Jennifer Macksey was elected in 2021 after sharply criticizing outgoing two-term Mayor Tom Bernard on the campaign trail, including his efforts to find a developer for the Mohawk Theater. So far, her own attempt has come up short.
“I think for us, we advertised it a little bit more, we had an open house, and we were very strong with about six to 10, but I would say six viable people that, companies that came through and showed strong interest, but I think it's just a temperature on the climate that's going on," Macksey told WAMC. "And, you know, we did set $100,000 as a minimum bid on the property, which I think is still a fair price. I'm not going to give this building away. But at the same time, we might have priced ourselves out a little bit.”
Emotional attachment to the Mohawk makes it a fraught subject in North Adams. Bernard called for an ethics investigation into State Representative and former Mayor John Barrett over an allegedly threating phone call about the sale in November.
Now, with zero bids coming in on the theater – first built in the 1930’s and shuttered since the early 90s – it’s back to the drawing board for city hall.
“We're going to evaluate the process, we're going to check in with some people who showed interest and get a pulse on as to why they didn't submit a proposal, and we're going to go back out," said Macksey. "But it provides us an opportunity to really regroup, and it provides us an opportunity to collaborate with some other companies, citizens, other organizations. So that's what we're looking forward to.”
The mayor says the interested parties were largely in the performing arts.
“A lot of them were focused on having it be a multipurpose venue, you know, with condos up top, arts, dining within the building," she said. "And I think it's just, you know, what is the right time for people? We did get a great response, and that's encouraging, but I need a bid. I need to move this project. So you know, again, we're not totally discouraged. We were shocked more than anything, because we had such a good response. But moving forward, we'll get, we'll get the job done.”
WAMC asked Macksey if the cold response to the Mohawk made her reconsider her decision to put former Mayor Bernard’s plan to sell the property on ice.
“No, I mean, that was his choice under his administration, and it's my choice under mine, and we, you know, we're just moving forward,” she said.
Bernard had found an interested buyer in developer Veselko Buntic, who was ready to drop $21,000 on the theater in 2021. The move was scuttled by city leaders in the first month of Macksey’s tenure. Not everyone agreed with the decision to back away from the request for proposal.
“Mayor Bernard put forth an RFP process in his last term. Some people didn't like the process, but the process was there, and there was an interested party who did return with an RFP," said City Council Vice President Peter Oleskiewicz. “The building would be out of our hands right now, it wouldn't be on the tax rolls. And we are seeing the investor that did put in an RFP, he has a lot of work going on in the city right now. He's already worked on three buildings on River Street, and we are now seeing the Porter & Tower building on Eagle Street is in full swing. I mean, you can drive by there today and see the scaffolding and all the windows being pointed, there's a truckload of windows coming in, so we're seeing activity there. So I'll admit, I was 100% for letting it go to Mr. Buntic last year, but I lost on it. So that's fine. And hopefully the process, we can do it again and somebody will expressed some interest.”
