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The parking lot at the Visitors Center is undergoing a half-million dollar renovation.
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Part of the lot is used by the Adams Internists with which the town hopes to come to an agreement on parking use.

Adams Opts For Metered Parking at Visitors Center

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Selectmen gave the go-ahead on the parking kiosks at Wednesday's workshop meeting. The kiosks have been part of the Visitors Center parking plan but the board had held off on final approval. 

ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen have given interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan the OK to purchase kiosks for the Visitors Center parking lot.

Cesan had asked the board what direction they wanted to go in regarding metered parking now that the parking lot renovation project is well underway. 

"We are at a point now where we really need to make a decision are we going to install a pay for parking kiosk or are we going to forgo that," she said. "We know that this area is becoming a focus of our visitors and I think there are many tourists who are used to paying for parking."

The town awarded the project to C&A Construction Co. Inc., which bid $518,000. The town received $700,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the project.

The plans include eliminating the center median, installing a new entrance, improved drainage and more parking spaces.

At an April meeting before the contractor broke ground, Cesan brought up the kiosks but gave the board time to consider them. There is already money in the budget for the kiosks.

The board was concerned about Council on Aging members and the patients and employees of the adjacent Adams Internists having to pay to use the lot.

Cesan said the Council on Aging, now in the Visitors Center, will eventually be moving to the Memorial Building but they would have to work out an agreement with the Adams Internists. She said employees could be marked down so the parking attendant will not ticket them. As for patients, the town could allow the first hour free, which should accommodate them.

Selectwoman Christine Hoyt suggested that the Adams Internists be charged something.

"They are using our facility. They are not paying us anything for upkeep or anything," she said. "It is nice that they have business, but they are not helping us ... I do think that we need to do something."

The rest of the board agreed, and Selectman James Bush said he was also concerned about residents using and saturating the Greylock Credit Union and Big Y parking lots to avoid paying.

"People will find the free parking if they have pay to park there," Bush said. "They are going to go somewhere else ... the locals will know."

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he wanted the kiosks but felt they would not work if there was no parking attendant to consistently check them.

"It is only going to be a success if the attendant keeps up because your going to have to make sure that all of the meters in the town are controlled, otherwise it would not be fair," he said.

Hoyt said the town had budgeted for a part-time attendant but there is not enough money to hire a full-time attendant.

Selectman John Duval said he thought the kiosks would give the town some sort of revenue stream for parking lot maintenance.

"The parking lot that we have had was apparently not taken care of as well as it could have been ... and with a kiosk those are funds that can be used to fix things," he said. "We will have a higher rate of use on that lot so there will be some wear and tear."

Cesan said the considering the meters as a revenue stream is really secondary and that their main purpose is to keep cars moving.

"Typically, when you pay for parking it is not really a revenue source ... the primary motivation is looking at parking spaces as a commodity," she said. "You need to keep people moving."

Cesan added that much of the details can be figured out. She said the project would be completed in November, but the kiosks could be turned on whenever they want.

Hoyt said realistically, with free parking during the holidays, the kiosks should actually go live in early 2019.

The selectmen agreed the finer details could be worked out, but the town really needs to install the kiosks.

"This puts us to speed with modern times," Nowak said. "We have always been so parochial, and we don't want some things to change but kiosks are everywhere, and I don't see a problem with them."


Tags: parking,   parking meters,   visitors center,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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