ADAMS, Mass. — The Hoosac Valley Elementary School finally has a structurally sound roof over its boiler room.

 

"This has been around for a while now, but we did allocate money for it and we knew it needed to be done," Chairman John Duval said at last week's meeting of the Selectmen.

 

Discussions about repairing the roof go back to 2016, when the Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee began the process of closing one of its two elementary schools.

 

The roof on the formerly named C.T Plunkett boiler room was in disrepair and with the cost likely to have some effect on the School Committee's decision, the town of Adams pledged to fund the repair.

 

Initially, the project was estimated to cost nearly $400,000, however, then town Administrator Tony Mazzucco thought this amount was not realistic. The project was held up until this past fall, when the town brought on Souliere & Zepka Construction who could do the repair for $198,000.

 

With Cheshire Elementary School's untimely closing, this delay did deepen the rift between the two towns. Cheshire had concerns that Adams did not actually intend to repair the roof.

 

Interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan's written report to the Selectmen stated that the lengthy project is essentially complete. She wrote that a final punch list needs to be formed and after those items are completed, the project can be closed out.

 

Another project Cesan listed in her report was the upcoming demolition of the 50 Commercial St. property the town recently received permission from housing court to take down. 

 

"If you have been by there, I am sure that you have seen the fence surrounding that building," Duval said. "We thank the [Department of Public Works] for taking care of that for us and it is coming down."

 

Cesan, who did not attend the meeting, wrote that the demolition will go out to bid this week.

 

Late last year, the town gave owner Charles Ransford 30 days to demolish the building on his own because it was a public safety concern. Ransford did not do this.

 

Cesan wrote that the town is still waiting on approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection because the building does contain hazardous materials and whoever is awarded the demolition bid will have to remove all the debris.

 

The demolition will be paid out of the slum and blight removal line item in the budget, however, a lien will be placed on the property in an attempt to recoup costs.