Reserve Police Officer Christopher Lampiasi is introduced to the board by Chief Richard Tarsa, right, on Wednesday.
ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen have approved the ratification of a new reserve officer and a special police officer.
The Selectmen were happy to appoint new reserve Officer Christopher Lampiasi and special Police Officer Robert Mallet to the department Wednesday.
New appointments have been a regular event in the past year after the town dissolved the cumbersome Civil Service that limited who the town could hire.
Police Chief Richard Tarsa said Lampiasi is an Adams resident. He listed some of his credentials and said he has been through the reserve academy. He currently works for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' campus security and is a part time officer in Peru.
He said he has also worked as an emergency medical technician and brings this first responder experience.
"He brings a lot of enthusiasm .. .he is a big advocate for community policing," Tarsa said. "I firmly believe he will be an asset to the department and the town."
Tarsa said Mallet has worked as a provisional officer for Adams in the past and will work as a special officer which means he will only be able to work the desk, security, and traffic detail.
Tarsa said Mallet retired at the rank of captain after 39 years with the Berkshire County sheriff's department.
He said he is up to date on all his credentials and qualifications and will be an asset to the town.
"He has always given back to the community: 39 years with the sheriff's department and he has given back as a teacher and coach among other things," Tarsa said. "He is the epitome of community service and he wants to continue that as long as possible and we are excited to have him."
The Selectmen also appointed Natasha Bordeaux to the Conservation Commission to fill the seat vacated by Corey Bishop earlier this summer.
"We are happy to have someone interested because we currently have a vacancy," Hoyt said.
Bordeaux said she has always been interested in agriculture and, in high school, used to work on a dairy farm. She said she currently helps run Burnett farm with her fiance.
"I am always interested in that stuff I am very passionate about agriculture," she said.
The board was happy Bordeaux stepped forward and were excited to see a younger person interested in town government.
Selectman Joseph Nowak requested that Bordeaux attend some of the trainings to get up to speed because of the importance of the commission and possible liabilities that can fall back on the town.
He did say, as a former commissioner, he would be happy to help get her up to speed.
Nowak also asked that the town look into developing a bylaw for mini homes.
"I think we have to take a quick look at that especially with premiere maker of them right in town," he said.
Special Police Officer Robert Mallet was confirmed by the board.
This year, B&B Micro Manufacturing relocated to Adams at the former Brown Packaging building. The company builds high-quality mini houses.
Chairwoman Chirstine Hoyt said she thought it was on Community Development’s radar but Town Administrator Jay Green said he would follow up.
In liaison reports, Nowak said he attended a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting and said an application for a proposed organic coffee shop on Commercial Street has been withdrawn.
He said the owners indicated that they were not prepared to begin renovations — specifically in the bathrooms.
The zoning board tabled the application without prejudice just in case the applicants want to pick up the project again.
Nowak did add that the ZBA is in need of members and is short at least one full member.
Hoyt added that the Board of Health is also in need of a new member because Bruce Shepley has resigned.
"He has served since 2015 and has done so very well," she said. "His service on the board will be missed"
Hoyt said his term would have run out in 2021 and the town needs to figure out how to appoint another member.
She noted Shepley still plans to serve in other capacities on other town boar ds and commissions he is involved with.
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Neal, Officials to Celebrate Greylock Glen Center Opening
ADAMS, Mass. — The long-awaited Greylock Glen Outdoor Center will formally open on Friday with host of officials ready to cut the ribbon.
The $7.3 million center is the first step in what Adams officials hope will become a bustling recreational venue at the foot of Mount Greylock.
The town was named developer of 54 acres of the 1,063-acre parcel, part of the Mount Greylock State Reservation, in 2006. The hope was the community could get things moving on developing the site after decades of failed projects. The project has moved forward, in fits and starts, since then with the outdoor center being a critical step after years of preparation.
The Greylock Glen's recent history has had a tighter focus with the town more in control of a concept that includes a camping area, amphitheater, outdoor educational center, trail network, and lodge. Many of these elements were hashed 15 or more years ago by the Greylock Glen Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from stakeholders including Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Mass Audubon and the Appalachian Mountain Club.
The project's jumped through numerous hopes, from the local Conservation Commission to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.
It's been 15 years since the initial plans were unveiled at the Adams Free Library for a campground, lodge and outdoor center within a 29-acre footprint that would access miles of trails within the glen and up to the state's highest summit.
But since the vision started to come together, the project has been stalled by, among other things, the global economic collapse of 2008 and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic … not to mention all the regular steps that need to be taken to make such a massive project "shovel ready."
Kennedy, a longtime employee of Central Radio in North Adams, noticed a problem. It was not easy to recycle old mattresses, especially since the 2022 state law banning their disposal in trash.
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Wahconah High senior Tim Kaley Sunday earned his second Berkshire Classic Championship by shooting a 77 at the Country Club of Pittsfield. click for more
Voters of the Hoosac Valley Regional School District passed a fiscal 2025 budget of $23 million on a vote of 218-160. There was no discussion as the question was moved almost unanimously to a vote. click for more
West Dews ran for 137 yards, Landon Corcoran made big plays down the stretch and the Wahconah defense made the biggest stop of the night to stymie a comeback drive in the closing minutes of a 22-18 win over rival Hoosac Valley on Friday night.
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The committee voted unanimously Monday set a district vote on the fiscal 2025 budget and resolved its continuing support for the spending plan.
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