The board approved the CDBG application after Wednesday's public hearing.
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday approved this year's Community Development Block Grant application that includes funds to renovate Russell Field.
"It would provide needed improvements to a very highly utilized public facility," interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan explained about using the federal CDBG monies for the sports field. "It is within the downtown, it is along the [Ashuwillticook] Rail Trail, and the park is home to a number of youth sports teams."
This project has been in the hopper for some time and for at least the past five years, the Parks Commission has steadily had it on its priority agenda.
The project ramped up in 2018 when coaches and parents expressed their concerns about the condition of the field that they felt was a danger to the players.
"Currently, the park is in very poor condition. The turf is severely worn and uneven, which creates tripping hazards, and the backstop and the fencing in the park is not regulation," Cesan said. "The dugouts are poor and do not protect the players."
The project has since been in a design phase but in the interim, the town made stop-gap fixes including small improvements to the infield, backstop, and drainage.
Rebecca Ferguson of the Community Development Office went over some of the proposed improvements and said the infield itself will be "bumped out" to create more room.
There will be new dugouts and new lighting, more entrances, better access to watch games, and the park will finally be compliant with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.
The field also will be regraded and the fencing will be replaced to meet regulations.
Ferguson said the tennis courts are currently unplayable and that they will be resurfaced and repainted. There will also be the addition of a pickleball court.
She concluded that the playground will be upgraded and they will add adult fitness equipment.
Scott Cernik, chairman of the Parks Commission and a member of the Russell Field Steering Club, said the project has been on his mind since joining the committee and that the committee wanted the park to be accessible by all.
"We looked to bring in every generation of the town with multiple uses," he said. "We wanted to give more people access to it ... I think this has just been a big, big project."
Council on Aging Director and Steering Committee member Erica Girgenti agreed and said the new park will bring people to Adams.
"This project alone will be a huge selling point for new families moving in," she said. "Not just young families but retired people looking to come to the Berkshires ... it is so close to the downtown. You could play catch, workout and walk right back downtown."
Cesan said the project is estimated to cost $460,000 with $39,825 tacked on for program delivery.
She much of the logistics would still have to be worked out because the town would be down a field for a season but if the funds are awarded, the project could go out to bid this fall.
"The work cannot occur during the winter so there may be some trade-off," she said. "Brand-new field; one-year loss of play. We will encounter that issue if we have the good fortune of receiving the funding."
The town can apply for up to $800,000 and a portion of this will go toward housing rehabilitation. This amount is estimated to cost $224,000 with $46,275 in program delivery added on.
"We have talked about this and it has been a few years since we have had it," Cesan said. "With over half the town's population considered low to moderate income, I think there is a need in the community."
The town will be applying for funds to accommodate eight rehabilitation projects and will focus on units in the Route 8 corridor.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Adams Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
click for more
Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
click for more
Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more