WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Five months after it moved into the renovated Mount Greylock Regional School, the district has full access to the building.
Mount Greylock Superintendent Kimberley Grady said Tuesday that the district has received a certificate of occupancy for the middle-high school, an approval that includes use of the school's auditorium.
The auditorium, which along with the gym was one of two public spaces remaining from the old Mount Greylock, has been off-limits to the school because of construction delays.
While the school opened for classes in September under a temporary certificate of occupancy, the auditorium remained closed.
At last week's Mount Greylock School Committee meeting, Grady told the panel that a walk-through with the town's building inspector was scheduled for this week and indicated she was guardedly optimistic about the results.
"I hope to send out great news," she said.
The delay in use of the auditorium forced the school to hold its fall and winter orchestra, band and choral concerts at alternate locations. Williams College offered the use of Chapin Hall for the fall concert; the winter concert was held in Mount Greylock's cafeteria.
Recently, the school decided it once again would hold its spring musical at the college's '62 Center for Performing Arts, where it was lucky enough to stage the play the last couple of years during the addition/renovation project. It was not immediately clear Tuesday afternoon whether the show would be moved back to the middle-high school campus.
While the district built a new three-story academic wing, a new cafeteria, new locker rooms, new offices, new library and other academic spaces, the auditorium and gymnasium were renovated. The district's School Building Committee and School Committee opted for renovations because a newly constructed auditorium or gym would have been smaller than the original according to square-footage specifications of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is participating in funding the addition/renovation project.
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
Williamstown Fire Committee Talks Station Project Cuts, Truck Replacement
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
Some of the "value engineering" changes are cosmetic, while at least one pushes off a planned expense into the future.
The committee, which oversees the Fire District, also made plans to hold meetings over the next two Wednesdays to finalize its fiscal year 2025 budget request and other warrant articles for the May 28 annual district meeting. One of those warrant articles could include a request for a new mini rescue truck.
The value engineering changes to the building project originated with the district's Building Committee, which asked the Prudential Committee to review and sign off.
In all, the cuts approved on Wednesday are estimated to trim $1.135 million off the project's price tag.
The biggest ticket items included $250,000 to simplify the exterior masonry, $200,000 to eliminate a side yard shed, $150,000 to switch from a metal roof to asphalt shingles and $75,000 to "white box" certain areas on the second floor of the planned building.
The white boxing means the interior spaces will be built but not finished. So instead of dividing a large space into six bunk rooms and installing two restrooms on the second floor, that space will be left empty and unframed for now.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
click for more
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
click for more
Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more