The North Adams Public Library has received a Green Building Grant of more than $175,000 to incorporate environmentally friendly solar and geothermal components in the $4.3 million renovation and expansion of the facility.
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) awarded the grant.
“We’re very pleased,†said Library Director Marcia Gross. “It’s going to make the building energy efficient and environmentally friendly, because a bigger building is going to cost more money to heat and etc.â€
“With the energy-saving features it may not cost any more. It may cost less,†she added. “So that’s something to look at — not just the cost of the expansion project, but the cost of maintaining this building afterwards.â€
The solar component would generate part of the facility’s electricity need, and the geothermal component would be used for heating and cooling.
“I’d say we’re tremendously excited to receive this grant notification, because a lot of hard work’s gone into it,†said Library Trustee Richard Markham. “We’ve had a lot of help from the people in the area who are interested in renewable energy, and this will help North Adams Public Library become a showplace for this new technology.â€
This might be called part of the one-piece-at-a-time acquisition of funding for the library renovation and expansion.
“I’d say this is a very significant piece,†said Markham, “because we’re trying to patch together all of these grants and commitments from the state...and private donations. And this was key to getting the project underway.â€
Gross said it would take no more than 10 years, perhaps as few as eight, for the solar (photovoltaic) and geothermal components to pay for themselves in savings, depending on the cost of electricity.
Consultants have concluded that “two wells, each 1,500 feet deep, would be adequate to heat and cool the building. Photovoltaic panels installed on the flat roof of the addition, will generate at least 12 [kilowatts] of electricity.â€
Other environmentally friendly features of the facility would be flow-restrictor faucets, low-consumption toilets, time clock lighting controls, and lights controlled by motion sensors.
"Energy efficient buildings help reduce the strain on resources while providing healthier environments for workers and lowering building operation costs,†wrote Mitchell Adams, MTC executive director, to state Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., who announced the grant last Friday.
An attempt to reach an MTC spokesman for further comment Monday was unsuccessful.
The Massachusetts Green Buildings Initiative, launched in March 2002, provides competitive awards to fund the planning and construction of renewable technologies in all types of green buildings. The initiative selects awards from two separate categories of applicants: public and tax-exempt non-profit organizations, and private and other non-profit organizations.
Library officials may find out soon if funding will be provided for the major state grant the city has received to pay for the library project.
“November 7th is the next meeting where they’ll be deciding how to parcel out the $75 million that’s been set aside for library construction,†Markham said. “So we’re still hopeful that they’ll release those funds, because...the grant was approved. Now we need the funds to fund the grant.â€
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RFP Ready for North County High School Study
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The working group for the Northern Berkshire Educational Collaborative last week approved a request for proposals to study secondary education regional models.
The members on Tuesday fine-tuned the RFP and set a date of Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. to submit bids. The bids must be paper documents and will be accepted at the Northern Berkshire School Union offices on Union Street.
Some members had penned in the first week of January but Timothy Callahan, superintendent for the North Adams schools, thought that wasn't enough time, especially over the holidays.
"I think that's too short of a window if you really want bids," he said. "This is a pretty substantial topic."
That topic is to look at the high school education models in North County and make recommendations to a collaboration between Hoosac Valley Regional and Mount Greylock Regional School Districts, the North Adams Public Schools and the town school districts making up the Northern Berkshire School Union.
The study is being driven by rising costs and dropping enrollment among the three high schools. NBSU's elementary schools go up to Grade 6 or 8 and tuition their students into the local high schools.
The feasibility study of a possible consolidation or collaboration in Grades 7 through 12 is being funded through a $100,000 earmark from the Fair Share Act and is expected to look at academics, faculty, transportation, legal and governance issues, and finances, among other areas.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more
The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation. click for more
The Water Department has been responding to multiple water line breaks throughout the city since Friday, causing temporary loss of water in some areas. click for more
Nearly a year of study and community input about the deteriorating Veterans Memorial Bridge has resulted in one recommendation: Take it down. click for more
