Adams Fire District OKs Articles Related to Greylock Glen Project

ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire District voted affirmatively on two articles Monday night that will move forward the Greylock Glen project.

The first article authorized the district to take on the responsibilities of the "parent system" for the water system that will service the Glen. This is contingent on the town's reimbursing the Fire District "for all expenses, costs and fees" that the district takes on to construct that system.

The second article was to authorize the district to hire Stantec Consulting Services to examine the proposed water system for the Glen from an engineering perspective. The Fire District settled on a $37,000 quote from Stantec prior to the meeting.

The meeting, which took place at the firehouse in Adams, did not draw a substantial crowd. The members of the district who attended seemed somewhat confused as to the purpose of the articles.

Catherine Foster, for instance, asked what would happen if the voters of the Fire District chose not to approve the first article. Prudential Committee Chairman Thomas Satko replied, "then [the town] wouldn't be able to get water from the district."

Charles Foster, who was present at the meeting and is also a member of the town Finance Committee, asked why the town would have to reimburse the Fire District for the project, and why the latter has to pay for an engineer if the town had already paid for one on their end.

He asked, "can't you review the engineer's work that the town [paid for]?" Satko assured Foster that this is what the Fire District was doing in Article 2.

John Barrett, superintendent of the water system, also pointed out that the town had to pay the engineer to ensure that the new water system at the Glen would not be a detriment to the existing water system in that area of town. He assured another resident, who was concerned about water pressure decreasing in those neighborhoods, that this was one reason why the Fire District is hiring the engineering firm in the first place.

But the attorney for the Fire District felt compelled to point out to the voters present that this meeting did not actually break any new ground on the Glen project, but rather it gave the Fire District the ability to commence its engineering study of the project. The town has its own process to go through before the project moves forward.

The attorney for the Fire District seemed to think that the voters had misconstrued the purpose of the meeting. This misconception likely stems from the fact that the Fire District is a separate entity from the town, but still works closely with the town government on these types of projects.

After less than 20 minutes of deliberation, the district voted in favor of both articles.

Adams Firehouse Shored Up While District Seeks Options

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:51AM / Monday, April 13, 2026

Officials say the 60-year-old fire station is obsolete in terms of space and conditions to house the Fire and Water Departments. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Like many public safety organizations in the Berkshires, the Adams Fire District is looking for ways to address its building's deteriorating condition. 

 

The 65-year-old firehouse on Columbia Street houses both the fire station and Water Department and has myriad issues including leaking and rotting windows, improper ventilation, outdated and obsolete electrical panels, minimal storage, two undersized bays, no sprinkler system or carbon monoxide detectors, and no space for training. 

 

Last year, the Fire Department worried its new engine would fall through the floor of the firehouse so the district invested in renting a shoring system to hold the structure up. 

 

Prior to installing the system, the 2026 ladder truck could not be housed inside the station; with the temporary fix in place, it can now be stored indoors and is fully in service. 

 

Voters can expect warrant articles addressing the situation, including $8,000 for a space needs assessment and $44,000 from free cash to purchase the station's shoring support system.

 

Renting the system costs about $2,000 per month, and with long-term solutions — such as repairing the deteriorating building or relocating departments — expected to take several years, officials believe purchasing it may be the more feasible option.

 

Although the system holds up the structure, it also exacerbates another issue — space.