House Hunters" Close To Home
A local star might be born sometime early next year on the Home & Garden Television channel (HGTV). Jaime Drunsic, a Realtor at William Raveis Real Estate in Norwell, submitted a video of a pair of buyers to the network, and they were selected to appear on the show, "House Hunters."
"House Hunters" is basically a brief documentary about a couple going through the process of buying a local property.
But for Drunsic, it was a chance to show off her home-selling skills.
"It was a little challenging at first," Drunsic said. "My first day of taping was in Charlestown in the rain with the film crew who were asking me questions while I was actually driving them around in my car."
The Teller wonders what is more dangerous: driving while talking on a phone, or while talking on camera?
Anyway, Drunsic’s buyers found a property in Charlestown they are going to purchase; at least, the transaction is pending. Given how much can go wrong with today’s real estate purchase and sale agreement, they may have to come back and do some more shooting (should we call it filming? The Teller doesn’t want to step on Charlestown’s sensitive toes).
Drunsic’s "House Hunters" is expected to air sometime early in 2010, so keep your eyes peeled for her reality TV star power. Next stop, Realtor Island!
We All Scream, For Ice Cream
Finally the weather has begun to heat up here in Massachusetts. Say what you like, but The Teller will take 95 percent humidity over, well, 100 percent (in other words, constant rainfall).
When things get hot, sticky, and muggy, The Teller turns to frozen treats to try and cool off. Whether a soft-serve twist, a Klondike Bar, or some mint chocolate chip on a sugar cone, ice cream can really hit the spot.
But you’ve got to watch out just which spot your ice cream hits. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) cited "Briddon, Bob – Ice Cream Barn" at 56 Canal St. in Millbury, for not properly informing the agency of hazardous material spills and subsequent cleanup.
The ice cream shop is owned and operated by El-Missah Realty LLC, according to the MassDEP, and sits on the site of a former auto repair garage and heating oil distribution facility.
In January 2005, Mass DEP alleges, El-Missah Realty learned that two underground oil tanks – abandoned and left over from the property’s previous owners – were leaking oil into groundwater on the property. Normally, one has 120 days to notify MassDEP of a hazardous materials spill. El-Missah took a little longer: never.
In May 2007, when the company finally got around to removing the tanks and 160 cubic yards of contaminated soil, they again failed to notify MassDEP.
That sort of thing makes MassDEP very unhappy. In response, the agency levied a $10,000 fine against the company.
That sort of thing makes a business very unhappy.
El-Missah Realty and "Briddon, Bob – Ice Cream Barn" is back and compliant with MassDEP. If they keep their noses clean, and free of toxic waste, then MassDEP is even willing to forgive $8,500 of the fine. But the first time oil starts seeping into the Peanut Butter Cup Sundaes and MassDEP doesn’t hear about it, things are liable to get a little Rocky Road over there.
"There May Be Flies On Berkshire Bancorp Inc…
But there ain’t no flies on Berkshire Hills Bancorp, parent of Berkshire Bank. That’s what Berkshire Hills Bancorp wanted to make perfectly clear when it issued a press release on Aug. 5, noting the difference between the two.
You see, Berkshire Bancorp Inc. operates The Berkshire Bank, which has 12 "branch offices" and is headquartered in New York City. Berkshire Hills Bancorp operates Berkshire Bank, which has 48 "financial service centers" in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.
How could anyone be confused? Perhaps more importantly … who cares?
Well, Berkshire Hills Bancorp wanted to point out that the Wall Street Journal was referring to The (BAD) Berkshire Bank in a recent article about regulators cracking down on the banking business. That had nothing to with (GOOD) Berkshire Bank.
Got it? After all (GOOD) Berkshire Bank has been branded as "America’s Most Exciting Bank!" How could anything that exciting be bad?
