MountainOne Cuts Ribbon On New BuildingBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
03:28PM / Monday, June 11, 2012 | |
 Richard Lamb of True North, Timothy Dolan of Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins Insurance Agency, Donald Keagan of Hoosac Bank and Mayor Daniel Bianchi each had their own ribbon to cut to mark the opening of the new financial center. |
Stephen Crowe, president and CEO of MountainOne, said the financial company needed space to grow and they are proud that Pittsfield welcomed them. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ten months after breaking ground, MountainOne Financial Partners cut the ribbon Monday morning on its new building in the William Stanley Business park — just the second business to call the remediated park home.
MountainOne built the $2 million financial center at the intersection of East Street and Silver Lake Boulevard. The land is controlled by the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, which is charged with rehabilitation the former General Electric land.
Built as a three "wings," each with a wall of glass, the modern structure will house offices for Hoosac Bank, Stevenson & Co., Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins Insurance Agency and True North Financial Services.
"We are very eager to continue our growth in the Pittsfield area," Daniel Bosley, chairman of the MountainOne Board of Directors and emcee for the ribbon-cutting event.
According to Eric Taylor, a managing partner of the development company Pittsfield Stanley Works, the 6,735 square-foot structure was built with environmentally friendly technology throughout, including recycled content in the concrete, steel beams, foundation rebar, aluminum window framing, exterior cladding, and metal roof; passive solar heat gain; high-efficiency windows, natural gas radiant heating, air conditioning, tankless water heating and lighting.
The building also uses advanced insulation and air sealing, and low-VOC paints and finishes. Event the construction waste was sorted and recycled. The unusual copper-colored exterior is an aluminum composite that changes hue during day depending on sunlight.
"Everything is green all over," he said.
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Top, reception area; right, a corner office with an expansive view. All aspects of the distinctive building off East Street were built with green technology.
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The city hopes the new financial center will be a catalyst for economic growth. Mayor Daniel Bianchi said this project is the "most significant" economic growth project in the county.
"I am hoping the MountainOne building will be a platform for others," he said.
MountainOne is the second tenant to move onto the 52-acre business park — behind Western Massachusetts Electric Co.'s massive solar array. Action Ambulance and a "national" retailer have both signed agreements to reside in the park.
"Since construction began, I think we've been the talk of the city," MountainOne CEO Stephen Crowe said. "It's the first thing I am always asked about."
Crowe said the company kept coming back the business park as it searched for a suitable location in Pittsfield.
He, too, hoped the building would "serve as a facilitator" in developing the park to the betterment of the city.
The vacant, centrally located former GE land has been somewhat of sore spot for residents and city officials. But once tenants began to sign on, controversy still swirled around PEDA's actions.
Bianchi led the charge to increase the number of board members, the city council spent hours interviewing PEDA members and citizens debated about the "national retailer."
However, being the first major tenant to operate at the site, MountainOne has been heralded as the catalyst to attract other businesses.
MountainOne officials said every attempt was made to contract locally. Work on the building included 25,000 man hours by the following Berkshire County-based firms: Adams Plumbing & Heating; Amenitek; Benchmark Kitchens; Berkshire Fencing; Berkshire Mini Warehouse; Brown Oil; Callahan Signs; Carr Hardware; Century Concrete; Clemente Concrete; Daly and Sons; EDM Services; Fastenal Supply; Gable Electric; Grady and Jennings Concrete; Graphic Impact Signs; Guntlow & Associates; Hill Engineers Architects Planners; J B Steel Work; L P Adams; Martino Glass; Maxymillian; Repro Systems; Southern Berkshire Janitorial; Stevens World of Carpets; Willey Marble and Granite; Yankee Restrooms; and Zimmerman Electrical Supply.
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