In 2022, Adams broke ground on the long awaited Greylock Glen project, a development at the foot of Mount Greylock, the commonwealth’s tallest peak. It’s intended to spur tourism through facilities for recreation and education. Now, the town has hired Michael Wynn – who retired last summer from the county’s largest police force after 30 years to serve as executive director.
“Greylock Glen is supposed to be its own independent development, and it certainly requires day-to-day management, day-to-day supervision of it, that's always been the vision, and that's going to be when the whole thing is built out, but also during the development process," said Adams town administrator Jay Green. “Right now Greylock Glen is being managed still by Donna Cesan, our longtime community development director who's hanging on in order to see the project through, but we have to look for institutional transition at some point. So, Mike is going to do that for us. He's going to participate through the development process, get the whole thing built out consistent with the town's vision, and then really, the day-to-day functions of it, what works, what doesn't work, manage the vendors that will be in the building – we have Mass Audubon locked in for the educational component – and also manage the cafe provider, and really begin to look at how to put life into the outdoor center.”
Green says the center is on track to come online by late summer.
“As we go, the Mass Audubon is going to need a lease agreement, the restaurant will need a lease agreement- Mike's going to be able to step in and be my representative at all of those those steps along the way,” he told WAMC.
Green says around a dozen candidates applied for the role.
“At the end of the day, he has the most management experience of anyone that we interviewed," said the town administrator. "He's energetic in terms of understanding outdoor recreation, understanding what the project means from a regional basis, understanding what it means to the town of Adams. We could have hired somebody that has a very specific talent or skill set within an area, but what Mike brought to the table was a very diverse understanding of municipal government.”
Wynn’s salary is budgeted for around $88,000 a year.
“Until we get the Glen built, until it is operating as an enterprise – that is, it generates its own money to operate – it's still a municipal arm, and with that comes procurement regulations, we have to worry about the impact on the on the tax rolls upfront, simply because it's not generating any money yet," explained Green. "We have to we have to let it grow, and we have to begin to monetize it.”
“I understand the significance of this project to the town of Adams, and also to the greater Northern Berkshire and Berkshire County in general, as both a cornerstone set piece for the town, but also an economic driver and a cultural driver," said Michael Wynn. “The most important thing that's on the table right now is bringing on the superintendent of buildings and grounds. We've got to get a handle on where we are in the construction of the outdoor learning center, we've also got to get a handle on the scope of the actual campus related to the rest of the reservation. And once we have that staff position filled, then working with Mass Audubon to get the development agreement in place and also start designing some of the programming is going to be key.”
Conceived of in the 1970s, the Greylock Glen project finally closed funding gaps in 2022 through millions in state aid. The project, originally intended to open in 2023, includes the construction of a 10,000-foot campus with a multipurpose building for year-round programming.
