Letter: Greylock Glen Camping Proposal Aligns with Town's Needs

To the Editor:

For many years, we've maintained our community with little economic growth. It has not been for lack of effort. And now, smart people from many different backgrounds have uncovered what we all knew — Adams is special! The founders of the Project 13 1/2 Grove Gallery and Real Eyes Gallery know it, as does Yina Moore, who has breathed new life into the Adams Theater, a revitalization effort started by our Topia Arts friends.

Our Greylock Glen trail partners DCR and TSR contribute to Adams by maintaining and expanding our trails. The outdoor center is being built, after years of hard work from our Community Development Director Donna Cesan, our town administrator(s) and our state Rep. John Barrett, and [former] state Sen. Adam Hinds, to name a few. We never lost sight of the end game, and now the state has funded further investment in Adams.

The newest developers interested in Adams have proposed an EcoVillage at the Greylock Glen. Not only does the EcoVillage align with keeping the beauty of Adams intact, it is also innovative, attractive, and creates a revenue stream that we have not seen the likes of in Adams. We were impressed by the developer's presentation, and hope other community members will turn out for future outreach sessions.

It is our turn to embrace growth in innovative programs and projects. It is our turn to share in the creative economy and tourism. Shame on us if we are not one voice in that support. We have vetted all the details of the Greylock Glen projects together and will continue to do so with the same goal in mind: To grow our town in a thoughtful manner, while maintaining the quality of life that we all enjoy. This town belongs to all of us.

Erin Mucci & David Bissaillon
co-chairs ProAdams
Carol Cushenette
Adams Finance Committee chair

Health Secretary Updated on Patient Care at North Adams Regional

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
06:31AM / Saturday, November 08, 2025

Health Secretary Kiame Mahaniah tours a private room with Jennifer Bach-Guss and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — State Health & Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah toured North Adams Regional Hospital's inpatient ward on 2 North and its emergency department with Berkshire Health Systems President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz and the emergency department. 

 

The secretary was in the Pioneer Valley and Berkshires this week for "food-focused" listening sessions, including in Pittsfield and North Adams, but found time to ask questions of officials at the critical access hospital and with mental health-care providers at the Brien Center in North Adams. He was accompanied by state Reps. John Barrett III, Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Leigh Davis. 

 

The reopening of the in-patient beds last year at the hospital filled a substantial health-care gap in North County. The hospital closed in 2014 when its parent organization declared bankruptcy; Berkshire Health Systems stepped in to purchase its assets, gradually reopen some of its services and, finally, received the designation of critical access last year to allow for inpatient beds. 

 

"We have 24/7 coverage, position coverage available for our patients that are admitted," explained Jennifer Bach-Guss, associate nursing director. "We have observation patients in patient and swing [units], which is a rehab-type level that is available for patients who live in rural areas, so they don't have to go to nursing home facilities when it's not appropriate."

 

Patients in the swing units are kept to around three or four, and they may stay for a couple of weeks. They need to show improvement, and the hospital works out a discharge plan. Physical and occupational therapy is available for swing patients and the hospital has a geriatric certification in the Emergency Department, so therapists can do evaluations with patients struggling with mobility and walking and make referrals.  

 

"The patients that are going to nursing home or acute rehab have a little bit different than need," she said. "And I'm hoping that as time goes on, the nursing homes and rehab facilities see that we're not so much of a threat. It's a very specific type of patient that we're looking to keep here."

 

The critical access designation puts a cap of four days on average, so some observational patients may stay seven days and others two, as long as the average is four.