image description
The Adams Street Fair presents checks to Adams emergency services personnel.
image description
The Selectmen meet Wednesday at Town Hall.

Adams Officials Approve Coal and Grain Park Project

By Gregory FournieriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

The town is moving forward to create a park at the old Hoosac Valley Coal & Grain site but there isn't enough grant funding to study the building.

ADAMS, Mass.—The Select Board on Wednesday approved plans for the proposed Coal and Grain Park on Cook Avenue. The park, which is part of a package deal with low-income housing grants and funded by federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), has been in the works since 2017.

"I think this is just another step in the right direction," said Selectman Joseph Nowak while the Board deliberated during the public hearing. "I hope we can get what we're looking for."

The proposed park will abut the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail and will have as one of its central features the Coal and Grain Elevator building. The historic building was used to store coal and grain, but now sits as a relic off Columbia Street.

The park will cost $411,000, including more than $30,000 for an accessible ramp that connects to the rail trail. Selectman Richard Blanchard expressed concern about this cost, especially in light of the Department of Community Development's recent realization that it had access to only $800,000 in grant funding.

Previously, the department thought the town would be eligible for $1.35 million in grant funding. "We're back to the drawing board," said the department's director, Eamonn Coughlin, at the time.

Before it learned of the reduced funding, the department had planned on incorporating the historic building more directly into the park's design. In order to do that, however, a study would have to be done of building's stability. The cost of this study was incorporated into the higher grant budget but was scrapped when the budget was updated.

Blanchard said he would have preferred for the $30,000 spent on the ramp — which is not an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirement — to be spent on determining whether the building was stable. He said he examined the structure recently from the outside and noted that there were holes in the sides that could cause safety hazards.

Despite this minor pushback, all members of the board unanimously voted in favor of the CDBG proposal. It also includes $240,000 for housing unit rehabilitation; $56,000 for staff costs; and $51,000 for administrative costs like accounting and oversight.

The board also invited representatives of the Adams Street Fair to present oversized checks to emergency services personnel. The Fire Department, Police Department, the Forest Wardens and ambulance service all received checks of $850.

Joseph Martin, chairman of the fair, told the town and the Selectmen, "from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you."

In other business:

  • McCann Technical School and Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter School were both given the green light to host cross country running meets at the Greylock Glen during weekday afternoons in September and October.
  • Town Administrator Jay Green announced that the L.L. Bean popup store will be at the Visitors Center this Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 4.
  • Green also announced that the Poseidon Coffee Kiosk was constructed at the Visitors Center this week.

Tags: donations,   first responders,   public parks,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
View Full Story

More Adams Stories