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The board listened to options for the middle school during its workshop meeting.
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Selectman Joseph Nowak was skeptical about mixed-use housing, feeling seniors might not want to share a building with younger people.
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Selectman Arthur 'Skip' Harrington thought it would be good for the generations to be mixed.

Architect Lays Out Condition, Ideas for Adams School

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Tina Soo Hoo with Arrowstreet Architecture & Design takes the Board of Selectmen through the conditions and potential of the Adams Memorial Middle School.

ADAMS, Mass. — With the Memorial Middle School roof replacement complete, the town is looking at the next steps in renovating the building for new use.

Tina Soo Hoo with Arrowstreet Architecture & Design met with the Selectmen during a workshop meeting Wednesday night to discuss the condition of the building and what possible uses it has.

She said the building is in good shape despite how long it has been left vacant

"Once a building goes vacant, and it is not taken care of, it can deteriorate very quickly, but in this case I think the town has tried to take good care of it as best as possible," Soo Hoo said. "Because of that, it looks like it is actually in decent shape."

The school was returned to the town after Hoosac Valley High School was renovated to accept middle school students.

Soo Hoo broke down possible tenant use into two phases.

First, she said, the youth center could move in and utilize the gymnasium and auditorium. She said there is also room for classrooms.

She added the auditorium is in great condition and can be rented out by local performing groups if there is an interest.

She said lower level's full kitchen and cafeteria space could be used for a food prep company that could create revenue for the town. A regional saucemaker had evinced interest more than two years ago in leasing the kitchen.

Also, there is also room for office space on the lower level. She said a startup company could rent the space and create revenue for the town.

She said there is also room for classrooms and a new Council on Aging office.

Phase 2 would consist of turning the classroom wing into senior housing. She said there is room for possibly five one-bedroom apartments and 15 studio apartments.

She said the building has three separate entrances that will keep the buildings different uses separate.

"The way that the building is situated … there is an opportunity for three separate entrances depending on the tenants," she said. "The seniors will have their own entry so there is a separation, and they will never cross paths with the rest of the building."



Beth Murphy from MassDevelopment said the building has many possibilities and would be a great addition to the downtown.

"You have a really valuable resource in this building. The auditorium is great and so is the gym and that is something that can be utilized by the community the classroom wing can be turned into mostly likely affordable senior housing," Murphy said. "All of these things together are going to bring a lot more activity to your downtown. This is going to reinforce the kind of activity you have worked so hard over the years to activate."

It's been suggested the school could be used for offices, commercial kitchen, youth center, Council on Aging and senior housing.

Soo Hoo said the next obvious big improvement is the HVAC system. The building cannot be inhabited without this replacement.

"The system that is there is original, and it's definitely surpassed its life," she said. "In terms of costs that will be the biggest improvement the building will need."

She said stucco-insulated material can be used to help protect the exterior of the building from rain and water damage. She said a sprinkler and seismic upgrade will be needed to bring the building up to code.

She said structurally the building does not need much.

She advocated for the replacement of all the windows, too, with more energy efficient ones.

Building Commissioner Don Fitzgerald said he was impressed by the condition of the building, too.

"You have a building that is in very good condition that could suite your purpose for assembly, youth group, and open to the public a gym and auditorium," Fitzgerald said. "They are very good spaces, and you have the rest of the place that goes with it you can pretty much do what you want with the building. It is in great shape."

Murphy said many schools throughout the commonwealth have been renovated and turned into elderly housing. She said Adams is lucky to have the possibility of mixed use in the building because it can apply for more grants.

"What is unusual here is to have these terrific public spaces attached to the building, and I haven't seen it done exactly this way, but it actual makes it more doable because you can split up your funding sources," she said. "There are a number of different pots you can tap into."

The board plans to create a committee to help look for funding and determine usage for the building.


Tags: Adams Memorial Middle School,   mixed use,   school reuse,   senior housing,   

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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