagement.” Compass Foodservice CEO Steve Sweeney donated $1,500 to the local food pantry on behalf of its subsidiary, Chartwells, the leading higher-education food-service company in the world and provider for AIC. Speaking on behalf of the 1,700 undergraduate students at AIC, Student Government Assoc. representative and sophomore Rebecca Gray said, “it’s long overdue, and we’re very much ready for the new programming space and the new dining facilities, and it’s going to be a lot more modern and a lot more comfortable. I am so excited. Being only in my second year, it is really nice to see the school making so much change.” While there was a cosmetic remodel of the dining room in 2007, the last complete renovation of the college’s dining commons was in 1966, nearly 50 years ago. Construction currently involves seven local Massachusetts companies working on the project. The project is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the fall semester.

Watershed Council Plants Trees to Restore Chickley River

By BusinessWest Staff May 15, 2015

HAWLEY — Approximately 400 native trees and shrubs are currently being planted along the Chickley River in Hawley, the final phase of restoration work to repair flood damage from Hurricane Irene in 2011. The Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) was hired by the state Department of Environmental Protection, through a public bidding process, to complete the tree plantings.

CRWC staff and volunteers, with Trout Unlimited volunteers, are completing the plantings on May 14, 17, 19, 23, and other dates through the end of May. West County Equipment Rentals is donating the use of backhoe to assist with the plantings. Approximate hours of work will be 9 a.m. to noon each day. Work will take place in Hawley at various sites along Route 8A. For more information about planting locations on specific days, contact CRWC Massachusetts River Steward Andrea Donlon at (413) 772-2020, ext. 205.

The Chickley River, a tributary of the Deerfield River, is a cold-water river that experienced major flooding during the 2011 hurricane. The town first hired a construction company that straightened, dredged, and bermed the river for five miles, some of it through endangered-species habitat. CRWC raised an alarm to state agencies and then intervened in an enforcement appeal. The enforcement action served to get the river channel restored in 2013 and provided funding to plant trees, control invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed, and monitor the planting sites.

The Connecticut River Watershed Council works to protect the watershed from source to sea. To learn more about CRWC, or to join the effort and help protect the region’s rivers, visit www.ctriver.org or call (413) 772-2020, ext. 201.

I-91 Viaduct Construction Project Issues Detour Alert

By BusinessWest Staff May 15, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — Due to the I-91 viaduct project in Springfield, the eastbound lane on Union Street between East Columbus Avenue and Main Street will be closed on May 15, 18, and 19. All eastbound traffic will be detoured to take East Columbus Avenue, then a right onto State Street, then a right onto Main Street. The westbound lane on Union will remain open. Travel delays are possible.

AIC Breaks Ground for New Dining Commons

By BusinessWest Staff May 11, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — After a winter for the record books, American International College (AIC) recently celebrated spring and the future of dining in style with a groundbreaking ceremony in anticipation of the college’s $8 million renovation to its dining commons.

The new, state-of-the-art facility will expand upon the existing dining-commons space and include a wider variety of seating along with a more abundant variety of food options and services, including customized food preparation, an open-concept kitchen complete with a Mongolian grill, a wood-fired pizza oven, and more, all presented in a contemporary, open setting.

Guests and speakers at the event included AIC graduate U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno (who also attended AIC), college board of trustee members, and AIC President Vincent Maniaci, who said, “the dining commons is the heart of social interaction between and among students, faculty, and staff. This new dining commons will greatly benefit our current students by providing a spectacular dining experience and meeting center for social engagement.”

Compass Foodservice CEO Steve Sweeney donated $1,500 to the local food pantry on behalf of its subsidiary, Chartwells, the leading higher-education food-service company in the world and provider for AIC.

Speaking on behalf of the 1,700 undergraduate students at AIC, Student Government Assoc. representative and sophomore Rebecca Gray said, “it’s long overdue, and we’re very much ready for the new programming space and the new dining facilities, and it’s going to be a lot more modern and a lot more comfortable. I am so excited. Being only in my second year, it is really nice to see the school making so much change.”

