Adams Selectmen Approve Town Warrant
ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen approved last week the 30-article annual town meeting warrant.
Town meeting will take place on Monday, June 24, at 7 p.m. in the Hoosac Valley Elementary School auditorium.
The board went through the entire warrant Wednesday and ultimately approved it after holding a few articles for discussion.
"We want to get these to town meeting members ahead of time so they can take time to absorb it and to do their due diligence," Town Administrator Jay Green said. "So thank you to town staff and officials for that."
Green said Articles 1 through 21 are annual procedural budget items that include the fiscal 2020 budget of $15.8 million.
Articles 22 through 29 are special articles:
• Article 22 will ask the town to accept the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District agreement amendment that includes changing the district's name to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District.
• Article 23 appropriates money from the economic development fund for economic development expenses and Article 24 will see if the town will accept the special tax agreement with B&B Micro Manufacturing.
• Article 26 will authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey certain permanent and temporary easements on Route 8 on the Commercial Street end to make improvements to the road.
Selectman John Duval noted that although the road renovation is a state project, there is a small portion of the road the town will be responsible for.
"The road from the bridge to the state highway just south of Mullin Mayflower, the town will have to pave that or leave it as is," he said. "I think it would be a good idea to get that done."
• Article 27 will see if the town will appropriate $425,000 to be used to make improvements to the town common. The town is seeking a $297,000 grant and if granted the town will only have to pay the balance.
• Article 28 will allow the town to dedicate the town common to active and passive recreational use only. This designation is needed in order to apply for the aforementioned grant.
• Article 29 will allow the town to create a commission to act on behalf of the town as the master tenant and developer of land at the Greylock Glen.
"This essentially mirrors the mechanism used to develop Mass MoCA and the town will still retain control of the project but ... when it is built it is going to operate at a level that really town resources can't handle," Green said. "This will permit it to have the resources it needs to nourish and grow."
He added that the new structure would also invite private investment.
"The nonprofit structure will allow donations to be made to the project and to invite private investment," he said. "The town is going to have to leverage every legal and funding option we have in order to build it and operate it."
In other business, the Selectmen voted to keep the transfer station permit fee at $50 and bag tags at $1.20
"It does cost the town to remove every commodity up there so that is why we charge a permit fee," Green said. "I feel at $50 is fair and competitive with what other communities around us charge."
The Selectmen did add a $10 replacement sticker fee.
The board also noted the additional Thursday evening hours from 3 to 7. These hours end September 15.
Green did add that the transfer station staff is more cognizant of residents using the facility without a permit, which has been a problem in the past.
"We want to tighten up that communication and let people know that they have to have that permit to access the facility," he said. "Just a few weekends ago the staff turned away 20 folks without a permit."
The board also reorganized Wednesday and Selectwoman Christine Hoyt will serve as the new chairman and James Bush will serve as vice chairman.
Selectman Joseph Nowak was the lone vote against Hoyt because he felt it was his turn to be nominated to chair the board.
"I am in my third term and I have never been asked to be the chairman of this board," Nowak said. "If the board doesn't feel confident that is their decision but what I need and what I get all of the time is the support of the people of the town of Adams ... I just want all the people in Adams to know that I am on your side."
The Selectmen declared that the townwide tag sale will be Aug., 10 from 8 to 4.
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