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The Finance Committee voted to recommend most spending articles on the annual town meeting warrant.

Adams Finance Committee Approves 2016 Town Warrant

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance Committee last week approved the town warrant but expressed some concern over articles that would appropriate money for the Adams Agricultural Fair and to make repairs to C.T. Plunkett School.

The committee flew through most articles Thursday during its review of the budget hesitated on recommending an article that would appropriate up to $130,000 to make repairs to Plunkett's boiler room roof.

Finance Committee member Jeffrey Lefebvre, who held the article for discussion, said he felt Cheshire should have to pony up some money for the repairs. The school is part of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said the town is 100 percent responsible for capital outlays for Plunkett because it is leased it to the regional school district. Likewise, Cheshire is purely responsible for its elementary school.

"Plunkett is owned by the town of Adams and Cheshire Elementary is owned by the town of Cheshire," Mazzucco said. "We just have to make sure we are protecting ourselves because we own the building, and we have already have several albatrosses around our necks."

Mazzucco said if Cheshire was to close its school, Adams would not have to pay anything to maintain it. If Plunkett closes, it is solely Adams' responsibility, much like the Memorial Building.

Lefebvre agreed but felt the school district stuck the Memorial Building to the town and said he did not want that to happen with Plunkett. That building, formerly an elementary school and later middle school, was returned to the town when the middle school grades were moved to Hoosac Valley High School.

"I understand that, and the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District basically should change their name to the elevator company because we got the shaft on that there," Lefebvre said. "I don't think we should pay it ourselves, but we have to fix it."

Finance Committee member Craig Corrigan said he was upset that the town is responsible for these repairs when it has provided the school district with money for maintenance every year.

"What annoys me about this is, over the years, I have sat here and watched school budget after school budget be passed, and in those budgets ... there is money for maintenance," Corrigan said. "We will end up owning the buildings that they ruin that we pay them to maintain. It's a joke."

He advocated for cutting the school budget and having the town take on school building maintenance.

Mazzucco said the district, unfortunately, does not have room in its budget for these repairs, but he has been in discussion with school officials about having the town take over building maintenance and having the district pay the town.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to have the town responsible for that maintenance with the corresponding cut to the district budget so the tax dollars balance out," he said. "It would allow the town to ultimately control the facilities that we are responsible for one way or the other."

Mazzucco said the Finance Committee could meet with the School Committee to get a better picture of maintenance needs in the district and perhaps talk about getting the town more involved.

The committee also held up the citizen's petition article the town sees annually that asks for $5,000 for the Aggie Fair.

Lefebvre said he felt it was appropriate for the town to continue to give the money to the fair, but thought the amount should be in the budget as a regular line item.



Mazzucco said the town could do that but it could open up the annual budget to other town groups and events that request funding from the annual budget.

"There is nothing wrong with it ... but what else goes into the capital budget?" Mazzucco said. "We still have to move a police cruiser or a truck into the regular capital budget and out of the general fund."

He added that the selectmen plan to meet with Aggie Fair organizers and go over what the field needs and learn what they do with the money.

Chairman Timothy Burdick said the town has no problem cutting funds for youth programs but doesn't blink an eye when donating to the fair. He said he will likely vote in approval of the article, but there may be years the town cannot do it.

He added that it would be nice to see where the money goes.

"They are talking about possibly using it to replace a tractor. Now who owns the tractor? Not the town," Burdick said. "So then we can't really put it into the budget. It's like giving me $5,000 to buy a tractor."

Corrigan agreed and said the money should only go toward operating costs and improvements to Bowe Field. Equipment should come out of funds the fair raises on their own.

Fair co-founder and Selectman Joseph Nowak said the fair used to receive nearly 50 percent reimbursement from the state but that funding source dried up 15 years ago. After 42 years, the fair only has $7,000 in its bank account.

"I think we do a great service for this community and $5,000 I think isn't asking too much for what we give back," Nowak said.  

He said if the fair has low attendance one year, it could be financially in shambles.

The largest expense the fair incurs is prize money.

"In order to get cattle here, farmers have to leave their farms, and we have to offer great prize money," Nowak said. "Also, money for horse and oxen pullers. We paid out $40,000 just in prize money last year."

He assured the Finance Committee that the money is needed and goes to a good use. He said without it, it will become more difficult to sustain the fair.

"I am very fond of the agricultural community, and they are the hardest working people that I know," Nowak said. "The town of Adams at one time had 40 farms and we are down to one dairy farm. In time, there won't be a place where people can go and bring children to be face to face with animals. It is part of our fabric."

The Finance Committee decided to take no action on the article, something it often does for citizen's petition articles.


Tags: Aggie Fair,   Plunkett,   town meeting 2016,   town meeting warrant,   

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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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