While there was a cosmetic remodel of the dining room in 2007, the last complete renovation of the college’s dining commons was in 1966, nearly 50 years ago. Construction currently involves seven local Massachusetts companies working on the project. The project is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the fall semester.

Westfield Financial Reports Q1 Results, Declares Quarterly Dividend

By BusinessWest Staff May 7, 2015

WESTFIELD — Westfield Financial Inc., the holding company for Westfield Bank, reported net income of $1.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. Selected financial highlights for first quarter 2015 include:

• Total loans increased $82.2 million, or 12.7%, to $730.4 million at March 31, 2015 compared to $648.2 million at March 31, 2014. This was primarily due to increases in residential loans of $38.9 million, commercial and industrial loans of $29.8 million, and commercial real-estate loans of $13.0 million. On a sequential-quarter basis, total loans increased $5.7 million, or 0.8%, from $724.7 million at Dec. 31, 2014. This was due to an increase in commercial real-estate loans of $8.7 million, offset by a decrease in commercial and industrial loans of $2.8 million, primarily due to normal loan payoffs and paydowns.

• Securities declined $26.3 million, or 4.9%, to $515.2 million at March 31, 2015, compared to $541.5 million at March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, securities increased by $6.4 million, or 1.3%, at March 31, 2015, compared to $508.8 million at Dec. 31, 2014.

• Net interest and dividend income decreased $65,000 to $7.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 compared to $7.7 million for the comparable 2014 period. On a sequential-quarter basis, net interest and dividend income decreased $288,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The fourth quarter 2014 included $88,000 in deferred fee income recognized upon the payoff of a relationship.

• The bank prepaid a repurchase agreement in the amount of $10.0 million with a rate of 2.65% and incurred a pre-payment expense of $593,000 for the first quarter 2015 in order to eliminate a higher-cost liability.

• Non-interest expense was $6.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 and $6.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, non-interest expense increased by $215,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $6.5 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The increase on a sequential-quarter basis was due in part to an increase in salaries and benefits of $178,000. Of this amount, $51,000 is attributable to salary-related taxes, which are typically higher in the first quarter of each year.

“During the first quarter, harsh winter weather slowed economic activity, and therefore loan demand, particularly commercial construction projects,” said Westfield Bank President and CEO James Hagan. “We continue to cultivate new and existing customer relationships in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, and our outlook for growth remains positive for 2015. We have an experienced, disciplined, regional leadership team prepared to take advantage of continued opportunities for organic growth and expansion into demographically attractive markets.”

Hagan continued, “the customer response to our strategic initiatives has been very positive. Our Enfield branch, which opened in November 2014, and our Granby branch, which opened in June 2013, have combined deposits of over $23.0 million. We currently have both a commercial lender and a residential lender based in the Connecticut market, and we anticipate adding another commercial lender in 2015. In addition, we relocated a commercial-loan team to downtown Springfield in 2014, which provides proximity to the I-91 corridor and better access to the borrowers and centers of influence in the Greater Springfield area and Northern Connecticut. We have taken action to strategically expand our market reach, and while this initially has increased non-interest expense, we feel this will create opportunities to grow our franchise and generate higher revenue.”

Springfield Issues Permits to Utilities for Casino Site Work

By BusinessWest Staff May 6, 2015

SPRINGFIELD — Following months of design reviews and coordination meetings, the city is preparing for a significant amount of utility construction work to begin in and around the casino resort area in downtown Springfield. Beginning in the next few weeks, utility upgrades, expansions, and relocation work will begin on roadways surrounding the footprint for the casino resort, specifically Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street.

The work is required to terminate existing utilities that currently serve buildings that are slated for demolition; reconstruct, upgrade, and relocate utilities surrounding the MGM Springfield development area to support the size and scale of the project; and perform necessary maintenance on the aged infrastructure to extend its life expectancy into the future to support the casino development and additional growth.

