ADAMS, Mass.— Lanesborough's town administrator has been tapped as Adams' director of community development.
On the agenda for the Select Board's meeting on Wednesday is a ratification of Gina Dario as director of community development. She has worked for Lanesborough since late 2022, when she was hired as town administrator.
Dario is also a native of Adams and will replace Donna Cesan, the retired community development director who stepped in last year to temporarily fill the vacant spot.
The town's job posting explains that the community development director manages community and economic programs and develops work plans and programs to meet Adams' growth and development goals.
This includes managing the Community Development Block Grant Program funding and procuring, negotiating, and managing professional service contracts.
The position reports to the Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo, who was hired last year.
Lanesborough Select Board Chair Deborah Maynard on Tuesday said Dario had informed Town Hall and all boards and committees.
"She plans on leaving mid-October," Maynard wrote. "Hopefully, we will have candidates to interview before then."
The pay grade is level 14, between about $80,000 per year and $118,000. A Bachelor's Degree, Master's preferred, in a related field and a minimum of eight years of progressively responsible experience in project management or local planning is required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Before her work in Lanesborough, Dario was a former state manager with the Australian Electoral Commission in Perth, Western Australia, and before that, she worked as an assistant commissioner with the Australian Electoral Commission in Canberra, the country's capital.
She grew up in the Berkshires before attending Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley and obtaining a master's degree in international public affairs from Columbia University in New York City.
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State, Local Leaders Celebrate Funding Boost For Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Extension
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — State officials and local leaders kicked up their kickstands and took a ride along the final stretch of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail on Thursday to celebrate new investments in rural communities.
Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office (FFIO) Director Quentin Palfrey joined local leaders, including State Rep. John Barrett III and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) Executive Director Laura Brennan, in Adams to highlight the newest round of FFIO funding. The grant will provide BRPC with $64,700 in state funds to help advance the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail expansion.
"When Governor Healey came into office, one of her big day-one commitments was to make sure that Massachusetts was fighting for every dollar possible coming out of Washington," Palfrey said, speaking about FFIO, a program created in 2023 to help the state aggressively pursue and coordinate federal funding opportunities.
This builds on a $17.3 million federal award secured last year for the project, dubbed the A2A project, which supports the design of a 9.3-mile shared-use path connecting the existing Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Williamstown Mohican Path.
"One of the things that she emphasized to me when we set up the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office was that we need to make sure that these resources not only come into Massachusetts, but benefit all of Massachusetts," Palfrey added.
The additional $64,700 will allow BRPC to gather information about transportation needs in northern Berkshire County to help inform the design of the trail expansion. BRPC will partner with Williams College and Luminary Evaluation, LLC to use the University of Michigan's Transportation Security Index (TSI).
Brennan said BRPC will deploy a 16-question survey that will allow them "to research local and regional perspectives and surface the needs of our neighbors when it comes to transportation in the Berkshires."
"The best-case scenario would be if the survey turned up results that all needs are met and that everyone has access to the places and the things that they need to travel to – but we know that is not true," Brennan said. "We know that folks in Berkshire struggle to get to their place of employment, to be able to access important medical appointments, [and] other engagements. So, the transportation security index is going to help us really hone in on those specific needs, identify pockets of needs or areas where there is a strong concentration or depth of need."
She said FFIO's investment offers a "wonderful augmentation" to BRPC's current plans for the bike trail extension. It's also an investment that will make the region more competitive for other transportation opportunities.
"This is an incredibly multifaceted and valuable investment, and we deeply appreciate it," she said.
Barrett said these investments drive growth in the Berkshires.
"I've always found that if you're going to grow an area, you grow with what you have here to grow. You don't bring something in. We have a natural beauty. We have an environment that's second to none, and that's what we are going to grow on," he said.
Barrett said that in the First Berkshire District alone, 4,000 new people moved to the area.
"We're seeing that migration here. They're going to have activities. They're going to have jobs, and we're going to have a great educational system that goes with it with our two colleges that are here," he said.
Palfrey said it was clear during the initial creation of FFIO that federal funding often went to wealthier and more urban communities with larger planning departments and greater access to consultants. He added that FFIO helps reverse this trend and get projects in rural communities off the ground.
BRPC was awarded an additional $64,700 that will allow them to gather information about transportation needs in northern Berkshire County. click for more
Matthew Wright, formerly a sergeant in the Adams Police Department, officially took his post on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and said he is excited to hit the ground running. click for more
The Fire Department's Engine 2 is suffering from rust and the Prudential Committee needs to decide if it should fixed or run until it can be replaced. click for more
Construction at 19 Park St. is nearly complete, with two new restaurants preparing to open—but one hurdle remains: getting a signage plan approved under the town’s restrictive zoning regulations. click for more
