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Date: 12/6/2023
BELCHERTOWN — On Nov. 21, Belchertown opened responses to its request for proposals for the sale or lease of 6 and 8 Berkshire Ave.
Town Administrator Steve Williams said the town received two proposals for 6 Berkshire Ave. and one proposal for 8 Berkshire Ave.
Williams said that all responses are complete, meet the requirements set forth in the RFP and therefore both bidders are eligible.
The Select Board was scheduled to begin the process to evaluate the bids on Dec. 4 in executive session.
6 Berkshire Ave. is an underutilized building located on the former Belchertown State School property.
Currently, an embroidery business occupies the building on half of the second floor, while the first and third floors are vacant.
The Belchertown Community Alliance said they plan on redeveloping the vacant space within the building to include a cafe and incubator commercial kitchen space on the ground floor.
The Belchertown Community Alliance was recently awarded $275,000 in underutilized properties grants.
The grant will support providing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access to the building, once a dorm on the former Belchertown State School property, by reconfiguring the first-floor entryway, constructing first-floor ADA-accessible bathrooms and adding an elevator.
BCA President April Jasak-Bangs said, “This is the largest grant the Belchertown Community Alliance has received to date, and we are very excited to be able to bring these funds to our community. While the whole ADA accessibility project for 6 Berkshire is slated to cost around $750,000, this grant is an excellent starting point and has certainly started the much needed momentum to get this project completed.”
In the Spring, the BCA will be partnering with the town of Belchertown to open GATHER: Art Space and Marketplace — a monthlong pop up featuring local and regional artists and makers, hands on workshops, and performances.
8 Berkshire Ave. is currently vacant.