Adams Holding Special Town Meeting to OK $2.5M for Storm Repairs

ADAMS, Mass. — Town meeting members will vote on Thursday whether to approve an emergency $2.5 million borrowing to address infrastructure damage caused by heavy rains in September.

The special town meeting will be held in the Hoosac Valley Elementary School auditorium at 7 p.m. The borrowing is the article on the warrant.

In mid-September, two storms flew through Adams within a week of each other. The deluge produced so much rain that the town's flood control system was overwhelmed as water cascaded down the mountain.

Flooding affected Lime, Davis, North Summer, and Charles street areas, in particular, damaging private properties and causing more than $2 million in damage to public infrastructure.

The town cannot receive federal or state Emergency Management Agency funds because the storms only affected Adams.

The town reached out to its state representatives who are trying to secure $1.9 million to make these repairs, however, with winter around the corner, the town needed to make quick repairs — specifically the Glen Street sinkhole and the deteriorating East Road.

Town officials declared a state of emergency in early October that has allowed them to deficit spend to make these repairs immediately.

With a reimbursement not guaranteed, they plan to borrow smaller amounts as needed in hopes they will not have to borrow the entire $2.5 million.

Although the town can start expending money right away because of the emergency declaration, town meeting approval is still needed.    

Town meeting members are being urged to attend because, without a quorum, the vote would be delayed.

A town meeting workshop was held Tuesday night to educate town meeting members on the situation.

Community Hero of the Month: Christine Hoyt

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:25PM / Saturday, May 04, 2024

Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, in green, came up with the idea of celebrating local business by having a ribbon cuttings with board members present. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month.

 

The Community Hero of the Month series, in partnership with Haddad Auto, recognizes individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted their community. Nominate a community hero here. 

 

Hoyt has been a valuable member of the Berkshire County community since moving to Adams in 2005 from central New York state. 

 

With no friends or family in the area, she became involved with her new community by working with numerous organizations and serving on multiple committees. 

 

She participated in the Berkshire Leadership Program through the then-Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. This started her on the path to working with nonprofit boards, so she started serving with Youth Center Inc. and then ran for election as a town meeting member. She has been on the Board of Selectmen since 2017 and is currently serving her second term as chair. 

 

"[Berkshire County is] a welcoming community. So, when I moved here, I didn't have any friends or family, and I still felt like I was able to connect with people. I was able to get involved in a number of different initiatives," Hoyt said.

 

"So, I've always felt like this community just opens their arms and welcomes everybody into it. I try to do my part to extend those arms and welcome people into the conversation and into various groups and committees."