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The East Street building is no longer suitable for the Youth Center.

Adams Officials Review Youth Center RFP, Projects

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Selectmen heard updates on the RFP for the Youth Center building and town projects at its Wednesday workshop meeting.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen on Wednesday reviewed community development projects and the request for proposals for the old Youth Center.

The 20 East St. property is in disrepair and not up to the building code and the town has decided to attempt to sell it and find a new home for the Youth Center, possibly the Memorial Building.

Director of Community Development Donna Cesan said the RFP allows the town to inquire about proposed uses from potential buyers and can question what the new use will do for the tax rate.

She said the RFP also states that the town will not take on any of the building's expenses and that there have been no contamination studies done by the town.

"We want possible purchasers to understand that the town is not going to make any improvements to the building or the utilities; it is as is," Cesan said.

The RFP includes information on the building's history, utilities, zoning, and the neighborhood. The RFP also asks proposers to write a letter of intent, facility description, and finance capacity.

"We want to provide as much information as we can to try to generate interest in the property and to get interest parties information so they can develop a more comprehensive proposal," she said.

Cesan said after the RFP is issued, the Selectmen should create a committee that will go through the proposals, hold interviews, and make a recommendation to the board. The purchase and sale would then have to go to town meeting.

She anticipates the process taking between four and six months.

Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian was concerned that the Youth Center would be "kicked out" if the town is able to sell the building. If the Memorial Building is not ready the center may not have a home.

Youth Center representative Edmund St. John IV said it has other locations in mind and may be able to cut a deal with the new owner.

"There is plan an A, B, C, and possibly a D and an F," he said. "We are a small business that has been around for over 40 years and small business are the backbone of small towns."

Cesan also updated the board on various town projects.

She said the "horizontal work" on the Adams Station is complete and the work on the actual structure should begin Monday.

"It's going to be a rapid project," she said. "It will be an attractive location to get out of the rain or sun whether you are using the bike trail or looking to get on the tourist train."

Cesan said she plans to bring an RFP for the Greylock Glen campground within a month or two

"We want to make a very attractive package for future campground developers or operators," she said. "We want to show the beauty of the site and have it also ... work as a marketing tool."

She said construction on the Charles Street Bridge, which was knocked out by Hurricane Irene, will start July 1 and should be complete before September.

Cesan said lining and other minor work on Park Street will be complete by mid-June. 


Tags: road work,   train stations,   youth center,   

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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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