Adams to Hold Special Town Meeting Nov. 15

ADAMS, Mass. — Town meeting members will be asked to approve additional money for repairs and upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant at a special town meeting to be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Memorial Building

The warrant is open for citizen's petitions until 5 p.m. on Oct 19.

Town meeting gave the OK to just over $5 million for the plant in 2021. The plant was built in 1968 and had only a partial upgrade in 2006.

Town Accountant Crystal Wojcik said the additional amount needed is in the range of about $2 million. 

"After the bids went out, it came back and it turned out that the project was higher than expected," she said. "So we are going back to town meeting to ask for authorization for the additional amount of money." 

In other business, the board approved a facility use request for the Pumpkin Walk from Oct. 28 to 30. The board also set the hours for trick-or-treating, which will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Halloween. 

"Last year, I don't know how many pumpkins we had, but we had a lot of pumpkins all out on display," said Town Clerk Haley Meczywor on the Pumpkin Walk. "We put Little tea lights inside and we light them up, and there's jack-o'-lanterns all over the place at the Visitor Center. It's wonderful for the young children, and it's wonderful for the younger adults and the older adults. It's inter-generational so you can come on down with your whole family, and you get to enjoy and walk around and see all the neat carvings that everybody has done." 

The board also approved a facility use request from the Adams Lions Club for its annual Halloween parade on Oct. 30. The club will serve hot dogs to participants of the event free of charge. 

• The board approved adjustments to the activity use limitations for 1 Cook St., the former Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain site, which will soon be a park. Coughlin said site cleanup has allowed them to lessen the restrictions on the property. 

• The board ratified the position of Kevin Rayner as a planner for the town. Rayner started on Oct. 6.

• The board approved a prorated seasonal liquor license for Poseidon Coffee.

• The board ratified the position of operator Tristan Frieri.

• The board approved an entertainment license for the Firehouse Cafe.

Adams Housing Authority Rededicates McAndrews Community Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:30PM / Saturday, May 18, 2024

The new dedication sign includes the names of the first director and board chair of the Housing Authority. 

ADAMS, Mass. — It started with changing out the old box lights in the community room at Columbia Valley.

 

It ended with fully refurbished room along with a refreshed kitchen and ladies room. 

 

Residents of the senior living facility gathered in the new community room on Wednesday to rededicate it to James McAndrew and welcome Housing Secretary Edward Augustus.

 

"This room hadn't been touched since the 1980s," said Adams Housing Authority Executive Director William Schrade, describing it as a place to gather that "wasn't friendly, wasn't smiling." 

 

So first came the box lights, and then in consultation with maintenance chief Matthew Puricelli. Then it was replacing the old leaky windows, and why not take off the old wallpaper and paint, and if you're doing that, might as well pull up the old carpet and put down a new one. 

 

"We thought we were done. I said kitchen really needed to be done because they has a 1970s look," said Schrade. "[Puricelli] took charge of that, too, and got creative and with the tools that were given to him.

 

"He knocked it out and then made the worst mistake and said, 'I've done all this I might as well finish and do the women's bathroom.' I said I think that's a great idea. [Secretary Augustus] is coming in three weeks, so you're gonna have to jump on this."