The Greylock Glen project began as a dream in the 1970s, and wound its way down a long bureaucratic and logistical path before arriving at a fully funded plan today.
“For the past several years, the town has worked diligently to advance this exciting project, especially the design construction of a 10,000 square foot outdoor site. A multipurpose building that will welcome visitors for outdoor recreation and environmental education activities, essentially serving as a base camp for visitors to Boulder Glen and Mount Greylock state reservation," said Adams select board chairperson John Duval. “The Outdoor Center is a critical initial component for the town's proposed Greylock Glen resort, envisioned as a four season recommendation environmental education destination. The project is intended to serve as a catalyst for the economic growth of Adams and the Northern Berkshires.”
Last spring, Massachusetts dedicated $6.5 million to the project, with the promise that it would work with Adams if that amount proved insufficient.
“The town did issue the invitation for construction bids last September and we were pleased to receive five qualified bids," said Duval. "However, all bids received confirmed our fears regarding escalating construction costs. I am pleased to announce this morning that the Baker-Polito administration has provided additional funding in the amount of $2.8 million which has closed the funding gap. With these additional funds, the town of Adams will be able to finally realize our dream.”
Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts. It’s one of the crown jewels of Berkshire County’s outdoor offerings, with its sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and iconic war memorial rising a further 93 feet above the almost 3,500-foot summit. Not to mention a vital public radio tower.
“I was on a different side of the fence at the very beginning of the inception of the Glen project. The environment is important to me, and I did not like what was going to happen through previous planning processes," said Select board member Joseph Nowak. “Having worked at Greylock for many, many years, I've seen the prominence of Mount Greylock and a number of visitors that come to visit each year. And I think the hard work is just about to begin for us with this project. It's a sacred area, it's a landmark area, it's an environmentally sensitive area. So what we're going to need to do is to sit down as a community and hash out how we're going to make this environmentally sound and something that doesn't overburden an area. And this will be, I believe, a difficult task to balance this, but I think it can be done.”
Long-standing boosters of the project like State Representative John Barrett III have framed the Glen as the biggest economic development opportunity for the area since MASS MoCA opened in neighboring North Adams back in 1999. Nowak says Adams will have to steel itself for what’s ahead.
“We're going to need to be resolute in ourselves, in the community, bring people together, and make sure that when this project is up and running, that it satisfies all the indications that we put forth and it helps our economy," said the select board member. "Because it's been mentioned previously- we no longer have mills, we never will. We won't have large employers, but we have something that's God made. And it's one of the best monuments that we can have. And that's Mount Greylock. Take a look at it when you go out today, and you'll see what I mean.”
Adams officials anticipate a groundbreaking this spring, with a projected 14 to 18 month construction period before a 2023 opening.
