Greylock Glen Outdoor Center Focuses on Mindful Growth After Busy Fall Season
ADAMS, Mass. — The Greylock Glen Outdoor Center has been filled with thousands of visitors this fall, and Executive Director Daniel Doyle told the Selectmen on Wednesday that the facility is now focusing on moving from possibility to purpose.
"I'm looking forward to growing mindfully but not exponentially… but it has been incredibly exciting for the town, for me, and the county," Doyle said during his presentation Wednesday. "I can feel the energy of possibility up there…the mountain is magical. The town, the people here. There is so much potential and there is so much to do. Some things we are just starting to realize, but it will take a lot of work and time."
Doyle, who was hired in the summer, first outlined some of the guiding goals for his initial months at the Outdoor Center. These included truly grasping the history of the Glen—not only from a community perspective but also as a development project.
"It is realizing the town as an adult and as a professional, in a very different capacity than when I was when I lived here previously," Doyle, who grew up in Adams, said. " ….I want to understand the history of the Glen, the development of this project and get a better handle on the potential next steps for the space."
Beyond that, he wanted to establish firm policies and efficiencies to better manage the Outdoor Center, noting that this is always a work in progress.
"We have a limited budget and a limited capacity so that makes it important to waste nothing, especially our time," he said. "There is a lot to do and it takes time to put those systems in place."
Above all, Doyle wants to fill and use the space.
"I share the sentiment that I think a lot of you have felt," he said. "Community members walk in the building and they look around at how beautiful it is. You see the potential, and then the first question is ‘what do you do? What is going to happen here?'. It has a lot of potential, a lot of promise but a lot of empty space."
He said there has been a focus on bringing in events. The Berkshire Environmental Action Team held their Bioblitz at the center, and municipal agencies and MassDEP also utilized the space. He added that it was insightful to see how the building functions as a conference center.
Even the Northern Berkshire Astronomical Society used the parking lot. Doyle explained that because the outdoor lights are so efficient and angled a certain way, the group was able to "see everything they wanted to see."
The Thunderbolt Ski Runners held a mountain bike race, and the Outdoor Center partnered with Ramblefest to host live music and pop-up eateries. He noted it was useful to see how music and dining function in the building.
He said it was important to market these events on social media and throughout town, and noted he hopes to do a better job in the future with more resources and time.
Speaking more generally, Doyle said the Outdoor Center has been filled over the fall with visitors, estimating thousands of visitors on weekends.
"It is fall foliage, and people are coming to the Berkshires and they are looking for something to do. It was great for me to see all these faces from out of town coming through the front door, and familiar faces which is also great," he said. "…But visitors from all over the world are coming to the Berkshires…and they are going to Tanglewood, they are going to the Clark, they are going to MoCA, and now they are coming to Adams and going to the Glen Center and they are asking what do you do here. We have some answers now."
He said he has made some small changes that have yielded a big difference—simple things like decluttering the front desk and creating a space for visitors to sign in and provide their emails. He noted their newsletter subscribers have grown from less than 100 to over 600 in three months.
Doyle thanked the DPW for making the overflow parking more accessible, adding that it was often filled on weekends.
Moving into November and December, Doyle had fewer updates. He explained that there have been virtually no events while contractors install solar panels. Construction vehicles are using much of the parking, which makes it difficult to hold events, although this work should be completed by the end of the month.
He said there will be a continued focus on events and expressed hope to work with more environmental groups to build out programming and educational opportunities.
He thanked the volunteers who often staff the facility, noting he has worked with them to write a handbook.
"Many things in this town including the Glen have been carried on the backs of many volunteers and community members so I am super thankful for them," he said.
He said that, in the future, more hired staff will likely be needed, as it is unfair to ask volunteers to staff the entire building on their own. He added that this gets more complicated with private events.
"If I say yes I am basically agreeing to be there that night unless I have volunteered," he said. "And that makes even less sense for a volunteer to be at a wedding or a reunion."
Doyle addressed the Glen water tower, admitting he did not know it was his responsibility. He noted that while it was completely new to him, he is getting up to speed.
"There is probably more about all of this that I don't know than I do," he said.
The Fire District's jurisdiction ends at Gould Road. While an outside organization conducts all the water testing, Doyle is responsible for maintenance and infrastructure issues.
He said the project engineers have been helpful, as has MassDEP, which made some minor suggestions.
On a positive note, he said Berkshire Music School donated a 1937 Steinway piano worth between $30,000 and $60,000.
Doyle said he connected with Jim Wojtaszek, who works at the school and whose family used to live at one of the active farms at the Glen.
Berkshire Music School delivered the piano and will refurbish and tune it.
"The only thing we will pay for is a plaque at some point recognizing their generosity," he said.
He added that Stamford artists also donated a wooden bear carving, which needs a name. He hopes to hold a "Name the Bear Contest" with local schools.
The Selectmen thanked Doyle for his efforts.
"I appreciate your exuberance and you are certainly putting yourself into the position," Selectman Joe Nowak said, adding that he hopes one day that the town can at least break even on the property.
Doyle said this is also one of his goals and noted that the town has spent zero dollars on all the events held at the Glen. When money was needed, sponsors stepped up.
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