The Springfield DPW has issued numerous permits for utility disconnections and installation of project fencing. However, the department is preparing for a significant ramping up of construction activities through the spring and summer.

Christopher Cignoli, DPW director, noted that, “based upon our meeting with the MGM Springfield development team, its contractors, and all of the area utility companies, there will be a significant amount of work occurring in the next four to six months in and along Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street. Our job is to coordinate all of the requests for work and attempt to minimize the impact to parking and traffic and to notify the public as much in advance as possible to seek alternate routes, if necessary. We also have to coordinate this utility work with any work proposed for the I-91 viaduct project, which is also scheduled to begin in the next few months.”

In order to provide the public with as much information as possible on the construction of the entire casino complex and associated construction work, the city will be launching an MGM Springfield casino-construction website, which will list all the permits issued by the city as well as issue weekly construction updates to notify residents and businesses of potential impacts.

Community Spotlight: West Springfield

Community Spotlight Features

West Springfield Focuses on Memorial Avenue

Standard Plating on Main Street was devastated during the 2011 tornado, and Mayor Ed Sullivan says the city is working to clean up the property and market it.

West Springfield is a city on the move, Mayor Edward Sullivan says, and the Memorial Avenue corridor is exhibit A.

“We’re excited about the work that will be done and think there will be some great multi-purpose opportunities along the corridor,” he told BusinessWest. “It has needed work for years, and the redesign we’re planning will make it a pretty special place to own a business. It’s close to major highways, and the MGM casino in Springfield will increase traffic.”

Indeed, an increase in vehicular traffic is expected when the casino opens in Springfield’s South End, right across the Connecticut River, in 2017. While that’s not why the work is being undertaken, the casino has changed the scope of what will be needed, since pedestrian and bicycle travel are also expected to rise.

And one of the major projects is already underway. The rotary on the West Springfield side of Memorial Bridge, which contains two overpasses of Route 5 to the north and south, is being reconstructed by the state Department of Transportation under its Accelerated Bridge Program.

The rotary bridges were found to be structurally deficient several years ago (but still safe to drive on), and crews have been working since March to relocate major utility lines and perform other preliminary work. Phase 2 of the project will take place from May 29 to June 2, and officials anticipate the third phase will be completed over another long weekend, June 19-23.

“The bridges are being prefabricated offsite and will be handicapped-accessible. It’s important because some [pedestrians] have complained they can get on the bridge in Springfield but can’t get off it in West Springfield,” Sullivan said.

In fact, the project has been designed in accordance with the state’s Complete Streets program, with the goal of expanding mobility for all types of traffic, including pedestrians and bicyclists, while supporting a healthier environment and creating a stronger community.

Department of Public Works Director Robert Colson told BusinessWest that the state staged two public meetings in advance of the work, and its final design reflects concerns expressed by people who attended the sessions.

“MassDOT has taken the existing footprint of the rotary into account, and the new bridges will have protective curbing to delineate motorists from pedestrians and cyclists, very similar to what is on the Memorial Bridge,” said the mayor, adding that the sidewalks curving around the rotary will be eight to nine feet wide. “It’s important, especially during the Big E, because the fair generates a lot of foot traffic.”

The design includes flashing lights that pedestrians will be able to activate with the press of a button to alert motorists they will be crossing one of the junctions in the rotary that lead to Route 5, Memorial Drive, and Riverdale Street.

The rotary marks the gateway to the Memorial Avenue corridor from Springfield, while the gateway from Agawam lies at the other end of the roadway, and the entire 1.7-mile strip will be revamped. To meet that goal, the city signed a contract several weeks ago with Greenman-Pederson Inc. to create a design that will incorporate principles in the Complete Streets program. It will be paid for with $280,000 from the city’s capital-budget funding, which was set aside in previous years for the project, and $665,000 received from MGM as part of a compensation agreement to deal with the expected increase in traffic.

