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The small Charles Street Bridge has been closed since Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

Adams Considers Bids for Station, Charles Street Bridge

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Hard landscaping is complete at what will be the Adams Station but reconstruction of the former carwash is still ahead.

ADAMS, Mass. – The town received four bids ranging from $97,000 to $197,000 for the structural construction of the Adams Station.

The former car wash will be transformed to welcome visitors from the Berkshire Scenic Railway's Hoosac Valley Service that will eventually have a terminus there.

The lowest bidder was Sommer Electric Inc. with $97,200. The highest bid was $197,000 from Meadow Construction Co. LLC.

Salco Construction Co. Inc. bid $121,495 and Kurtz, Inc. bid $164,919.

With landscaping work complete, the contractor awarded with the project will begin work on the actual structure on the property.

This is the third time this project went out to bid because of high bid numbers and lack of applicants.

The town of Adams gave the total project a $552,000 budget. The town is responsible for $165,000 of the cost and the state will reimburse Adams for 70 percent of the project.

The town also has received five bids for the Charles Street Bridge replacement project ranging from $160,000 to $390,000.

In 2011, heavy flooding from Tropical Storm Irene damaged the bridge, making it unusable. The small bridge is one of two access points over a brook that connects several homes on the north side of Lime Street. The other bridge was repaired fairly quickly but the Charles Street one will require an expensive box culvert. The town began moving forward on the project after receiving $230,000 from a federal Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery.

William J. Keller & Sons Construction Corp. bid the lowest at $162,261 and New England Infrastructure Inc. the highest at $390,000.

Tom Ayotte Construction bid $177,215, Northern Construction Service LLC $219,000, and Clayton D. Davenport Trucking Inc. $304,000.

Project engineers said the bridge will be wider and more secure because it is likely the river will flood again, however, the new bridge will have less of an impact on the riverfront than the current one.


Tags: bidding,   bridge project,   Irene,   rail station,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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