ADAMS, Mass. — Community Development asked for another $50,000 to finish the Cook Street Park Project, but the select board was hesitant to hand over the cash right away.

 

Community Development Director Eammon Coughlin requested that the select board release $50,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund during their regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 21 to tie up some loose ends at the 1 Cook Street Park, the former Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain site.

 

Coughlin said roughly $21,000 is an unavoidable payment the town thought they had covered.

 

The town had a $411,532 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to support the project. They awarded the project  D.F. Lane Landscaping who bid $432,600. They were the lowest bidder.

 

He said his department intended to use Program Income Funds to make up this shortfall. These funds come from the CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program through the release of leans on homes. Community Development anticipated receiving $35,492 to cover the $21,068 budget gap.

 

"We told everyone under the sun that this was our plan to use these funds to close this funding gap but when we actually submitted the paperwork to the funding agency, they rejected our budget amendment and have directed us to find other town funding," he said.

 

Coughlin suspected that this must be a recent program change that has only impacted the last few CDBG cycles.

 

"It was a big surprise and very disappointing," he added.

 

The project goes back to 2017 when the town pursued taking the delinquent property for back taxes. Construction began in the fall of 2023.

 

The proposed park will include an off-leash dog area, event and picnic space, improved public parking and an ADA-accessible walkway. The historic grain tower will be preserved.

 

Coughlin then presented some change orders.

 

The project included the removal of a dilapidated barn. Although the barn has been demolished and the debris have been removed, a sizable pit now sits on the site. He said this pit needs to be filled in and graded.

 

"The remaining change orders make it a nice project for visitors down there," he said. "…If we don't approve these we will have a big pit in the ground that needs to be level. It is for basic safety; it is a bit of a hazard." 

 

Also, there is a portion of the proposed dog park that needs to be graded.

 

"One corner of the dog park will be unusable," he said. "It will be like a cliff. We want it to be a more level surface for everyone."

 

Finally, he asked for funds to utilize a superior wood chip product the park architect had recommended. 

 

Other than that, Coughlin said landscaping is well underway. He said much of the park has been graded and plantings have been installed. 

 

He suggested tapping the capital reserve fund recently created to address such projects and unexpected maintenance costs. The fund had $100,000 but after a $25,000 transfer earlier that night for the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, the fund was down to $75,000.

 

Some members of the selectboard were hesitant to approve another change order. Selectman John Duval was tentative to line up more money for a project without a tangible end in sight.

 

"I need an understanding when we are asked for funding and then all of a sudden they come back and ask for more. We need to finish things or not do them. When I approve funding I want to make sure we are wrapping some of these projects up," he said. "I know all this costs money if we want to complete projects but how far are we from getting to completion?"

 

Selectman Joseph Nowak was on the same wavelength.

 

"Some of these projects go on and on, and we never tie the shoe to finish them," Nowak said. "…I think we need to put some of these to rest and let the dust settle to see where we are financially before we entertain other projects."

 

Coughlin said the additional grading work was somewhat expected because it was not included in the original designs. The property had to undergo a substantial environmental cleanup, that the town suspected would impact grading. Because of this, a grading plan never made it to the original design.

 

The study took much longer than expected and once the clean-up wrapped up, the town was awarded CDBG funding. This meant the town had to adhere to a CDBG timeline meaning they were well behind on any grading plans.

 

"Once we were awarded the CDBG funding we were on their schedule for completion," he said.

 

The select board asked if the DPW was capable of any of these projects, specifically filling in the pit.

 

Coughlin said he was unsure if the DPW had the ability or time to fill in the pit that he said would need a substantial amount of material to level.

 

Ultimately, the select board delayed the vote until their March 6 meeting as the agenda did not indicate that they would be voting that night. Although Coughlin was hoping for action on at least the $21,000, he was confident the delay would not cause any problems.

 

In the interim, he offered to provide the select board with a tour of the site where he could better explain the change orders.

 

Selectman Howard Rosenberg added that he thought it was important that the town made the best park possible and welcomed the tour.

 

"Dogs are very popular in Adams so I think the quality of this park is very important," he said. "It is going to be heavily used so it has to be robust."

 

In other business, Town Administrator Jay Green said the town is in the middle of the budget process and has been meeting with department heads generating "wish lists."

 

He said he hopes to have budget books available to the selectmen in the near future.

 

"We are benign conservative with this year's budget, and we will have some tough decisions to make but that is nothing we haven't faced before," he said. "But we are on track."

 

The selectmen agreed to sign on to a resolution in support of paint stewardship legislation.