Adams Planning to Sell Old Community Center Building

The Selectmen agreed to begin the process of selling off the old community center as soon as possible.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen have agreed to begin drafting a request for proposals for the current Adams Youth Center property at 20 East St.

The Youth Center hopes to move into the Memorial Middle School once the heating and ventilation system is has been replaced.

The town determined several years ago to divest itself of the East Street Community Center. The Council on Aging, which had shared the building with the Youth Center, removed to the Visitors Center more than two years ago.

Town Administrator Anthony Mazzucco asked the Selectmen at Wednesday's workshop meeting if it would be advantageous to get the RFP out as soon as possible.

Whether the school can be occupied is dependent on whether the town receives a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant. Director of Community Development Donna Cesan said the town will not know if until summer if it will receive this money.

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he is hesitant to go forward with the RFP because he does not want to leave the Youth Center without a place to stay if the town does not receive the money needed to make the building habitable.

"I certainly would like to makes sure that the Youth Center has a home before the youth center [building] goes up for sale," he said. "I don't want to push the Youth Center out when they don't have a place to go."

Mazzucco said the RFP process could take six months to a year.

"I think possibly before we have to act, we would hear if we received the money anyways," Mazzucco said. "So I think we just have to make sure we get the two processes to collide together."

Selectman Richard Blanchard said the Youth Center has been offered places to stay temporarily if the school building cannot be used and so it will not be without a home.

Selectmen Arthur "Skip" Harrington said it would be good to get the RFP out as soon as possible because the sale of the community center building could help fund the Memorial School.

The East Street Community Center was once a dormitory attached to a sanitorium for priests and nuns.

The town has attempted to fund the Memorial Building project completely with state and federal grants. After receiving funds to replace the former middle school's roof, the town set its eyes on the final step needed to make the building usable: the HVAC system. Because of this, the process has taken a long time and the town has been waiting for something to nudge the project in a forward direction.

Harrington said if the community center is sold it could help fund the Memorial School project and move the whole process forward faster.

"If we get a buyer, it might help us out getting the chicken ready for the egg or the egg ready for the chicken," Harrington said.

The board also agreed that the building will be hard to sell and it would be best to start as soon as possible.

Cesan said the town could add a condition to the RFP that would allow the Youth Center to occupy the East Street property for an agreed amount of time if the town does not receive the funds for the school building. She said this way the center will have a home until the funds or a temporary location can be found.

"I think there are ways of still getting information to the board and town that … could be very helpful as we go forward with the Memorial building without creating any hardship," Cesan said.

Mazzucco also handed out packets to the board members containing information on all of the town-owned property. He said he would like them to go through them and sort them all into categories in hopes that they can find land they can sell, rehab, develop, or maybe even give away to abutters. He said research will be involved to see why and when the town received the properties.

Community Hero of the Month: Christine Hoyt

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:25PM / Saturday, May 04, 2024

Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, in green, came up with the idea of celebrating local business by having a ribbon cuttings with board members present. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month.

 

The Community Hero of the Month series, in partnership with Haddad Auto, recognizes individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted their community. Nominate a community hero here. 

 

Hoyt has been a valuable member of the Berkshire County community since moving to Adams in 2005 from central New York state. 

 

With no friends or family in the area, she became involved with her new community by working with numerous organizations and serving on multiple committees. 

 

She participated in the Berkshire Leadership Program through the then-Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. This started her on the path to working with nonprofit boards, so she started serving with Youth Center Inc. and then ran for election as a town meeting member. She has been on the Board of Selectmen since 2017 and is currently serving her second term as chair. 

 

"[Berkshire County is] a welcoming community. So, when I moved here, I didn't have any friends or family, and I still felt like I was able to connect with people. I was able to get involved in a number of different initiatives," Hoyt said.

 

"So, I've always felt like this community just opens their arms and welcomes everybody into it. I try to do my part to extend those arms and welcome people into the conversation and into various groups and committees."