MassLive (August 9, 2021) – The $29.9 million renovation of Mill 8 – the clock tower building depicted on the town seal – will begin early next year at the Ludlow Mills Complex on State Street.
WinnDevelopment will transform the 230,000-square-foot Mill 8 building into 95 mixed-income apartments for adults 55 and older and a center for supportive healthcare services.
More: MassLive
NEREJ (May 28, 2021) – The Westmass Area Development Corporation (Westmass) is an experienced, private not-for-profit industrial and business development corporation created to promote and assist business growth in western Massachusetts. Westmass accomplishes these goals by developing properly zoned and fully permitted industrial park land resources and assisting organizations with development and redevelopment real estate opportunities at the crossroads of New England in the four western-most counties in Massachusetts.
Westmass has been successfully developing industrial and business park resources for more than 60 years and as a result today it has the most experienced and knowledgeable staff available to assist companies seeking a prime western Massachusetts business location. Westmass’ demonstrated record of success includes development of over 2,500 acres in 13 industrial parks and projects; enabling the build-out of over 12 million s/f of commercial space and residential units; leveraging $400 million in invested resources on our developments; and helping create over 10,000 jobs.
MORE: www.nerej.com
BusinessWest (May 26, 2021) – The primary role of the Westmass Area Development Corp. — as the agency recently stressed in a letter to area stakeholders — is to “to manage the entire economic-development process — from conception to completion.” How it performs that role is changing and expanding, however — not just in its portfolio of development and property reuse, including its industrial parks and the ever-intriguing Ludlow Mills project, but as a valuable consultant for businesses and communities with a vision.
The letters, 150 of them, went out earlier this month.
They were sent to mayors, economic-development leaders, and other officials in communities across the four counties of Western Mass., dozens of area cities and towns, and served as introductions, invitations, and reminders all at the same time.
Officials in those communities were and are being invited to take full advantage of the talent and resources available at Westmass Area Development Corp. — the not-for-profit economic and real-estate development firm established in 1960 by state-enabling legislation — to help with a wide range of projects, from urban-renewal plans to environmental permitting; from complex site-related issues to specialized tax incentives.
The reminder part? Well, Westmass has been offering this kind of assistance to area communities almost from the start, but under the leadership of Jeff Daley, who took the helm at the agency in the summer of 2019, consulting work has become a much larger part of the business plan for the agency, which is promoting such services more heavily — and in a number of ways.
Like with those those letters, which quickly get to the heart of the matter.
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EPA.GOV (May 13, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that six grantees in the state of Massachusetts have been selected to receive $3,011,510 to assess and clean up contaminated properties under the agency’s Brownfields Program. These funds will support under-served and economically disadvantaged communities around the state in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. The Mass. grant award announcements are among 151 communities across the nation to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in Brownfields funding through its Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grants.
“Through our Brownfields Program, EPA is delivering on the Biden Administration’s commitment to lifting up and protecting overburdened communities across America, especially communities that have experienced long periods of disinvestment and decay,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These assessment and cleanup grants will not only support economic growth and job creation, but they will also empower communities to address the environmental, public health, and social issues associated with contaminated land.”
“These new EPA Brownfields funds are more important than ever, because the ongoing pandemic has impacted the economy and redevelopment throughout New England,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro. “Today’s investment of EPA Brownfields assessment and cleanup funding provides a much-needed boost for economic development and job creation in many of New England’s hardest hit and underserved communities.”
MORE: www.epa.gov
BusinessWest (December 8, 2020) – Despite the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19, the town of Ludlow keeps building and improving. As coronavirus rates continue to rise across Massachusetts, Manuel Silva, chairman of the Ludlow Board of Selectmen, said officials in town are closely monitoring the number of cases there.
A long-time selectman who served an earlier term as chairman, Silva said the pandemic has brought more challenges than a typical year. Like most places, Ludlow Town Hall is closed to the general public except by appointment. Silva said some town functions, such as the town clerk and tax collector’s offices, are conducting limited public business from the rear of the building, where they can offer service through a window. “It almost looks like an ice-cream stand,” he said with a laugh.
While Ludlow Mills features several ongoing projects (more on that later), Silva wanted to talk to BusinessWest about a few prominent municipal projects that are nearing completion.
For example, construction on Harris Brook Elementary School is progressing, with a good chance that students will begin attending next fall. Harris Brook is being built to replace Chapin and Veterans Park elementary schools, with the new school located on what used to be playing fields for the adjacent Chapin School.
It’s possible the old buildings may be repurposed and given a second life, Silva said. “We are looking at doing a study on both Chapin and Veterans Park to see what other use the town might have for them.”
He and other town officials are scheduled to tour Harris Brook and inspect the progress that’s been made on it. Once the new school is complete, Ludlow will receive reimbursement from the state for nearly half the cost of the $60 million project.
Another project nearing completion involves road improvements to Center Street, a main artery in Ludlow. Because the street is also part of Route 21, a state highway, the Commonwealth paid for most of the $5.6 million in improvements.
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BusinessWest (July 8, 2020) – The Westmass Area Development Corp. board of directors has elected Antonio Dos Santos its new chairman, replacing Carol Campbell as her term expires.
Dos Santos joined the board in 2011 and has served in numerous roles, most recently as vice chair. He is a partner at the Springfield-based law firm Crear, Chadwell, Dos Santos & Devlin, P.C., specializing in business, commercial real estate, and commercial lending.
Dos Santos brings years of leadership and commitment to the Westmass board as Campbell’s term concludes after three challenging years. Amid the unexpected passing of former President and CEO Eric Nelson in 2019 and hiring new President and CEO Jeff Daley in October 2019, Campbell’s management and commitment to Westmass has ushered in a strong financial and operational base for success in the years to come. She will assume the role of immediate past chair and continue to serve on the executive committee.
“Westmass has been developing projects in Western Mass. for over 60 years. I am honored to take on the role of chairman of the board for such a distinguished and recognized entity,” Dos Santos said. “Westmass continues to grow its portfolio of development opportunities, in particular the Ludlow Mills preservation and redevelopment, an exciting project which is quickly approaching $100 million in investment and represents significant economic development for the region. We are poised for growth in the years ahead, and I am excited to do whatever I can and whatever our board can to ensure Westmass is still doing business in the next 60 years.”
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