Adams Survey Shows Support for Community Center
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That was the surprising result of a survey distributed to 600 random households, town officials and Hoosac Valley High School students in March for guidance on the town's open space and recreation section of the master plan. Some 231, or 39 percent, returned the questionnaire on how often households used local parks and services and what they thought was missing. Nearly half said they would support an increase of 1 percent to 3 percent; another quarter said they were unsure or did not respond.
The Master Plan Steering Committee reviewed the results on Tuesday to formulate guidelines for Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., the consultants for the plan. The recreation and open space section was last reviewed in 2003; keeping the plan current offers opportunities to apply for federal grants.
"What I'm hearing is that an underlying community center close to the downtown is a need," said Community Development Director Donna Cesan. "Just generally, this has shown, from my perception, that we've pretty much got [open space] covered. There are differences in the need for indoor activities but people are generally happy with the outdoor facilities."
What they'd like to see is larger parks and areas not concentrated for sports use and a dog park, which a local group has had difficulty bringing to fruition.
There was concern about the amount of conserved open space in town but committee members believed that many residents may not be aware of the large amount of acreage already under restriction. "Over 40 percent of our land area is protected," said Cesan.
Overall, respondents believed the town was safe, attractive and desireable, with good schools and neighborhoods. Most were within walking distance of a park and most had visited one or more in the past year. Sports had been the main attraction to parks but a majority of respondents indicated a preference for a picnic area or other passive use. More than half the respondents participated in walking or running (mostly on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail); 44 percent said they attended movies or concerts and about a third each enjoyed art and historic venues and simply relaxing.
However, nearly a quarter said they did their dining (27 percent) and shopping (21 percent) out of town, followed closely by attending movies and concerts.
Children and teens were less likely to find adequate indoor recreation than the elderly, and adults less than both groups. Some 41 percent said the town lacked adequate indoor facilities for youth; in second, at 15 percent, was a perceived lack of facilities for the elderly and disabled.
While concern for youth activities was high, nearly two-thirds of the respondents were adult households, ages 40 to 69. About 38 percent were families with children.
The town does have a community center on East Street. "I see it as a senior center on the first fooor and a youth center on the second," said Cesan "It's not really a community center in the broad sense ... I think it's the limitation of space and the needs of those two groups."
Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said the town lacked a municipal space that could hold more than 25 to 30 people comfortably. "I think that's a huge need in the downtown ... We're voting three times this year at the DPW garage. We shouldn't be voting in the DPW garage."
With the closure of the Adams Memorial Middle School, the town had been forced to find another location for polling that had adequate parking and was handicapped accessible. The only fit was the Department of Public Works garage on North Summer Street.
Committee member George Haddad suggested part of the middle school could be turned into a community hall and the rest demolished once the school district is through with it. "What they're telling us here is there's core support for turning it into a muncipal building."
Selectman Scott Nichols said he had suggested the revamping the middle school into a mixed-use facility during his previous term on the board.
"My recommendation was to take half for the town and condo the other half so it becomes a senior center, a youth center with the rest done with a private developer," he said, noting that it was in a central location that was easily accessible.
Cesan said the consultants would be directed to include a community center in the planning goals.
Haddad also suggested the town could use Summer Street as a model for future planning. The street is already undergoing reconstruction and the first of what could be more buildings is expected to be demolished. That could open spaces for public parks along the riverfront and create a more attractive neighborhood.
"We have to get to an objective we all can agree on," he said. "Every year you put in X amount of dollars to take out more properties. ... Maybe people are willing to do this now. I do know this: Unless we continue to start doing things for ourselves, it's not going to happen. Unless some miracle happens and someone gives us tons and tons of money."
Butler said that considering the wealth of natural resources, including the soon-to-be developed Greylock Glen, the town should consider positioning itself as a recreational destination.
"We kind of missed the opportunity to be a cultural destination," he said. Instead of getting into the middle of a cultural battle with Pittsfield and North Adams, "why can't we make ourselves the recreational capital?"
Adams Master Plan Survey
