ADAMS, Mass. — The town has received three bids for the nearly $1 million Hoosac Valley Rail Station Platform Project.
The bids opened on Thursday are to construct a boarding platform at the Hoosac Station at 4 Hoosac St. that would allow passengers to board the Berkshire Scenic Railway that extends to North Adams.
"I am excited we received three bids," interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan said Thursday. "This is going to be a great project."
The nonprofit scenic rail switched its boarding to Adams this fall after the construction of the last six-tenths of a mile of track by the state Department of Transportation, which owns the line. Dubbed the Hoosac Valley Service, the scenic rail's began operating its Budd car just two years ago after the completion of the state's purchase of the largely unused rail spur.
The nearly hourlong weekend rides had been ending at Renfrew Street, where the track ends, until this this fall. The decision was made to board at Adams because of the infrastructure already available.
Adams spent more than a half-million in grants and local funding to purchase and rehabilitate a closed car wash into the welcoming area for the train and Ashuwillticook Rail Trail; directly across the street is the Visitors Center and public parking.
Last month, the Selectmen Chairman John Duval helped cut the ribbon at the launch of the Tinseliner, the volunteer organization's Christmas special that ended this past weekend. Though the ride began in Adams, it stopped at the terminus in North Adams to allow passengers to deboard and have hot chocolate and chose among the Christmas trees being sold to benefit Popcares Inc.
"It's gratifying to our vision coming together little by little with the Adams facility and now reaching North Adams," said Jay Green, president and general superintendent, at the ribbon cutting. "The final vision is we'll be able to use Adams Station as a welcoming facility ... and we'll have the full level platform. ...
"They're going to try so it matches the mill architecture and the industrial heritage of the town and to match the Adams Station as well. It's going to be very convenient."
Green said the completion of the rail line, and the new boarding platform, will allow the nonprofit to begin bigger advertising push. It's ridership is at about 10,000 during its summer weekend service. The two communities and the state see the scenic rail as a positive economic development in bringing in visitors.
The lowest base bid for the platform came from Northern Construction Service LLC at $827,138 with two alternate base bids of $748,138 and $714,919.
The highest bid came from Salco Construction Co. Inc. with a submitted base bid of $1,179,210.
In the middle is J & M Geary Construction Inc. that offered a base bid of $971,661 with two alternative base bids of $948,631 and $967,004.
Cesan said the project engineer HDR Inc. will review the bids and make a recommendation. The town is working with MassDOT on the design and bidding of the passenger platform. The project is likely to commence in the spring.
The timber platform will have metal railings, a canopy and stairs. The platform will be supported on reinforced concrete foundations.
The project will also include a walkway, chain link fence, electrical and the installation of wayfinding signs.
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Adams Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
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Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
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Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more