Mount Greylock Prepping for Opening Day May 20
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The state is hiring a parks supervisor for Mount Greylock State Reservation but the individual will likely not be in place by the time the summit and Bascom Lodge open on May 20.
"That's good because in January, we got a letter saying we don't have any money," Mount Greylock Advisory Chairman Cosmo Catalano Jr. said. "It's a nice reversal of fortunes."
The advisory council has been advocating to replace the full-time, year-round supervisor who left last year — but the Department of Recreation and Conservation has been reducing its budget and its staffing.
There was no full-time staff on the mountain this past winter and the Visitors Center was forced to reduce hours to weekends. The winter before, there were two full-time staff and three seasonal workers.
"We hope to open back up seven days a week, on or before May 20, when we get a fuller staff here at Greylock," Trails Coordinator Becky Barnes said of the Visitors Center on Rockwell Road. "We do miss that contact with our visitors. It's really important to have this place open."
Some 150,000 people visit the state's highest summit, which is crisscrossed by trails including the Appalachian Trail and offers scenic views, hiking, biking, skiing and camping.
At Tuesday's council meeting, Catalano passed around a letter from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs confirming that supervisors would be hired for both Mount Greylock and Mohawk Trail State Forest.
"I am pleased to share some good news about the upcoming season. DCR has recently approved the hiring of two full-time Forest and Park Supervisor III employees in your district," according to the letter addressed to state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi and state Sen. Adam Hinds. "This full-time Greylock employee, together with the summer seasonal staff, will enable DCR to resume regular programming, such as summit tours, guided hikes and interpretive services at the Visitors Center."
The council and local officials had prevailed upon Cariddi and Hinds to advocate on the park's behalf.
Barnes said a seasonal supervisor was hired on April 9 and seasonal help will be ready, although starting later in the spring and ending earlier in the fall than usual.
"We're going to have coverage," she said, referring to the start of the season. "A year-round position may take a little bit longer to fill than a seasonal position. They have to go through a more rigorous review process."
Catalano said it was good to have folks in all the towns contacting state officials. "It makes people pay attention than just one person writing letter," he said.
However, there are concerns that DCR's budget will continue to drop even as fees for out-of-state visitors are expected to rise.
Gov. Charlie Baker's budget for fiscal 2018 is recommending $82 million, about $4 million less than last year, with about $35 million for state parks and $15.5 million for seasonal employees.
"The Environmental League of Massachusetts is not optimistic about the DCR budget at the State House this year," Catalano said. "We'll see what that prediction turns out to be."
Barnes confirmed that the parking charge on the summit for out-of-state visitors will rise but she wasn't sure by how much, estimating the fee will be between $7 and $10. The current fee is $6; the resident fee of $5 won't change.
The monies go into the general fund but DCR gets to keep a portion of proceeds from parking fees, leases and other revenues.
The $2 million War Memorial renovation has been on track for a Memorial Day opening but Barnes said a date has not yet been set. The contractors still have a punch list to go through and they have not yet been on the mountain, she said.
In other business:
• Barnes reported the town of New Ashford published a request for proposals for the grading and repairing of Greylock Road. The town received a $333,000 grant to rebuild the 3.7 miles of mountain access road.
She anticipated the seasonal gravel road would be operated as it has been similar to the park's roads by closing it during muddy seasons and opening it in the summer and for snowmobiling in the winter.
• She said work was ongoing in cleaning up winter debris and that the campground was next. Bascom Lodge was also being prepped for opening day. The trails will be later and she was looking for volunteer help.
"It's a huge job for us and we're trying to get the lodge and campground done first," Barnes said.
Tags: advisory committee, DCR, Mount Greylock,
