ADAMS, Mass. – Adams officials said they are eager to talk about education collaboration with Lanesborough.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco told the selectmen Wednesday at a workshop meeting that the scheduled meeting on Aug. 27 will open up a dialogue with Williamstown and Lanesborough about possible collaborations within the school districts.  

“In the end it is really just about sitting down and looking at options, and there is nothing wrong with a community inviting a couple of other communities to come in and talk,” Mazzucco said. “In the end they may not be interested and that's fine, but it doesn’t hurt to talk.”

Earlier this week, Mazzucco sent a letter to both the towns of Lanesborough and Williamstown to inquire about possible collaboration within the school districts. He said Hoosac Valley has the capacity for the amount of Lanesborough students who attend Mt Greylock Regional High School.

He said this collaboration could include Lanesborough leaving the Mt. Greylock Regional School District and tuitioning its middle and high school students into the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, which could save both Adams and Lanesborough money.

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he liked the concept and the idea of beginning the conversation.

“I like the concept because it at least gets the conversation going, and I think the reality is set into all of the school districts that consolidation has to happen. With all of the demographic changes that are coming something needs to be done,” he said.

Nowak said he felt for collaboration to take place, Lanesborough has to be “all onboard.” He added it may be a “hard sell” because Mt. Greylock is a level one school and Hoosac Valley is a level three.

“It’s always difficult to take a school away form a community because it’s in their heart,” he said. “They have been there a long time.”

Mazzucco said the Berkshire County Education Task Force is currently surveying all schools in the county and collecting information on their condition, population and debt service to bring more regionalization to the forefront.

He added that Adams will see more of these community discussion in the future.

“I think we are going to see more and more discussions like this with neighboring communities, not just on education, but on a lot if issues,” Mazzucco said. “You are going to see them all over the Berkshires and the commonwealth.”

Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian said it will be exciting to see how communities collaborate in the future.

“It should be interesting and exciting for the next 20 years to see how things shake out,” Snoonian said. “I think it is going to be great.”

In other news, Mazzucco said he believes all easements needed for the rail trail extension have been approved.

“The Community Development Department has been working nonstop especial the last month or two,” he said. “Because of the timelines, everything else gets put aside because you have to get it done. … I think we have just about every easement we need, but it is a nightmare of a process from the staff level.”

Nowak said he recently wrote to Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton inquiring about when he will visit Adams to see the Greylock Glen.

“I am getting a little concerned about his lack of getting back to us about the Glen project,” Nowak said. “I know I have been trying along with Community Development and Gail Cariddi.”

Nowak said last he heard Beaton wanted to visit but has to build up enough stops in Berkshire County to make it a day of visiting.

Mazzucca said he too is worried that the season will be over before Beaton can visit.

“I know earlier in the year we held off because we wanted the leaves to come in and everything be nice and green, but we are almost at the point where, I dare to say it, the leaves are going to start to go,” Mazzucco said.

• Most Read

• Most Comments

• All News

• Events at Williams

• Photos