Adams Receives 2015 CDBG Grant, Closes Out 2013 Projects
 Community Development Director Donna Cesan update the Selectmen on CDBG funding. |
ADAMS, Mass. — Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco told the Selectmen on Wednesday the town was awarded $587,728 for the fiscal 2015 Community Development Block Grant Program.
Some $580,000 will be used to pay for the engineering of the Visitors Center parking lot and continuation of the housing rehabilitation program.
Mazzucco thanked Director of Community Development Donna Cesan and her staff for all of their work.
"Kudos to Donna and her staff for another fantastic CDBG award," Mazzucco said. "There are lot of communities that got $0 so we are right up there with every other community in the state that is able to apply and access this program.”
Unfortunately, Adams was not awarded with money to replace the Memorial Building's heating and air conditioning system.
Cesan also updated the board during a public hearing on fiscal 2013 community block grant projects that have been closed out.
Out of the $913,618 awarded, $510,900 was used for the Park Street Renovation project, which ultimately cost $904,422.
She said the project was finished late spring.
"We have closed out the Park Street project, and we have received a number of compliments about the appearance of the project," Cesan said.
Another $269,618 from the grant was used for the Adams Housing Rehabilitation Project. Ten homes were targeted in the downtown area, however, only nine were able to be renovated.
"Five of the nine units renovated would have been lost, but we brought them up to code and now they are returned to safe and sanitary housing for town residents," Cesan said. "We feel good about it, even though we did not quite reach our unit goal.”
She said by the end of the month all units will be occupied.
She said with $76,210 in program delivery and staffing costs, $886,830.66 has been expended from the grant. She said the state will be sent a draw down request of $133,000 and when received, this will be used to pay bills and close out grant requirements.
Cesan also updated the board on the Berkshire Scenic rail project that she believes will be up in running in early fall of 2016.
She said the town’s industrial businesses will be able to make use the "major improvements"on the rail.
Cesan said all material for the Adams station has been ordered and should be completed by mid-August.
Police Chief Richard Tarsa requested the placement of a "no trespassing between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m." sign at the Visitors Center because of recent unwanted activity.
 |
Tarsa said a homeless person who was sleeping outside of the Visitors Center has been urinating and defecating in the back corner near the emergency exit.
He said the homeless person has moved on but people still loiter after hours at the Visitor Center.
Police have stepped up enforcement and the sign will give the police a "stronger bite," he said.
"We have had a bunch of kids standing there swearing at an officer ... fortunately we have a very thick skin and can stand there and take this from them, but ... we stand there and they can direct their verbal abuse toward us and we can’t act," Tarsa said. "If we had a trespassing sign ordinance on that property and they refused to leave, they are subject to arrest.”
The Selectmen said they would discuss it at their next workshop.
Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian spoke about the person arrested on July, 4 on Murray Street for allegedly planning acts of Terrorism.
"I think the most important thing that we need to point to is that he was caught, and I look at it as a victory for our area," Snoonian said.
He also spoke out against the Parks Commission's decision Monday to table the field use request Arts & Technology Public Charter School. The board felt it may worth debating if BArT should make some sort of contribution for using town fields and league equipment. One commissioner described the school as a "freeloader.”
"I think it is absurd that they would have to pay to use the fields and I think it was wrong and I don't the way it was handled," Snoonian said. "To be called freeloaders was completely wrong; they employ 60 people in town and the educate dozens of kids in Adams.”
Selectman Arthur "Skip"Harrington said anyone interested in aiding the selectmen in a community project to make repairs to the dog pound should contact the administrative assistant.
Tags: CDBG, visitors center,
