Adams Slates Strategic Planning Sessions
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The Selectmen set the date of a brainstorming session to develop a new strategic plan. |
ADAMS, Mass. — A new strategic plan is set to be created to guide the town over the next years.
The Selectmen set Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23, as days for a massive brainstorming session involving a large number of town stakeholders.
The plan is for a day and a half of breakout sessions to plan the town's future.
Selectman John Duval, who is leading the effort, said he has created a large list of stakeholders to participate.
Those are expected to include somewhere around 30 people ranging from business owners to town officials to residents — all representing a cross-section of opinions.
In the end, the town hopes to have a five-year plan to direct government functions. In the next month, Duval said he will be putting together a packet of information of town and school functions to give to all of the identified stakeholders prior to the meeting.
"We'll start right away, prepared," Duval said at Wednesday's Board of Selectmen meeting.
The marathon meetings are expected to take place at the Adams Visitors Center and the final document is hoped to be completed by the end of the budget season.
Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said he is currently reaching outside the town to find an independent moderator.
"We want to get someone who is more removed from Adams," Butler said, adding that he hopes to find someone with experience and knowledge of governmental functions to keep everyone on track and within bounds of what town government can do.
In other business, Butler updated the board on the middle school and the solar project at the landfill. He also said the Thunderbolt Ski Museum will be opened during the weekends leading up to the race on Feb. 9.
Butler said the town has engaged in negotiations with the owner of Ooma Tessoro's to lease a portion of the middle school and hopes to have an agreement in place in the next few months.
The middle school is currently in a semi-mothballed state — meaning there is antifreeze in the pipes, the building is heated at 45 degrees and the water is off. But the security and fire systems are still active and public works employees are inspecting the building daily.
The long-delayed solar project is set to be under construction in March after Tecta Solar has finally settled its agreements with National Grid. The company has reapplied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for reauthorization.
"We have been assured by the developer that this would be under construction by March," Butler said.
Tags: Adams Memorial Middle School, solar array, solar project, strategic plan,
