Page 12 - BusinessWest August 4, 2025

Jon Kostek says one of his goals for the Greater Easthampton
Chamber is growth of its WorkHub on Union.
Staff Photo
that I’m hoping it will make a real impact on affordability and
access to quality housing,” the interim mayor said. “I’m hoping this
can potentially be a catalyst for people who need affordable hous-
ing and maybe take a little pressure of some of the other units in
Easthampton.”
Manuel agreed. “We have some challenges ahead of us, abso-
lutely, but we also have a strong foundation that not all communi-
ties have to work from,” she said. “We have a lot of social capital
— people that live in the city are very involved, they care about their
neighbors, they care about the well-being of the city at large. And
that goes a long way toward solving these types of problems. I don’t
think it will happen overnight, but the fact that people care enough
is a really valuable tool to have in the toolbox.”
Art and Soul
As she walked with BusinessWest up to the balcony of the audi-
torium in the old Town Hall, Burns Maxey gestured with her hand
to the space below.
“You can imagine the possibilities,” she said of this space, which
has sat idle for the better part of a decade and a half now.
The key to unlocking its full potential as a resource for the com-
munity is accessibility, said Maxey, who was honored by Business-
West with its Difference Makers award in 2023 for her efforts to
transform the landmark, opened in 1869, into CitySpace, adding
that such access is at the heart of phase 2 of the ongoing project.
Designed by Amherst-based Kuhn Riddle Architects and con-
struction work being handled by West Springfield-based Keiter, the
$3.9 million project to build a new entrance and elevator is expect-
ed to take about 18 months, said Maxey, adding that, as this initia-
tive is undertaken, a capital campaign continues to raise funds for
the third phase.
Backing up a little, she said phase 1 included infrastructure
work and conversion of the ground floor into an arts hub, with per-
formance space (an area called the Blue Room) and several tenants,
including Big Red Frame, a gallery, and Easthampton City Arts, the
arts organization within the city’s Planning Department.
Phase 2 has been in the planning stages for several years and
was delayed somewhat by bids for construction that came in higher
than originally anticipated. With additional support in the form of
an underutilized properties grant from MassDevelopment, the agen-
cy went out to bid again, with Keiter prevailing.
The new entranceway and elevator have been designed to pro-
vide access, but also preserve the architectural and historic integ-
rity of the building, said
Maxey, including the
staircases at the front of
Easthampton
Continued on page 48 >>
“We have a lot of
social capital —
people that live
in the city are
very involved,
they care about
their neighbors,
they care about
the well-being
of the city at
large. And that
goes a long way
toward solving
these types of
problems.”
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12 << COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
AUGUST 4, 2025
Business W est