North Adams Hires Campground, Lake Managers
 The new sign will be installed at the lake entrance and smaller versions at entrance points to the city. The lake sign will be highlighted with native plantings including dogwood, azaelea and coneflower. |
Robert and Susan Chilson and Randall and Linda Kemp, retired residents who have been regular campers at Historic Valley Campground, will oversee the campground and the public beach this coming season.
"They're well equipped to handle this position," said Windsor Lake Recreation Commission Chairman George Forgea at Wednesday's meeting. "They're retired and citizens of North Adams, they're well educated ... they're very, very excited about what's going on."
The commission also discussed ongoing upgrades at the campground and what's more locally known as Fish Pond, including designs for a new sign and plantings to make the entrance of the lake more attractive.
The panel and Mayor Richard Alcombright gave a thumbs up to a new sign design submitted by Deborah Forgea that includes Mount Greylock and plantings around it. Alcombright suggested the commission get in touch with Garden Club and Tree Commission on some of the plantings.
The park managers will be responsible for operating the campground and overseeing the public beach, the concession, pavilion, security, parking fees, visitors fees and other activities. The Northern Berkshire YMCA will continue to schedule and oversee the lifeguards.
The City Council recently approved Alcombright' reclassification of the campground manager post from $15,600 to $20,000 to reflect the new description and added responsibilities. The Kemps and Chilsons will split the compensation evenly.
"It had nothing to do with money, they were interested in making it a better place," said Forgea, noting the post runs from May 1 to Oct. 15, but "they've come on board already and working for nothing so it shows they're really involved."
Along with the new managers, the commission is moving forward with projects to update facilities. McCann Technical School is continuing to work on the second phase of renovating the bathrooms at the campground; the first facility was fixed last year and the second should be done for the coming season.
A big project on the commission's priority list had been the deteriorating concession building but the project has turned out to be not as easy to do.
"We're going to use the funds for the playground in the meantime so we can show improvements up there," said Forgea. Commission member William St. Pierre will be in charge of that project.
Work on the septic lines will start this spring and be done mostly in house, as well as updates to the electrical hookups at some of the campsites. Commissioner Nancy Bullett said she has provided Public Services Superintendent Timothy Lescarbeau with the specs for a volleyball court for Fish Pond. Alcombright said sand from the Eagle Street Beach Party has been tarped and waiting at the salt shed for use on the court.
A major initative will be the installation of a security system at the campground to prevent late-night visitors trying to avoid fees and undesirables looking for a place to party, said Forgea.
"That's the big complaint that campers had, just people roaming around," he said.
The system will include a drop-arm gate that will require a security card to open for entry into the campground; it will open automatically for exiting vehicles. The system will also be installed in-house with permanent access cards given to emergency vehicles.
The renovations and updates are coming out of a $150,000 bond authorization approved by the City Council in 2010.
"We're trying to live within this bond," said Forgea, "and we're hoping the bathrooms will come in under budget."
Forgea thanked commission for its work over the past two years, acknowledging that this last season had been particularly difficult.
Rather than dwelling on the past, he said, "It's time we start moving forward with positive things."
Tags: campground, Fish Pond, Windsor Lake,
