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(2012-02-22)
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Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and Kathleen Anderson,announce her resignation as director of Office of Planning and Development
WAMC
economic revitalization, thanks to the construction of a high
performance computing center, its top development official is leaving.
WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports..
Kathleen Anderson, who served three Holyoke mayors as director
of the city's office of Planning and Development, resigned Wednesday,
just 8 weeks into the term of Mayor Alex Morse.
Anderson will become president of the Holyoke Chamber of
Commerce later this year. Morse, who called Anderson an incredible asset
to the city, said her departure will not slow Holyoke's momentum.
Morse said he will move quickly to name a replacement for
Anderson, whose last official day on the job will be April 15th.
Anderson, whose resignation was announced at a city hall press
conference, said the decision to leave was bittersweet, but carefully
thought out.
Anderson played a key role in bringing to fruition the
construction of a 95 million dollar high performance computing center in
downtown Holyoke, in an industrial district dotted by mostly empty old
brick mill buildings. The computing center is a collaboration of several
research universities including Harvard, M-I-T and U-Mass, and high tech
giants EMC and Cisco.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Anderson cochairs a task force that was created to seize the
opportunities for economic development that result from the presence of
the computing center. In her new position as president of the Greater
Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Anderson said she'll still be involved in
economic development and growth issues.
Anderson said she was proud of her accomplishments in trying to
revitalize the old mill city including a new canal walk, new
transportation center and the computing center.
Anderson will succeed Doris Ransford, who is retiring as Holyoke
Chamber of Commerce President after 27 years with the organization.
© Copyright 2012, WAMC
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