North Adams Projects Reaching Milestones
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Several revitalization projects across North Adams have reached milestones, project leads said during Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's monthly forum on Friday.
The Hoosic River Revival project has two major initiatives underway — a feasibility study and a placemaking working group.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a three-year feasibility study of the flood control system, a critical component of the project because it examines how the city can address the failing concrete walls along the river.
Last year, the project leaders conducted extensive community engagement through various forums and outreach sessions.
The Corps has embraced this feedback, which has encouraged the expansion of the project's scope and timeline.
It was originally anticipated to cost $3 million dollars, but now it is a little more than that, said Nancy Bullet, co-president of the HRR board.
"I think it's important to realize that the feasibility study is very intense. There's so many things that are incorporated in it that it's not just about the walls," Bullet said.
The study is taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the river's infrastructure focusing on the concrete walls, environmental impacts, and incorporating extensive community input to guide the process.
There will be an event, with a Zoom participation option, sometime in December where the corps will give an update on the study's progress, she said.
The placemaking working group will focus on developing smaller-scale projects to improve community access and engagement with the Hoosic River. This includes examining areas in neighborhoods like State Street, River Street, West End, and other locations along the 10-mile stretch of the river.
"That is going to happen through grants and volunteer work. So, there'll be more information coming out about where we are," Bullet said.
"We're narrowing it down to try to develop a matrix in terms of what we can do with the least amount of money, of course, first, but also to make it accessible."
In February, the city received a $750,000 federal grant to rethink the Central Artery and consider ways to better connect downtown to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
"They offered it out to communities with the intent to reduce environmental harm in the community and improve connectivity," said Marya Kozik, administrative officer for the city.
The grant is funding a feasibility study, which the city has selected to be led by Boston firm Stoss Landscape Urbanism and its partners.
The 171-foot bridge needs urgent repair and was deemed "structurally deficient" after an inspection by the state Department of Transportation.
A set of jersey barriers narrows the four-lane highway to two lanes at the midpoint. The last time it was overhauled was in 1992, when the federal government and the state shared the $2.1 million cost.
The study will explore three main scenarios: no–build, rehabilitation, and removal. The no-build option would involve simply repairing the existing overpass. The rehabilitation would examine ways to rehabilitate and reimagine the existing overpass infrastructure. The removal option would consider the possibility of removing the overpass and returning the area to grade level.
The study is expected to take about nine to 12 months to complete. The city is working with NBCC on its community engagement and input-gathering phase, which is expected to be completed by the spring.
They will use a communications firm called Open Box to lead the community input process, which will include surveys, neighborhood walks, and other outreach activities.
After the study is completed, the community will be involved in selecting a preferred option, which will then need to be funded and designed.
The North Adams Adventure Trail is currently in the design and engineering phase, with ongoing work to develop the concept and path.
The multi-use bike trail would connect Williamstown to North Adams and has been previously characterized as a game changer in terms of recreational development.
The community has wanted a bike path connecting North Adams with Williamstown since 1896 when it was reported in the former North Adams Transcript. It would be the first step in connecting the city to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail that runs through Adams, Cheshire, Lanesborough and Pittsfield. A section of the trail is currently in design to bring it from Lime Street in Adams to Hodges Cross Road in North Adams.
The Adventure Trail would connect to the Mohican Recreational Path that runs from Syndicate Road in Williamstown to Galvin Road. It's expected to run through the private property of the Tourists resort and end at Mass MoCA.
"It's time that we make it happen," said Morgan Everett, Mass MoCA's head of public initiatives and real estate.
The project's ultimate goal is to create a regional connector trail system, filling the gap in North Adams, he said.
"There's been a lot of work that's gone into this. There's been a public-private partnership pushing to make this happen, acquiring property," Everett said.
"The team at Tourists has done incredible work in making an effort to help enable this, essentially acquiring a line that would accommodate the western half of the trail, 1.75 miles."
Project leaders have been working on the trail concept through design and engineering, including what this would look like, what the line would be, and how it would interact with the community.
The trail would improve transportation for pedestrians, including cyclists. Mass MoCA wants to help provide better connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods, he said.
Years ago, the concept had been to run the trail went through the museum's campus, which was not ideal.
This idea has since been adjusted to have the trail on the north and south edges of Mass MoCA's campus to connect not only downtown but also the city's surface streets.
"This is about community connectivity and infrastructure that does not currently exist. We want to help move forward," Everett said.
They are continuing with their work, gaining private and philanthropic support, he said.
The project has received limited federal and state funding to continue some design and engineering work. The estimated $36 million project is on the state Department of Transportation design list but will need to get on the Transportation Improvement Plan to move forward.
"The way that this works is the community is responsible for the design, and once we get to a certain design threshold, then we can get on the MassDOT TIP list," Everett said.
"And so we're working with the dollars that we're able to scrape together to get to that design threshold. Once it's on the TIP list, we can look for construction."
The trail would be internationally unique, connecting Clark Art Institute, Williams College, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and downtown North Adams, bike path advocate Eric Kerns of Tourists said previously.
Two obstacles this project has faced are the area's lack of abandoned rail structures and the river, said Amber Besaw, NBCC executive director.
"We don't have an abandoned rail that we can just hop onto," she said. The area that they do have to work with also has to work around the river that the trail would have to cross.
Although those are challenges, once they overcome them, this trail will be a "spectacular asset, and it is going to be beautiful," Everett added.
Ways the community can get involved are by spreading the word about this endeavor and advocating for it with community leaders.
In other news:
City voters approved the new Greylock School project, which is now in the design phase and expected to open in 2027.
The new school will focus on community access and integration of outdoor learning opportunities. It is designed to have community access to the gym, stage, and cafeteria areas.
"In addition, we have as an add alternate basketball courts, pickleball courts, to add to community use of that existing property," said Barbara Malkas, North Adams Public Schools superintendent.
During its development, many hours were spent meeting with the city's police, fire, and emergency services on ways to secure the classroom spaces and allow public access to other components within the school, she said.
The North Adams Regional Hospital opened its inpatient unit on March 28.
The hospital provides inpatient services for conditions like pneumonia, heart failure, post-surgical care, and various outpatient services on its campus.
It also received certification as a critical access hospital on July 31.
Being a critical access hospital provides benefits like keeping services closer to home, ensuring financial sustainability, and enabling access to additional federal funding and resources.
"We are keeping our services closer to home. We are providing a convenience and comfort level for patients and families within North County. It cuts down on transportation time that impacts these EMS services," said Laurie Lamarre, chief operating officer of North Adams Regional Hospital.
"Every time we can keep you in North Adams, it eliminates that 45-minute one-way trip for an EMS service, and it provides important stabilization and transfer services for more complex patient conditions."
Tags: community forum, infrastructure improvements, NBCC,
