Adams Seeking Applicants for Tourism Director Post
 The Adams Selectmen approved the job description for a new tourism director. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The town is fielding applicants for a new tourism director position, after receiving final approval of an official job description.
On Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen approved the description of responsibilities and duties for the full-time position drafted by its personnel subcommittee on Dec. 11. The job listing will be posted in various locations, including on the town's website, as early as this week.
The new tourism director will manage the Adams Visitors Center, expand local downtown activity in particular and generally enhance the town's tourism presence in Berkshire County, according to the official job description.
"Not only are they going to be our town's primary liaison to other tourism and marketing-related non-profit organizations in our community, but they'll also kind of become our mouthpiece, in a lot of ways, in dealing with 1Berkshire, the Berkshire Chamber [of Commerce], the Berkshire Visitors Bureau [and] in collaborative things we do with North Adams or Williamstown or any of the other neighboring communities," Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said. He will interview and hire a candidate that the Selectmen will then need to ratify.
Included in the job duties is the managing of a departmental budget, which as of now only includes appropriations of up to $25,000 toward a six-month salary, approved by town meeting in the current fiscal budget. Town Meeting approved the spending for a tourism director in June.
Any future appropriations from the town's annual budget for the position and/or the department requires further approval from annual town meeting; although, the new director is expected to apply for available grant funding that would also likely fall under his or her purview.
The job description was crafted internally by the Selectmen's personnel subcommittee with the aid of Community Development Director Donna Cesan and Butler, based largely on the responsibilities and expectations of two municipal employees who hold tourism and cultural positions in the county: Veronica Bosley, director of tourism and community events for North Adams, and Megan Whilden, director of cultural development for Pittsfield.
Candidates will be required to have earned a bachelor's degree in tourism, hospitality, marketing or related field or have a minimum of two years of experience or training in those areas.
Adams is invested in a number of projects created directly to impact tourism. On Nov. 27, the town announced its reception of a nearly $400,000 Parkland Acquisitions and Renovation for Communities grant — pending town meeting approval for matching fund — to build a train station to accompany the installation of scenic train rides in collaboration with North Adams and Berkshire Scenic Railway.
The construction of a new series of trails and installation of snowblowing apparatus at Greylock Glen is expected to move forward. The Conservation Commission is currently waiting on state permission for the project.
The town is also actively making efforts to revitalize its downtown, receiving a Community Development Block Grant worth $900,000 in July for a Streetscape Project.
"We have more and more vibrancy and activity in our downtown. We have a Visitors Center. We need someone who is dedicating full-time attention to the further evolution of all these things happening. It's a position that we've definitely identified being a need for us," Butler said.
According to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the tourism is the third-largest revenue generating industry in the commonwealth — producing roughly $16.5 million in direct spending and taxes — supporting close to 130,000 jobs.
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