The founder and executive director of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition has announced he will step down at the end of June.Al Bashevkin created the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition in 1986 after Sprague Electric, North Adams’ largest employer, shut down, dealing a blow to the region’s economy and population.
“There wasn’t a real coordinated effort to help the dislocated worker, to help the community to see what do we to need to do rebuild our safety net to get on from where we’re at right now and it was difficult times back then,” said Bashevkin.
The coalition holds monthly forums and offers programs around transportation, public health and housing. Its board will launch a search for a successor. After 29 years, Bashevkin says he wants to try something new, but he’s not sure what.
