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'Mountain Pool,' as viewed from the Berkshire Scenic Railway, is the second mural to be installed as part of the Art on the Trail initiative.
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The scenic railway offered a special reception ride for the unveiling since the work can be best seen from the tracks.
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Artist Bill Riley says a few words about the mural while the train stopped at the wastewater treatment plant.
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The original painting was blown up 12 times to create the 10x12 version on the wastewater treatment plant.
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The plant is tucked away off Lime Street so the mural is not easily seen by the passing motorist.

New Mural Unveiled on Adams Wastewater Treatment Plant

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Arts Advisory Board unveiled a new piece of public art on the wastewater treatment plant during a ride on the Berkshire Scenic Rail.
 
On the train ride Friday afternoon, artist Bill Riley said he was proud to be able to display his piece "Mountain Pool" in Adams.
 
"The mural itself is an ode to the purification of water," he said. "I am excited by the idea that this piece is for the viewing of the scenic trail rider connecting Adams and North Adams."
 
He added that he was grateful that the town of Adams in conjunction with the Adams Arts Advisory Board allowed him to add another piece to Art on the Trail initiative. 
 
"I am honored to place my artwork in such an industrial area and to have the possibility of recreating the context that we see in this place," he said. "I mean for the mural to be a point and a series of points along the trail encouraging people along the trail traveling between the towns to have a cultural experience."
 
A scenic artist for Metropolitan Opera, Riley said the vinyl mural is 10-feet by 2012-feet and was blown up 12 times from the original acrylic painting. 

This is the second installment of Arts on the Trail. The first was "Crows Local" by Patricia Fietta that was placed on her Grove Street mill along the bike trail.

 
There are several other locations the Adams Arts Advisory Board would like to install art, but the most immediate location in the queue is the back of the Adams Theater. The idea is to locate visual and sculptural art that can be seen from the state-owned trail. The works are being installed on municipal and participating private properties.
 
"Mountain Pool" was specifically located to be viewed from the nonprofit railway's Hoosac Valley Service that runs between Adams and North Adams on the weekends. An extension of rail trail will eventually run alongside the track through that section in the future; it currently ends at Lime Street.
 
"We want to cover as much as we can and take anything that may not be as pleasing to the eye and put something there," Riley said. "That way people see the landscape in a new context."  
 

Tags: art installation,   arts advisory board,   murals,   scenic rail,   

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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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