image description — The governor's bill would 'tweak' the apportionment formula on the extra $100 million she's budgeting to provide more funding for small towns with less population.

Chapter 90 Bond Bill Could Bring $5.3M to Berkshire Communities

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:45PM / Friday, January 31, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshires could receive more than $5.3 million in additional state Chapter 90 road funds in a new bond bill.

Gov. Maura Healey filed the bill last Friday, authorizing the borrowing of $1.5 billion over the next five years for local transportation networks. The bill includes another $100 million in Chapter 90, a 50 percent increase.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on Saturday noted the total amount will be $300 million, the highest amount of Chapter 90 that's been proposed.

"That $100 million topper is going to have a slightly different formula that's really more focused on road miles," she said to applause at the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Connect 351 conference in Boston. "Right now, the formula looks at a whole lot of things, including population, and some of our smaller communities that have lots of roads, but maybe not as many people are kind of penalized in that formula.

"Don't worry, everybody's getting a lot of money within the formula. But there's a slight tweak on that top $100 million."

The governor's budget will use Fair Share surtax revenues to expand capital capacity, enabling $300 million in annual Chapter 90 funds, a 50 percent increase over the traditional $200 million.

The current formula for state aid considers local road mileage at 58.33 percent, population and employment at 20.83 percent each to calculate funding awards.

Adams, for example, has 55.84 miles of road with a population of 8,166 and employment is 1,712. Based on the total amount of funding approved for fiscal 2025, the town received $284,946. The bill filed by the governor would give the town another $185,513 for a total of $471,000, a 65 percent increase.

North Adams would see a 57 percent increase in funds for total of $649,273; Pittsfield, which regularly commands the most funding in the Berkshires because of its size, would get $652,000 for a total of nearly $2 million at the lowest percentage increase of 49.

The "tweaked" calculation would greatly benefit smaller towns, almost doubling their funding. Tiny Alford with its 17 miles and population of 486 would see its funding jump from $71,000 to $128,000 and New Ashford, with less than 11 miles, would go from $42,533 to $77,468.

The towns of Mount Washington, Sandisfield, Savoy and Windsor would see the highest percentage increase, at 84 percent. All told, they have 210 miles of road for a population of 2,625. Together, they average 12.5 residents per mile compared to Pittsfield's 224 residents per mile.

Even with these extra funds, towns are often strapped when it comes to road maintenance and repair — reconstructing a mile of road is upwards of $1 million nowadays.

But the administration is also seeking additional money for culverts, said Driscoll, "things that we know impact roadways and are hard to fund. Those Chapter 90 tend to go to the road, but not the culvert underneath."

Tags: Chapter 90,

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North Adams Planners OK New Event Space for Tourists Resort

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Tourists' owners say they've been in need of a gathering space for years, based on the number of requests they get.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tourists Welcome resort was approved on Monday for construction of a building to serve gatherings and the Airport Rooms.

"This is our first opportunity to like fix the biggest thing we screwed up in building Tourists, which was not making a big room," said representative Eric Kerns. "The first year we opened, we got 1,200 event requests the first year, and we've continued to have almost 1,000 event requests every year."

The 140-seat event building will be constructed adjacent to the Airport Rooms on the east end of the State Road property, which operates at Blackinton Operating LLC. The 91-foot-long structure will include a kitchen to serve both the event space and the Airport Room, which will be connected via an enclosed corridor. Overflow parking will be at the Blackinton Mill, also owned by the partnership, with shuttle service for events.

The new building will be set on piers to minimize excavation and will include a deck that will extend behind the Airport Rooms. The building also will utilize an all-electric mechanical system with high-efficiency heat pumps and energy recovery ventilation.

Kerns noted the resort has been erecting tents on that space for events — this will just make the use of the space permanent. He described the trailer being used as a "kitchen" for the Airport Rooms "a very clever two-year solution that has lasted seven years."

"It's just been a a real struggle to find a building that we can build that makes the math make sense given current, you know, construction costs we have come across," he said. "We've come upon a design that works for us, and it's really a continuation of the business that we've been doing. This site is where you've probably seen us put up a tent before, so we already have events of this size on the site."

Tourists was built as a minimalist resort, with the rooms facing the Hoosac River; the new structure will continue that aesthetic with a blank wall facing the road and large windows looking out on the river.

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