When the design for the corridor is finished, Sullivan said, the city will seek grant money from MassDOT and MassWorks to pay for work that will need to be done, which will include infrastructure improvements, such as new pavement and replacement of underground utility lines.

City officials hope they will be awarded funding for the project, but Sullivan said he met with the director and staff of MassWorks on April 15 and was told the grants are very competitive and they could not guarantee anything. However, Colson is cautiously optimistic that the project will be given a high-priority status.

“Normally, we would wait 10 years for a project of this magnitude to get on the list,” he said. “But we are very hopeful that the design by GPI will become a high priority because of the casino and the increase it will bring in traffic. We can’t just fix the pipes and pavement. We have to turn Memorial Avenue into a Complete Streets corridor; otherwise it could present a significant safety hazard.”

Sullivan explained that residents in the Merrick and Memorial neighborhoods in West Springfield will be closer to MGM than people in neighborhoods in Springfield, and those who get jobs at the gaming establishment may choose to walk to work, which would be an easy commute over the Memorial Bridge.

“Plus, the Big E is the number-one tourist attraction in New England, and the casino will be at the other end of the bridge,” he added. “There will be two main attractions at either end of Memorial Avenue, so we expect a real increase in pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic.”

Continued Progress

Although Memorial Avenue is built out, Sullivan said it’s possible to “take old space, rehab it, and make it new, and West Springfield will serve as an example of how it can be done.”

To that end, the city is working with the owner of Standard Plating to clean up the property that was demolished by the 2011 tornado, take ownership of it, then market and sell the site.

The city received $750,000 from the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program to remove contamination at the brownfields site and raze the building, which sits on 964 Main St., within walking distance of the Memorial Avenue rotary.

“We’re in the process of studying the environmental hazards and coordinating efforts with the Department of Environmental Protection,” said Joe Laplante, director of Community Development. “We hope to have all of the work done by the end of the year and have a vacant lot available for development. It’s not only a good spot for a business, it’s an important part of the [Memorial Avenue] strip aesthetically as visitors come into West Springfield.”

Although the Memorial redesign has not begun, change is already occurring, and Sullivan believes infrastructure and aesthetic improvements will spur growth in the future. Footit Health Care Store is getting a facelift, and Fathers and Sons plans to demolish a number of its buildings and construct a new $3 million Audi showroom and service center along the thoroughfare.

Plans are also in place for the former St. Ann’s Church site that Colvest-West Springfield LLC purchased from the Diocese of Springfield. Sullivan said the developer hopes to build two retail storefronts and a bank with an ATM on the property, and its proposal has advanced through the site-planning review process and will be voted on during the second City Council meeting in May.

Special efforts are also being made to help new Americans in the Memorial-Merrick neighborhoods who want to start businesses, and SCORE of Western Massachusetts, which provides free services to entrepreneurs, has been working in conjunction with Tara Gehring, the city’s economic development coordinator and assistant planner, to facilitate their needs.

In addition, a collaborative effort is taking place between SCORE, the city, and Ascentria Care Alliance, which also provides services to help people who own or want to start small businesses. “We are working together to host a seminar on what it takes to open a business in West Springfield,” Sullivan explained. “We will guide participants through the permitting process required by the Health Department, Building Department, Planning Department, and License Commission so they know the steps they will need to take to obtain a certificate of occupancy and open the doors to a business. It will be an amazing event, and we will have interpreters to bridge language barriers.”

Meanwhile, the Community Development office and police substation recently moved into a 3,000-square-foot building at 389 Front St. that was purchased last year with $775,000 in Community Block Grant funds. The offices had been housed in rented space on Front Street, and the new location will double their space. “We are thrilled about our new home. It’s right next door to Alice Corson Playground, which is the only full-fledged playground in the neighborhood, and since it’s twice the size of our old facility, it’s a perfect place to share with the community,” Laplante said.

