Greylock Glen Development Hitting Milestones
Workers are completing exterior projects and will focus on the interior over the winter.
Town Administrator Jay Green last week gave the Selectmen an update on the progress to date.
The exterior work is being largely completed this fall — crews were working on the roof Thursday — and work on the interior will continue through the winter.
"We anticipate assessing that as we go and make a determination as to when we think will be a grand opening," said Green in the recording of the meeting on Northern Berkshire Community Television.
"Right now, shingles are going on. That's what you see the most that's happening on the exterior. Framing is continuing, along with mechanical and ventilation. Some of the kitchen equipment is in and it's very exciting to watch it come to fruition."
So far the $8.3 million project has had only about $150,000 in change orders, some for higher prices in materials, particularly the cedar shakes.
"When you look at the total cost in that building, $8.3 million versus $150,000 in additional cost that's pretty good in the construction, very good. So within budget," Green said, but added there are aspects of the building design the town wanted that may not fit within the budget, such as $770,000 quoted for stonework.
"So what we're going to have to do is we'll sit in with the contractor figure out, we'll get the building built," he said. "It'll be furnished, it'll be usable, but then some of the landscaping and some of the things we may not be able to do right away we'll have to phase that in and we'll have to figure out how we're going to pay for that."
That may be through capital funds or grants, or the enterprise may pay for itself as it goes. U.S. Rep. Richie Neal was able to get the project another $1 million, which is already going to some things outside the budget.
"I tell Donna [Cesan] please don't ask for anything more," Green said. "What you have to work with is what you have to work with."
A working group will be established to review the single bid for the educational programming at the center submitted by Massachusetts Audubon. The board will get a presentation on that prior to voting whether to accept it.
The same will happen with the campground being designed by Shared Estates. Green said the process in developing a lease agreement has been "very complicated."
"This is not necessarily a routine commercial transaction. So we're going back and forth. There has been no snags, there's been good dialogue between the town and Shared Estates," he said. "We anticipate sitting down and wrapping those up hopefully in November. But these are very long and very thick documents. A lot of legalese in there."
Once that is clear, the campground will begin the permitting process with the Planning Board and the Selectmen will have final approval of the design.
Work on the 350,000-gallon water tank for fire protection at the glen will start this fall with the construction of the pad. The tank will be installed later next year and Green wasn't sure if the center could open prior to it going online.
"I think the best analogy I can get for the water system design at the Glen is no different than the water system designed when you look at the tank over on East Orchard Street," he said, to questions asked by Selectman John Duval. "The only differences is that these are drinking water tanks. That tank up there will provide adequate fire protection for the outdoor center."
Drinking water is being supplied directly to the center and other glen developments by the Adams Water District.
A clear sign that the project is real is the posting of positions to oversee it. Job descriptions for the executive director and the superintendent of buildings and grounds have been completed and are expected to be posted this month. These positions were accounted for in the fiscal 2024 budget with the expectation they will be filled for January.
"The Greylock Glen project did take a lot of time. It's still exciting," Green said, but acknowledged, "sometimes we stay up at two o'clock in the morning and wonder about it, but we're getting it done."
In other business:
• The board appointed Deborah Calderara to the Historical Commission to fill a term expiring in June 2026.
• The board set the Halloween hours as 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 31; the Lions Halloween parade is on Oct. 29 at 3, marching from Center Street to the Visitors Center.
• Police Chief K. Scott Kelley informed the board that department has received $110,000 grant for the implementation of body-worn cameras. He is currently working with the vendor and will have more information for a later meeting. He expects the cameras to go online within the next couple months.
• The board was updated on plans for new bus stops. The initial stops will have only signage but future improvements may include lighting, pads for handicapped accessibility and shelters. These are designed to replace the often uncertain flag stops.
• The board set a tax classification hearing for its meeting on Oct. 18. The hearing is later than usual because fiscal 2024 is a five-year recertification year. A preliminary information session was expected to be held at this meeting but the Assessors' office is waiting for the state to approve the values.
• Leaves from town-owned trees on town-owned land will be picked up beginning Nov. 1.
Tags: Greylock Glen,
