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 Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
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Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
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Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more