Adams Puts Efforts Toward Greylock Glen
ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen held a special workshop meeting Saturday morning with Director of Community Development Donna Cesan to discuss progress, next steps and new strategies for the long-awaited Greylock Glen project.
As part of that, Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco is planning to shift some positions and use Community Development Block Grant funds to push the project along.
Cesan said the proposed $40 million project is starting to really gain momentum.
"This is highly unusual that a town government this small would take this project on, but necessity is the mother of invention," she said. "It is like 'The Little Engine That Could' or the little town that could. We put this together and made this happen."
The town has hired engineers to create bid-ready plans for Phase 2 of the Glen's utility and infrastructure projects. This includes a study of the creation of a 500-space parking lot. The more headway the town can make on design, the higher likelihood it will receive state funds, she said.
Along these same lines, the town signed a contract last week with a design firm that will start the design process of the outdoor center. This nearly $5 million project is dependent on the release of money from a state environmental bond. The closer the project moves to bid ready, the increased chance the state will release the money.
The proposed 11,000 square-foot building would hopefully be a net-zero energy building, Cesan said.
She said the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Environmental Science Program continues to show interest in partnering with the town and utilizing the outdoor center that will contain classrooms, a media center, and exhibit space.
She added the Glen could also work as the college's environmental field lab and be to MCLA what Hopkins Forest is to Williams College.
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has also shown interest in the Glen and has indulged the possibility of offering technical support to the proposed amphitheater and possibly operating it.
She said they also discussed an environmental art garden curated by the museum and the creation of a mountain bike path that would run from the Mass MoCA campus to the Glen.
Cesan said she could see the Thunderbolt Ski Museum having a home in the center and there would be room for a privet entity to occupy and rent Nordic skis and bikes.
The next steps the town will take will be to create a design committee and a steering committee with stakeholders for the outdoor center, and issue a design request for proposals. When schematics, illustrations, and cost estimates are gathered, the state will most likely release more money.
As for the planned campground, Cesan said the town will meet with possible operators and work on marketing it. She said the town could possibly develop the campground because the construction is relatively simple.
Also, after speaking with the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and 1Berkshire, Cesan said the town plans to begin the early development stages of the lodging and a conference center at the Glen. The last time the town only got one response for the project but Cesan was confident it could be built.
"I can't think of a better place to have our lodge and center than at the Greylock Glen," Cesan said. "That is going to be a unique product in the Berkshires."
Cesan said some other developments that will launch in time are a project website and a brochure to better market it.
On the town front, Cesan urged the Selectmen to continue advocating for the project and keep residents informed, especially now when it is coming to fruition.
"We have purposefully kept a low profile on the project, and quite frankly, it is one of the most controversial projects I have ever worked on," Cesan said. "I wanted to get a certain amount of stuff done before it becomes a target again ... selling it out here was something we didn't really have the resources to do … but we have been waiting for years to get to this project going and now we are finally here."
She also urged them to continue to meet with state representatives.
Mazzucco said they should also meet with surrounding communities and representatives throughout Western Massachusetts.
"We really need to point out that this is a project for Western Mass, and it is not a small project that will only benefit Adams," he said. "We should be out there marching and selling the Glen as the premier project, not just in Berkshires County, but Western Mass."
Mazzucco said it may also help to have a point person at the State House.
"We need a point person in Boston who will go there regularly and set up meetings," Mazzucco said. "If the janitor wants to talk about the Glen at the State House, we will meet with the janitor and talk about the Glen because it will be one more person in the State House talking about the Glen."
Mazzucco unveiled some plans to create more funding to help push along the Glen project using the economic development fund, which next year will provide $40,000 to $50,000.
"That will give us the money to start to move forward with some of these projects and processes," he said. "There are always little steps that stop us in the road, and we want to be able to use more resources."
Cesan added that it may benefit the town to create a development authority to aid with the Glen and could seek grant funds.
Also, Mazzucco said Community Development may not submit a Community Development Block Grant application for next year for a heating system in the Memorial Building, because it probably won't be competitive. It may be beneficial to pour all of Community Development's time into the Glen instead.
The town could adopt 40R zoning to assist with density development in the downtown area, he said. The town receives a payment of $350,000 to $500,000 when adopting the program that he would like to use as a resource to help aid Glen projects.
Mazzucco added that he does not plan to hire a deputy director for public works and instead would reallocate the funds to community development and hire a town planner to free up Cesan's time so she can focus on the Glen.
"I realize there is concern that we are eliminating some positions and creating new ones, but we must also focus on growth," he said. "We cannot cut our way out of our financial situation."
He added that if the health inspector position is moved to a general fund position, the town can hire a full-time community development specialist. He added that he plans to take over direct supervision of the health inspector and building commissioner and attempt to build a more regional model. This will free up more time in Community Development.
Tags: Greylock Glen,
