New England Public Radio

Music fest highlights efforts to spread cultural tourism dollars around

 
For cities and towns that successfully attract big-name cultural institutions and events, the quest for a resulting economic boost is only beginning. As it prepares for a music festival that will temporarily increase its population by more than fifty percent, the Berkshire city of North Adams is aiming to be sure it doesn’t miss its opportunity. 

Museums, music festivals and other leaders in the creative economy bring tourist dollars to their host towns, but the challenge of getting some of those dollars beyond restaurants and hotels still remains. 

Since MASS MoCA opened in a converted North Adams factory complex in 1999, it’s been a long process to figure out how to move fans of cutting-edge art into the rest of the city, according to Jonathan Secor, director of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Berkshire Cultural Resource Center.

“So the hope that suddenly, you know, people would wake up and the 70 percent of the stores that were empty would be filled again wasn’t felt. And it could be the museum, it could be Tanglewood, it could be Jacob’s Pillow—insert great cultural institution name here—what brings them from there onto your main streets?” 

The Solid Sound Festival is a three-day, multi-band music and art event at Mass MoCA centered around the popular rock band Wilco. That’s a festival-wide sing-along to Wilco’s set in 2011, from a fan video available on YouTube. When the festival opens on June 21st, about eight thousand fans will swell the city of thirteen thousand residents.  To attract some of those fans from the festival grounds, locals are planning a farmers’ market, late-night hours for shops and nightspots downtown, and even a street concert the night before. The museum is encouraging locals to rent rooms to festival-goers through the Airbnb online service, since conventional inns and hotels are fully booked. 

The city wants to make it as easy as possible for visitors to find what they’re looking for, so it’ll launch its Talk to a Townie program that weekend, according to Veronica Bosley, the city’s director of tourism and community events.

“We actually will put people in large events happening in North Adams, identity them in some way like in an obnoxiously colored t-shirt or something, and have them sort of act as mobile information booths. And they’l leave a graphic on the back of the t-shirt that says ‘I’m a townie, ask me anything,’ or something along those lines.” 

This will be the third Solid Sound Festival. More volunteers for the Talk to a Townie program are still wanted. 

 

Dalton, MA Paper Maker to Buy Maine Competitor

One city’s loss is another’s gain as a signature Berkshire County business plans to buy a Maine company and bring some of its jobs to North Adams. 

Crane & Company, the paper manufacturer based in Dalton, announced this week that it plans to purchase rival stationary firm William Arthur from its parent company, Hallmark. Crane will offer about one hundred of William Arthur’s two hundred and seventy employees the option to re-locate to North Adams. William Arthur is based in West Kennebunk, on Maine’s seacoast about one hundred and eighty miles to the northeast.

North Adams mayor Dick Alcombright is betting few Maine workers will choose to move, and sees the purchase as the best local employment news since he took office in two thousand and nine. 

“I couldn’t be happier. When you think about, this is the best economic news certainly since I’ve been in office and maybe in the last several years for North Adams.”

Crane & Company, a family owned business based in the Berkshires since eighteen oh-one, produces high-end stationary products and the paper used by the US Treasury to print the country’s money. WIth people writing fewer letters in the digital age, the company has had to restructure several times since 2009, eliminating some jobs and consolidating operations among multiple plants.

This decision to grow its holdings in the stationary field reflects a desire to leverage what it does best, according to Katie Lacey, president of Crane’s stationary division.

“Electronic communication has enabled a real shift in casual communication. But we do believe in the power of the handwritten note, the engraved invitation, and we believe those are timeless elements.”

The deal is expected to close by the end of the month. The migration of about one hundred jobs from Maine to North Adams would happen in the second half of next year. For New England Public Radio, I’m Jeremy Goodwin.

Wal-Mart’s Tax Status Change Hurts Mass. Municipalities

A recent change in Wal-Mart's corporate status in Massachusetts has resulted in a big tax hit to host communities. Within the past year, Wal-Mart, which operates more than two dozen stores in the Bay state changed the way it is authorized to do business in the state – moving from a limited liability company, to full corporate status — a perfectly legal move, according to the state's department of revenue. Under the state tax code, LLC's must pay what's called the personal property tax to municipalities — but corporations do not.

"Things like the freezers they might have in their grocery section, some of the inventory that qualifies, some of their heating system is considered personal property."

Pittsfield mayor Daniel Bianchi says that Wal-mart keeps millions of dollars of that kind of property at its local store – and its removal from the tax rolls means a $180,000 hit to the city's revenue stream.

"When you think of it this way it represents three police officers. Actually a little more than three police officers."

Other towns contacted tell similar stories. In North Adams, Wal-Mart's changed status means the city will have to make up a $140,000  revenue loss — adding significantly to a tax hike there this year. In Northampton, it's a $65,000 dollar problem — equivalent to at least one policeman's salary, the mayor there says.

Wal-Mart officials did not respond to requests for comment. Mayors are beginning to talk about seeking a change in the tax code from the Legislature. Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts municipal association says it's on his agenda.

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"I'm sure the tax lawyers for Wal-Mart will get a pretty bonus for coming up with this scheme to change the tax status."

Under the new corporate status. Wal-Mart will have to pay a state excise tax, but that may be little comfort to municipal officials. Beckwith says he expects to hear from many more cities and towns about the issue at the association's annual meeting next week.