The building, which most recently served as a daycare facility for Sunshine Village, had been vacant for several years, and the owner approached the city when he was ready to sell it. “We thought it was a really good match for what we needed,” Laplante added.

The Parks and Recreation Department will have a satellite office and community room in the back of the building, and the community policing station will face the playground. The mayor said the interior has been completely renovated, thanks in part to in-kind donations from Home Depot. The city also plans to install new sidewalks and conduct targeted rehabilitation work on lower-income housing in the neighborhood.

Other renewal ideas will come to fruition in the second phase of the Merrick-Memorial Avenue Study, completed last year by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and reviewed by the Redevelopment Authority. It will serve as the master plan for Memorial Avenue, with suggestions including the enhancement of the River Street area by redeveloping the empty lot that formerly housed the Medallion Motel.

“The idea is to build a professional building there,” the mayor said, noting that the study proposes construction of a mixed-used structure with retail shops on the first floor and office space or apartments on the second floor that could help fill the need for multi-family housing in the city.

Bright Outlook

The MGM casino will not be completed for several years, but officials believe it will benefit businesses on Memorial Avenue. However, the city is determined to maintain the quality of life in neighborhoods that will be in close proximity to the gaming establishment. To that end, an overlay district was approved last July that prohibits the establishment of a wide range of businesses, including adult book stores, adult clubs that display live nudity, adult motion-picture theaters, check-cashing and pawn shops, hourly-rental hotels, and similar operations.

“It’s important to maintain and improve the quality of life for our residents and keep unwanted businesses out,” Sullivan said, noting that the district is bordered by the Westfield River to the west and south, the Agawam town line to the southeast, the Connecticut River to the east, and Park Street and Park Avenue to the north.

Plans are also being made to improve other areas of the city, and the state Interagency Permitting Board recently voted to accept portions of Front Street as a “priority development site,” including the former Southworth Paper Co. mill. Consultants have suggested using the main building, which contains most of the available space, for mixed-use development, and officials say having that area of Front Street designated as a priority development site will increase the likelihood of obtaining grant money and guarantee local permitting within 180 days, along with help from the state in marketing the site.

Sullivan said efforts are also being made to streamline the city’s permitting process via software that will allow people to do business online. “It will be in place by the end of the year, and we plan to open a kiosk in Town Hall where people can fill out applications for large projects and pay with a credit card.”

In addition, the Morgan Sullivan Bridge, which spans the Westfield River and leads from West Springfield into Agawam, is slated for reconstruction in 2017 and will also be redesigned according to the Complete Streets program.

“The projects we have planned are big and will take a few years to finish, but we are anticipating change,” the mayor said. “The potential is unlimited, and as we move forward into the 21st century, we believe Memorial Avenue will become even more vibrant than it is today.”

West Springfield at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 28,391
Area: 17.5 square miles 
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $16.99
Commercial Tax Rate: $33.19
Median Household Income: $54,434
Family Household Income: $63,940
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
largest employers: Home Depot; Interim Health Care; Mercy Home Care; Northeast Utilities

* Latest information available

Meet the Judges

Features

Panel will decide for the Continued Excellence Award winner

Carol Campbell

Eric Gouvin

Kirk Smith

With nominations now being accepted for BusinessWest’s Contined Excellence Award, three judges — Carol Campbell, Eric Gouvin, and Kirk Smith — have been chosen to study the entries and determine an inaugural winner.

The new award, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual, is an offshoot of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty program, which recognizes young professionals for their career accomplishments and civic involvement. The Continued Excellence Award will be presented annually to one former 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of the judges, has most impressively continued and built upon the track record of accomplishment that earned them 40 Under Forty status.

The award will be presented at this year’s 40 Under Forty Gala on June 18 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. All 40 Under Forty winners from 2007 through 2014 are eligible. Nomination forms are available at businesswest.com and due by 5 p.m. on May 22.

