North Adams, Adams to Announce Scenic Rail Partnership

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The Berkshire Scenic Railway plans to operate a tourist line between North Adams and Adams. More than 16,000 people were riding the museum's summer lines annually in South County.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Passenger rail may still be years away, but short line scenic rail could be making a return — and soon.

The city has been working with several partners, including the town of Adams, the state Department of Transportation and Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum to develop tourist rail in the North County.

A press conference announcing the partnership and its goals is set for Friday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

Mayor Richard Alcombright and Adams Town Administrator Jonathan Butler declined to provide details, saying that they would provided at the press conference.

They did confirm that the rail would be "downtown to downtown" and be operated by the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum.


The partners are expected to announce the development of a little-used line from Western Gateway Heritage State Park to the Adams Visitors Center.

The endeavor could draw tourist train traffic back to the state's "Western Gateway," and extend it to encompass the Mother Town to the south. The rail could work in conjunction with the extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, linking the two communities' downtowns by rail and trail.

It would also put the Berkshire Scenic Railway back on track, literally. The museum was forced to end its very popular summer runs between Lenox and Stockbridge after Housatonic Railroad Co. refused to renew a lease for their use with the state.

While Berkshire Scenic is continuing to develop its South County profile — it recently took control of the Stockbridge Station and still hopes to restore its runs — the North County connecton will allow it to operate trains.

The mayor had held out some hope of running scenic rail through the historic Hoosac Tunnel but now does not think that would be an option because liability and PanAm's intention to increase freight traffic.


Tags: Ashuwillticook Rail Trail,   Heritage State Park,   MassDOT,   passenger rail,   railway,   scenic rail,   visitors center,   

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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