ADAMS, Mass.— The Board of Selectmen unanimously selected Wayland North of Providence, R.I., to develop the Memorial Building into a mix of residential and commercial opportunities.
After an executive session Wednesday, the board voted to award Jay Hayes of Wayland North the project that will convert the former middle school's classroom wing into one and two-bedroom apartments.
"We were told that we should tear it down by many ... but now we are at this point and we are very very proud of that," Selectman John Duval said.
Hayes has plans for 20 two-bedroom and four one-bedroom units and partitioning 20 percent of the units for affordable housing. The units will be mixed in, not separated. The cafeteria is to be turned into a cafe and the exterior facade redone in white to stand out.
The board was impressed with Hayes' proposal and felt it met the towns' own needs. They were also impressed by other Wayland North projects.
Selectwoman Christine Hoyt thanked all those who showed interest in the property and was encouraged that so many highly qualified developers were interested in the town.
"New housing is a critical part of our future and I appreciate all who came forward," she said.
Selectman Howard Rosenberg agreed and added that he was impressed by the complex and large-scale projects Wayland North had worked on.
"I was impressed by some of their projects, some far more complex than this one," he said. "I was impressed by their expertise, and It takes a lot to do real estate development in this day and age."
For Duval, he said it was important that Wayland North allowed the town to continue to own portions of the building
"We had a vision to keep this building and to keep it a viable recreation and community center," he said.
The town will maintain control over the Valley Street entrance and the gym and auditorium. These spaces will be for community use and the Council on Aging.
Duval said the town hopes to move the council before the end of the year. He said the town does plan to update and refresh the building.
Duval was also encouraged that Wayland North is currently developing the Jones and Carlow blocks on Park Street. He added that new housing is needed in Adams and he hopes this will be the first of many projects.
"This is a big time for the town of Adams, and we haven't had a big housing project like this as far back as I can remember," Duval said. "This will be the first of many ... we want people, who may work elsewhere, to live in our community and we need new housing. There is a lot of old housing stock in Northern Berkshire County."
The Memorial Building has been used on a limited basis since closing as a school a decade ago. Potential developers flirted with the project over the years but serious efforts often stalled.
The town replaced the building's roof and HVAC system. Not only were these improvements needed, but the town hoped they would attract developers.
The recently passed Smart Growth zoning sweetened the pot. The state program incentivizes developers to utilize existing structures to create market-rate housing that also provided a percentage of affordable housing units and space for retail or commerce.
Duval said the town administrator will work with town counsel to negotiate a selling price and contract with the developer. This will later come back to the board for approval.
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Adams Review Library, COA and Education Budgets
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen reviewed the public services, Hoosac Valley Regional School District and McCann Technical School budgets on Tuesday.
The workshop at the Adams Free Library was the third of four joint sessions to review the proposed $19 million fiscal 2025 budget. The first workshop covered general government, executive, finance and technology budgets; the second public works, community development and the Greylock Glen.
The Council on Aging and library budgets have increases for wages, equipment, postage and software. The Memorial Day budget is level-funded at $1,450 for flags and for additional expenses the American Legion might have; it had been used to hire bagpipers who are no longer available.
The COA's budget is up 6.76 percent at $241,166. This covers three full-time positions including the director and five regular per diem van drivers and three backup drivers. Savoy also contracts with the town at a cost of $10,000 a year based on the number of residents using its services.
Director Sarah Fontaine said the governor's budget has increased the amount of funding through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs from $12 to $14 per resident age 60 or older.
"So for Adams, based on the 2020 Census data, says we have 2,442 people 60 and older in town," she said. "So that translates to $34,188 from the state to help manage Council on Aging programs and services."
The COA hired a part-time meal site coordinator using the state funds because it was getting difficult to manage the weekday lunches for several dozen attendees, said Fontaine. "And then as we need program supplies or to pay for certain services, we tap into this grant."
Desroches graduated from the Police Academy on March 22 in the top tier in his class. He's currently in the field training program and assigned to Sgt. Curtis Crane.
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Michael Wynn, who was selected in January to run the center, submitted a level operating budget of $57,500 but said he could pull funding from different lines to ensure there was money for advertising this fall.
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The Selectmen on Wednesday night voted to award the bid to Mackin Construction Co. Inc. of Greenfield, which plans to invest $11 million to build out 20 or more one- and two-bedroom apartments in the three-story classroom wing that parallels Columbia Street.
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The Selectmen two weeks ago had requested the utility appear before the board after receiving numerous complaints over flickering lights, including in Town Hall.
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Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more