For each application, the judges have been asked to consider how the candidate has built upon his or her success in business or service to a nonprofit; built upon his or her record of service within the community; become even more of a leader in Western Mass.; contributed to efforts to make this region an attractive place to live, work, and do business; and inspired others through his or her work.

The judges will first narrow the field of nominees to five candidates, who will be informed that they are finalists for the coveted honor — an accomplishment in itself. They will then choose a winner, the identity of whom will not be known to anyone but the judges until the night of the event.

The judges are:

• Carol Campbell, the founder, president, and CEO of Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc. (CIC), an industrial contracting company established in 1992, specializing in providing quality services in plant relocation, machinery installations and riggers, millwrighting, and industrial construction.

Campbell serves on the boards of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, Health New England, Westmass Area Development Corp., and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. In 2014, she was honored as Woman of the Year by the Professional Women’s Chamber, and in 2002, CIC was honored by the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce as Business of the Year. She was a judge of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2009.

• Eric Gouvin, dean of the Western New England University School of Law. A faculty member since 1991, he teaches in the areas of corporate and commercial law. He has published numerous law-review articles, has taught and presented papers around the world, and is a co-author of the treatises Blumberg on Corporate Groups and The Law of Corporate Groups: Jurisdiction, Practice and Procedure.

Gouvin is the founder of both the law school’s Small Business Clinic and the university’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. He has been involved in the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Committee of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts. He sits on the advisory board of the Entrepreneurial Initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and on the Kauffman Foundation’s eLaw website editorial board. He served as a judge of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2011.

• Kirk Smith, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield. Smith grew up in a single-parent home with seven siblings in the largest ghetto in Cincinnati, a community that was crime-, drug-, and alcohol-infested. To stay out of trouble, he played sports at the Boy’s Club. Today, he helps other young people stay out of trouble and achieve success.

In addition to his role at the YMCA, Smith is an ordained minister and motivational speaker. He has been featured on several national and local television shows and in news publications and magazines discussing YMCA work in urban communities and professional staff development. He served as a judge of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2012.

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of April 2015.

AGAWAM

LRB Realty Trust
1804 Main St.
$18,000 — Upgrade antenna panels

CHICOPEE

Ames Privilege Apts.
1 Springfield St.
$24,000 — Exterior renovations to bring guard rails up to code

BJ Wholesale Club
150 Memorial Dr.
$254,000 — Reconstruct the tire center for more retail space

Chapin School Veterans Housing, LLC
40 Meadow St.
$5,661,000 — Convert school to 43 housing units

Chicopee Street Association
714 Chicopee St.
$50,000 — Repairs in basement

SOUTH HADLEY

Crossroads Realty Holdings, LLC
84 Willimansett St.
$7,000 — Renovations

Town of South Hadley
267 Granby Road
$17,000 — Install sprinkler system

SOUTHWICK

Haftman & Sons
249 College Highway
$15,000 — Construct new addition

SPRINGFIELD

Israel Calderon
650-652 Chestnut St.
$6,000 — Interior renovation

Maraline Development Corporation
370 Pine St.
$841,000 — Convert first floor to classrooms and construct a handicap ramp

SIS Center Inc.
1441 Main St.
$42,500 — Renovation for new tenant

Tom Maeur
153 Plainfield St.
$367,000 — Renovate existing building to new business layout

WESTFIELD

City of Westfield
100 Elm St.
$17,000 — Install beams to support generator

Susana Baltazar
480 Southampton Road
$15,000 — Partitions for two new offices

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Calabrese LLC
54 Park St.
$10,000 — New counters and serving area in convenience store

Eastern States
1305 Memorial Ave.
$11,000 — New computer room

Taco Bell
25 Morgan Road
$536,000 — Construction of a new Taco Bell Restaurant

Verizon Wireless
Toccoa Lane
$30,000 — Upgrade antennas

Real Estate Transactions