Adams Request Should Spur 'Interest' in Greylock Glen
ADAMS, Mass. — The Greylock Glen Advisory Committee is gearing up to release an expression of interest request in the next two weeks for possible developers of an eight-acre area of the glen.According to Donna Cesan, director of community development, the interest statements will help guide the committee in crafting a request for proposal and generate interest in the project. In October, the committee is looking to host a conference with possible developers that will include a site visit as the project's vision comes to life.
"I'm just excited to be at this point," Cesan told the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday. "I think the site sells itself."
The committee is finishing up gathering graphics and wetlands data to add to the request to send out to prospective developers before the group applies for a MassWorks grant to install infrastructure.
Contractors can submit can submit information — from funding to possible partners to full plans — that the committee will then use to formulate the next steps toward crafting a request for proposal.
"I didn't want the amount of information [requested] to be a turn off but then again, you don't want to compare apples to oranges," Cesan said. "It's not a hardship. I didn't want it to be a hardship."
Interested contractors will not be disqualified if all of the information is not included nor is a strong interest statement guaranteeing the eventual contract.
"We want more than a yes or no; we want to know what they are thinking," Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said.
As the plans begin to unfold, Cesan wanted to make sure the Selectmen were on board with the contents of the request. As the town begins to apply for competitive grants and attract developers, officials need to be a unified front, Cesan said.
"I want us all on the same page about what we are about to embark on," Cesan said.
The board members expressed their support of the request except for Paula Melville, who expressed her appreciation for Cesan's work but does not support the proposed project. The current project includes a campground, a lodge, conference center, amphitheater, hiking trails and an education center.
Cesan said the committee is intentionally taking the most recent incarnation of the Greylock Glen project slowly and avoiding to make any promises because of its past history of failed projects. Town officials have been working toward developing that site for decades.
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