Adams Visitors Center In Need Of Heating Upgrades

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — With the cold weather setting in, town officials found a pricey problem at the Adams Visitors Center.

The heating and cooling system, which now is home to both the Council on Aging and the Thunderbolt Ski Museum, needs new control valves and an upgraded computer system. The improvements are expected to cost between $10,000 and $13,000 and Town Administrator Jonathan Butler requested the Selectmen ask the Finance Committee for the funds.

In a letter to the Selectmen, Butler said the town has worked with Conserve Thru Control, which designed the original system, for the estimates. The company identified minor mechanical repairs and an outdated control system as the cause for inefficient operations.

"The new computer system that we will be purchasing accounts for the largest piece of the likely cost. However, this system will be multifunctional and will also be used to operate the hearing system at the Memorial School," Butler wrote in the letter. "The town will also be able to add the controls of the Police Department and Town Hall to this system, creating a single remote hub for the control of four major town facilities."

Butler's letter adds that if the system is not installed before the winter months, the temperature could limit Council on Aging programming.


In other business, Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals Michael Mach is asking the Selectmen to join in a meeting to retool some of the zoning bylaws.

The laws were last revised in 2004 and Mach says he now wants to propose establishing a sign commission, allowing the building inspector to approve swimming pools in cases that currently come to the ZBA, regulating backyard poultry and reducing the requires side lot footage.

"We can''t be judge and jury," Mach said, adding that the Planning Board will also need to be part of the process.

Tags: HVAC,   visitors center,   

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Adams Free Library Pastel Painting Workshops

ADAMS, Mass. — Award-winning pastel artist Gregory Maichack will present three separate pastel painting workshops for adults and teens 16+, to be hosted by the Adams Free Library. 
 
Wednesday, April 24 The Sunflower; Wednesday, May 8 Jimson Weed; and Thursday, May 23 Calla Turned Away from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  
 
Registration is required for each event.  Library events are free and open to the public.
 
These programs are funded by a Festivals and Projects grant of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
 
This workshop is designed for participants of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Attendees will create a personalized, original pastel painting based on Georgia O’Keefe’s beautiful pastel renditions of The Sunflower, Jimson Weed and Calla Turned Away. All materials will be supplied. Seating may fill quickly, so please call 413-743-8345 to register for these free classes.
 
Maichack is an award-winning portraitist and painter working primarily in pastels living in the Berkshires. He has taught as a member of the faculty of the Museum School in Springfield, as well as at Greenfield and Holyoke Community College, Westfield State, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
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