The Appalachian Mountain Club will no longer manage Bascom Lodge and the Visitors’ Center on Mount Greylock, the state’s highest mountain, ending an arrangement of 15 years, an AMC spokesman said this week.
“The AMC is basically moving out of the Berkshires,†said John Brennan, AMC manager at Bascom Lodge Monday.
The decision to end the arrangement was voted by the AMC board in Boston last week, said Brennan.
“We’ve been here 15 years,†said Brennan.
The decision, he said, was prompted by lodge’s need for extensive repairs — totalling about $1 million.
“Bascom Lodge needs a tremendous amount of work, a new septic system, a new water system. Right now, the waste is trucked out,†he said.
“We’ve had a contractual arrangement with DEM to manage Bascom Lodge and in exchange we provide programs,†said Brennan.
He is one of six full-time AMC staffers at Mount Greylock, where seasonal employees number about 30.
“We have programs that will run through April,†he said. “We’re not leaving here until May 31.â€
AMC spokesman Hal Lacroix in the Boston office said, “We’re sending a letter to DEM this week notifying them that we’re going to discontinue our management of the Visitors Center and Bascom Lodge.
“We’re looking for some other offices in the area,†he said.
“We intend to continue our full commitment to our conservation and trails program out here,†he said. “Our maintaining the trails will not change at all. We have a trained staff that are experts at trail maintenance, and we have very active volunteer membership.
“But whether we’ll still be leading hikes remains to be seen.â€
“We have an extensive program, and [its future] is still to be determined.â€
The lodge is closed for the winter, but, Lacroix noted, “we’ve led workshops out of the lodge.â€
The lodge is a popular stopover for through-hikers. The workshops and hikes attract both visitors and local residents. And the berry brunches in season are regular sell-out attractions.
Said Lacroix, “The key thing is that we’re not going to be operating the lodge with overnights and food service, and we’ll be out of managing the visitors’ center.
“It’s an environmental issue, really, on top of the summit. DEM is mandated by the state to upgrade its water and waste disposal system. They need to deal with it. It’s been identified for quite a while, that the septic system was failing.â€
“After April we don’t have any plans to operate out of the lodge. The workshop and education program is undergoing changes. The specific situation is related to environmental issues,†he said. “Elsewhere, the club is thriving.â€
The Appalachian Mountain Club has 87,000 members nationwide, 32,000 of them in Massachusetts.
The club maintains 350 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and New Hampshire, and has 1,400 miles of trail, some of it in the Berkshires.
Douglas Poland, DEM regional supervisor of forests and parks, referred inquiries to state Director of Forests and Parks Todd Fredericks in Boston, who could not be reached for comment.
Poland said only that the AMC and DEM planned to make a joint release about the change.
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Windsor Man Promoted to Major in National Guard
WINDSOR, Mass. — Corbin Lounsbury of Windsor was recently promoted to major in the New York Army National Guard.
Major Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general for the state of New York, announced the recent promotion of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their capability for additional responsibility and leadership.
Lounsbury, assigned to Cyber Protection Team 173, received a promotion Sept. 5 to the rank of major.
Army National Guard promotions are based on a soldier's overall performance, demonstrated leadership abilities, professionalism, and future development potential. These promotions recognize the best-qualified soldiers for a career in the New York Army National Guard.
There are 20,000 members in New York's Army, Air National Guard, the Naval Militia, and the New York Guard. They are managed by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, the state's executive agency responsible to the governor.
Guardsmen and women are eligible for monthly pay, educational benefits, international travel, technical and leadership training, health and dental insurance, and contributions towards retirement programs similar to a 401(k).
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