ADAMS, Mass. — The Parks Commission is exploring different ways to secure the Russell Field tennis/pickleball courts after vandalism.
The commission read a report last week from the Department of Public Works that stated the brand-new tennis/pickleball courts have already been vandalized.
The report stated that people have sat on the nets that are now stretched out. The net hand cranks have been stripped, and there is graffiti on the court.
The commissioners agreed that the police should be made aware of the issue but acknowledged they may not have the time to enforce the park.
Commissioner James Fassell suggested locking the court up and leaving keys with local tennis organizations, however, the rest of the commission was hesitant to release keys out into the public.
A suggestion was made to install some sort of lockbox with a code that changed daily. Users could call the Town Hall and receive the new code. This way the town would also know who is using the court if vandalism occurs.
The commissioners felt both of these options could limit public use and agreed to pass off the issue to the Community Development Office.
They did recommend locking up the court with a combination lock in the interim. Users could call Town Hall to get the combination.
They also suggested a more immediate fix of locking the court at night. At the moment the court is always unlocked.
There was a concern if the already busy DPW squad would have time to lock and unlock the court. There was also the concern about unlocking the court on weekends with the DPW are not working.
As for the field itself, the commissioners had major concerns about the infield and wanted the contractors to know their grievances before they squared away the project. They asked that Community Development take this into consideration before they close out the project.
"I was down there a couple of weeks ago and it looked like it was wet in some spots," Commissioner Jacob Schutz said. "The drainage wasn't perfect. I would think it would be ok to ask that they take a strong look at these things."
The Russell Field project is in the final phase. In recent weeks contractors have fertilized and de-weeded the field slated for an early October completion.
Fassell felt the commission needed to be more proactive and made a motion, that went unanswered, to ask the contractor to pour mason sand in the infield to make it less muddy.
"I don't think it is acceptable at this point. I think it is a muddy infield and we need to control it," he said.
The commission did ask that Berkshire Arts and Technology Public Charter School limit its use of the field as the youth football program had done.
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Greylock Glen Outdoor Center 90% Complete
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The Greylock Glen Outdoor Center is about 90 percent finished with an anticipated completion date in August.
Matthew Sturz of owner's project manager Colliers International updated the Selectmen on the project's progress via Zoom on Wednesday.
"We'll work with the town to determine exactly the logistics of that," he said in response to questions about the opening. "I think that there's certainly interest in getting the facility open as soon as it can open. But we do need to conclude the construction activities ... it's not federally advisable to have construction activity going on with the public."
The completion will depend on getting a certificate of occupancy for the 10,000-square foot facility.
The $8.3 million project is running eight months behind the expected schedule, Sturz said, largely because of permitting with the state Department of Environmental Protection that required an extensive environmental review of endangered species, working with National Grid to determine how solar will be integrated into the project, and the need for a water system for both potable water and fire suppression.
"Transformers and all manner of electrical switchgear is being significantly impacted by supply chain issues throughout the construction industry," said Sturz. "So coordinating those items up front took a little bit longer than anticipated."
A 350,000-gallon water tank is being constructed on the grounds to provide water with completion expected by July or August.
Michael Wynn, who was selected in January to run the center, submitted a level operating budget of $57,500 but said he could pull funding from different lines to ensure there was money for advertising this fall.
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The Selectmen on Wednesday night voted to award the bid to Mackin Construction Co. Inc. of Greenfield, which plans to invest $11 million to build out 20 or more one- and two-bedroom apartments in the three-story classroom wing that parallels Columbia Street.
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The Selectmen two weeks ago had requested the utility appear before the board after receiving numerous complaints over flickering lights, including in Town Hall.
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Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more