Adams Selectmen Updating Business Recruitment Plan

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Selectmen reviewed ways to update the downtown business plan at Wednesday's workshop meeting.

ADAMS, Mass. – The Board of Selectmen are brainstorming ways to recruit and retain businesses.

The board on Wednesday reviewed the 80-page Downtown Development created in 2003 to help Adams create a more vibrant downtown.

Chairman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said it is important for the town to re-evaluate the document and see where Adams stands now.

"We all need to take inventory of what we have done, where we are today, and where we need to be," Harrington said. "We also need to take inventory of what is true today that was true 11 years ago."

Interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan said Adams has accomplished many of the goals in the plan but has fallen short on bringing business to Adams.

She said along with fixing downtown infrastructure and eliminating blight, the town attempted to get funds for a business coordinator, educate business owners, and create a downtown merchant association. She said these ventures were ultimately unsuccessful.

"I think I'd give us an A-plus for eliminating blight conditions, probably an A for physical improvements, and a failing grade when it comes to business development and recruitment," Ceasn said. "That's where we are today."

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he attributes the difficulties to large box stores moving into the area. He said the only way for a business to be successful now is to sell niche items that are often more costly.

"I have lived in Adams my whole life and before the advent of the big-box stores we were a wholesome community," Nowak said. "All the needs we needed could be done in our town …but once the big box stores come in it made it much more difficult for small business to stay in business."

Selectman Richard Blanchard proposed creating a business council focused on better communication and networking between the town and local merchants. Blanchard advocated for five associations representing business areas in Adams. The council would include a president and a vice president form the associations, the town administrator, and two selectmen.

"This basically is a think tank for business in Adams," Blanchard said. "This comes out of the Downtown Adams Group. They had a lot of good ideas, and I want to expand that to the whole town."

He said this group will focus on all 208 businesses in Adams, not just the 47 downtown.

Selectman John Duval said, in his experience, a committee of that size would fall apart over time.  

"The Selectmen change over the years, the business owners change over the years, and … people get busy," Duval said. "The meetings eventually just stop happening. To me, there is no constant."

Duval advocated for something more sustainable that works through the government. He said it would be worth the money to hire someone whose sole focus is to work with businesses and scout out new ones.

"It should be someone on the move. They should be in Boston, they should be in New York City, they should be in other states recruiting other businesses, and they should be working with the business owners in our community every day," Duval said.

Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian agreed with both Duval and Blanchard, but felt the focus should be on Park Street.

"I think we are in a begging position and not a choosing position," Snoonian said. "I think the majority of our focus should be on Park Street."

Snoonian said he thinks other businesses in town should be approached and asked if they would move to Park Street. He added it is critical to fill vacant storefronts and offer minimal rent to institutions like Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the Clark Art, and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and see if they would want to open up satellite locations in Adams.

Cesan then presented a draft downtown-business recruitment plan.

She said the first step of this plan would be to take inventory of what resources and space the town has downtown and pinpoint the market.

She said a lot of the buildings are not up to code and the next step would be to talk with the owners and make the buildings compliant.

After upgrades are made, she said it would be helpful to update the downtown property database and create a target business list after asking what residents would like to see in the downtown.

She said the next step would be to see if the town can actually meet the marketing standards of the businesses after looking at what kinds of areas these businesses thrive in; then contact the businesses directly.

"I'm thinking cold calls, setting up meetings with them, and starting to market … these spaces and ask what they need," Cesan said. "It is really that kind of very pedestrian effort that I think is going to be meaningful to this."

She said the final step would be to market and showcase properties and expedite the permitting process by creating a new town center bylaw.

Although many of the Adams business recruitment ventures were not successful, Harrington said they accomplished many of the other items in the plan.

"It was amazing to me how much of what was recommended has actually already been done," Harrington said. "Things have been moving along according to this plan to the extent to what is pragmatic and affordable."

Cesan said many of the revitalization projects were funded by the state and town money was only use to get them started and "ready for funding."

She said the town made improvements in expediting zoning permits as well as major upgrades to downtown infrastructure and blighted buildings

She said more than 23 percent of housing stock downtown was built prior to 1920. Some 75 percent of commercial and mixed-use buildings were in poor condition and 72 percent of residential structures were in poor condition. She added 85 percent of downtown infrastructure was in poor condition.

She attributed this to the lack of enforcement to make owners keep their buildings up to code. The town has since improved this.

She said by creating historic districts, the town was able to receive some state funding for the Facade and Signage Improvement Program.

More than 59 buildings were renovated along with some 280 housing units.

Harrington said despite any shortcoming, Adams is in a much better place today.

"It's a beautiful town and no one will argue with that," he said. "We have kept it that way and made it more beautiful, but where do we go from here?"


Tags: business development,   downtown,   economic development,   Park Street,   

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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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