I know, the probate-validate rhyme lede was a bit of a stretch, but the James House on Gothic Street was the former site of the Commonwealth’s juvenile court and probate offices before they moved them to Hadley. So, you can see why I’d go with tha-…no? Yeah, you’re right. Lame.

But that is good news. The Mayor included it in her E-mail update which you should really sign up for already. Here are the details:

The City is renovating the James House for use by the Northampton Community Education Consortium (NCEC)…The City has worked with local non-profits to create a central location for adult education, literacy and employment training and family support services.

NCEC partners include the Regional Employment Board, the Center for New Americans, and the Literacy Project. Also, community colleges and other “local institutions of higher learning” will be offering college readiness workshops and for credit courses.

This is quite a coup for downtown Northampton. Not only are we able to reclaim a building for an important civic use, all of the work is either funded by grants such as the one from the Beveridge Family Foundation or donated. The financial donors are Smith College, Home Depot and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. (BTW, Home Depot, I think your Hadley store is overkill. But thanks for the cash.) Here’s a partial list of donors and participants who have participated in the project so far:

New England Regional Council of Carpenters-Local 108 (Donated construction labor)

Westover Job Corps (donated demolition and construction labor)
Dietz & Company Architects (donated and discounted design services) – Kevin Riordan, Jeremy Michaels

Ayotte & King for Tile, Inc. (Donated flooring and labor) – Bob King

And from what I can determine from the online Smith College archives, the James House was originally the Young Women’s City Club, “The purpose of the club, founded in 1926, to develop educational and recreational opportunities for young women in Northampton, was carried out in programs (lectures, slide shows, music, book reviews); lessons (in cooking, crafts, parliamentary law, child psychology); social events (teas, dinners, dances, holiday parties); and volunteer services and fund raising activities.”

The NCEC is a return to the James House’s roots! I love it when a plan comes together. [Insert cigar stub at the right corner of your mouth here.]

What I learned in the latest edition is the existence of a new Web page on the city’s site called the City Speaks. This is where the Mayor’s Office is posting ideas sent in by city residents and employees to help bridge the ginormous gaping maw of a deficit expected in fiscal year 2010.

According to Karen Bellavance-Grace of the Mayor’s office, they’ve received so many ideas she needs to add another page. So far the ideas include consolidating spending among departments (answer pending), closing school buildings at 5pm (fine as long as there aren’t any other council meetings happening), and instituting wage freezes (already happening with non-union jobs and posed to unions as something to consider). The ideas are posted and then answers are provided as to the their feasibility.

It’s a worthwhile read to be sure. But I’d like to see more…inventive ideas thrown up there. As we’re learning more and more often in these bleak economic times, the old systems, the way we used to do things just won’t cut it. I say set loose your imagination, unlock the top of your head, and let’s see what crazy notions help us navigate out of this dark night of the economic soul.

My first offering: pedal people school buses