Contractors Attend Conference for Greylock Glen Water System

ADAMS, Mass. — Several contractors visited Town Hall on Thursday morning to attend a pre-bid conference for the water system at the Greylock Glen. 

The prospective bidders received a brief overview of the project, what work it will entail and background on the entire glen development. The scope of the work consists of, among other things, a water storage tank, a water main, electrical work, piping and instrumentation work. 

Project manager Edward Whatley of Wright-Pierce Engineering said they hope to get work done on the water system as soon as possible. The town will accept bids on the project until 3 p.m. on Jan. 24. 

"There's a real impetus to get this project done as quick as possible," he said. "Ideally, we would have had it out a year ago, but it is what it is. Definitely, the sooner this can get done, I think everyone would really benefit because that building is really waiting for the water from this project." 

When asked about potential supply-chain issues for some items, such as ductile iron piping, Whatley said they would deal with it if any problems arise. Town Administrator Jay Green said the target opening for the outdoor center is some time in October, but supply and other problems could always impact that date. 

"That's the nice time that we think it would make sense to open the building. But I don't think there's anyone who doesn't understand supply-chain issues, constructability, weather, things like that," he said. "We just need to take it one step at a time, but we want everyone to know that, in a perfect lovely world, it would be nice to have this being wrapped up in early September so we can get water to the building. If that's just physically not possible, then we understand that, and we'll do what we need do to make sure the public understands this is just the way it is." 

Donna Cesan, the town's special projects coordinator, said work on the outdoor center is going smoothly. She said the town plans to work closely with the contractor to solve any issues during the project, as they did with the outdoor center. 

"I think most of the infrastructure in the ground has been completed," she said. "The site contractor will come back in the spring, when conditions allow, to do parking areas and that type of thing. But the building, they're working now on getting the walls up, and the trusses for the roof are all done so they're moving along." 

The estimated cost of the entire water system is about $3.8 million. In May last year, the project got $2.9 million in federal funding for water infrastructure at the glen. This funding is in addition to the $7.3 million the state has committed to the outdoor center's construction.

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.