Adams Enters Negotiations With Youth Center For Middle School

ADAMS, Mass. — The town is entering formal lease negotiations with the Youth Center for usage of the Adams Memorial Middle School.

The town is already in negotiations with Ooma Tesoro's, a marinara company, to use the kitchen portion of the former school and the Youth Center is looking to use the first floor with the gym.

The reuse of the building has been in the works for nearly a year since the students were moved into a renovated Hoosac Valley Middle and High School.

In November, both Ooma Tesoro and the Youth Center showed interest and later submitted proposals. After review of Ooma's proposal the town entered formal negotiations in January and on Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen approved entering negotiations with the Youth Center.

According to Town Administrator Jonathan Butler, the "short-term" leases are just one piece of a major overhaul of the building. The school building needs capital repairs and Butler says these reuse options open the door for possible state grants for the upgrades. Butler is asking the town to approve setting aside $50,000 in the budget to get the improvements "shovel ready" and eligible to apply for MassDevelopment grant funds.

"That money isn't going to put a new roof on the building, it isn't going to redo the heating system, it isn't going to be used for any capital investment," Butler said.

The budget will be used internally for consultants, architects and engineers to turn what has begun as a public, private and nonprofit partnership into a formal reuse plan. That plan will flesh out all of the details of those capital repairs that will be needed to give the project the best shot at securing actual construction money from the state.

Cheshire Town Meeting Oks Budgets, Debates Potential Prop 2 1/2 Override

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:12PM / Monday, June 08, 2026

Moderator Carol Francesconi, left, and Anne Marie Furey were presented flowers in memory of the Rev. William Furey, their brother and husband, respectively. The town report was dedicated to him. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town meeting on Monday approved all 35 articles on the annual meeting warrant, including a total spending for fiscal 2027 of more than $8.5 million. 

 

Some 77 of the town's more than 2,500 registered voters filled the Cheshire Community House meeting room, debating on a number of articles during the meeting that lasted nearly three hours

 

The town dedicated its annual report to the Rev. William David Furey, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church and more recently Berkshire Union Chapel in Lanesborough. Furey died last year at age 77.

 

His wife, Anne Marie Furey, and his sister, Town Moderator Carol Francesconi, were presented with a bouquet of flowers in tribute to him. 

 

He was an exemplary member of the community who left a lasting impression in each and every life that he touched, said Town Clerk Whitney Flynn. 

 

Voters approved several warrant articles that make up an operating budget of $3,840,314 for fiscal 2027. Of this amount, $1,642,481 is allocated for the general government budget, which was approved after clarification of a few questions.

 

One item was the administrative assistant's salary. Prior to the annual meeting, the town eliminated the executive assistant salary of $54,309 in favor of a part-time administrative assistant salary of $27,155, to reduce costs considering the financial constraint the town is in.