Adams Holding Special Town Meeting to OK $2.5M for Storm Repairs
ADAMS, Mass. — Town meeting members will vote on Thursday whether to approve an emergency $2.5 million borrowing to address infrastructure damage caused by heavy rains in September.
The special town meeting will be held in the Hoosac Valley Elementary School auditorium at 7 p.m. The borrowing is the article on the warrant.
In mid-September, two storms flew through Adams within a week of each other. The deluge produced so much rain that the town's flood control system was overwhelmed as water cascaded down the mountain.
Flooding affected Lime, Davis, North Summer, and Charles street areas, in particular, damaging private properties and causing more than $2 million in damage to public infrastructure.
The town cannot receive federal or state Emergency Management Agency funds because the storms only affected Adams.
The town reached out to its state representatives who are trying to secure $1.9 million to make these repairs, however, with winter around the corner, the town needed to make quick repairs — specifically the Glen Street sinkhole and the deteriorating East Road.
Town officials declared a state of emergency in early October that has allowed them to deficit spend to make these repairs immediately.
With a reimbursement not guaranteed, they plan to borrow smaller amounts as needed in hopes they will not have to borrow the entire $2.5 million.
Although the town can start expending money right away because of the emergency declaration, town meeting approval is still needed.
Town meeting members are being urged to attend because, without a quorum, the vote would be delayed.
A town meeting workshop was held Tuesday night to educate town meeting members on the situation.
Tags: municipal borrowing, special town meeting, storm damage,
