Mayor Richard J. Alcombright believes several projects on tap in the new year will bring much needed momentum to the city.

North Adams Transcript
NORTH ADAMS -- Mayor Richard J. Alcombright believes the coming year holds plenty of promise for the city, as plans to install 4 megawatts of solar arrays on city property, to create arts districts in local neighborhoods and for the privatization of Heritage State Park move forward in the coming months.
Plans to place 4 megawatts of photovoltaic arrays at the city?s landfill, airport and former sewage treatment plant site are anticipated to save the city $10.6 million over a 20-year period once operational.
"Initial estimates put the savings at about $400,000 a year," Alcombright said Tuesday. "Currently, we spend about $425,000 to $430,000 a year, so this would all but do away with our electrical costs."
Although the city expected to have its power purchase agreements with Alteris Renewables finalized last year, the mayor said after reviewing the lengthy documents, he enlisted the aid of consultant Robert Patterson to ensure the city was getting the best deal. Patterson previously worked as a consultant on solar projects in Pittsfield and Greenfield.
"I realized the devil wasn?t in the details but in the dollars with these agreements," the mayor said. "At the end of the day, these are negotiations. Mr. Patterson has noticed a lot of items in the documents and has worked to shift more of the liability onto the project designers and away from the city. The final paperwork is with
the city solicitor at this time."He said permits have been filed for connection into the electrical grid, and permits for the landfill project have already been filed with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"Once the power purchase and lease agreements are signed, it will trigger the developer to seek financing for the projects," Alcombright said.
In the private sector, the mayor said he is excited to see numerous projects begin or come online over the next year, including the Walmart Supercenter, the opening of an expanded Carr Hardware on State Road and the Brien Center on American Legion Drive.
"I think we tend not to notice things once they get under way," he said. "We?re seeing some major investment from Mr. Carver in the Brien Center and Carr Hardware sites, and eventually up at the Windsor Mill as well. We?ve seen several small businesses expand over the last few months. With the MCLA Center for Science and Innovation and the Super Walmart coming, we?ll have somewhere between $80 million and $90 million in investment taking place at one time in this city."
As the city continues to look to grow and attract new residents, the mayor said he?s considering the implementation of arts districts, which would allow artists to combine their work, living and retail space.
"We essentially have one now at the Eclipse Mill," he said. "I?ve had a couple of neighborhoods with large homes that would be able to accommodate lofts and living spaces. We have to ensure that its well thought out though and that the neighborhood could accommodate the traffic that a small gallery would attract. We could create the districts in neighborhoods that need more work than others, ramping up the housing stock, business and retail in those areas all at the same time."
As for Western Gateway Heritage State Park, the mayor said he believes a recently issued request for proposals seeking to return the park to a private management model is the way to go for the underutilized retail center. The proposal calls for not only the management and marketing of the park, but also a significant investment in the park?s buildings.
"I think the stars are aligning for Heritage State Park -- the Hadley Overpass will be completed this summer and Mass MoCA will finish its gardens, which will become a natural walking path to the footbridge that leads into the park," he said. "I took a lot of heat for purchasing the Sons of Italy building, but the parking is essential to that park."
Also in the works are early plans to create a scenic railroad tour, with trains running through the Hoosac Tunnel from the city to Shelburne.
"We?re in the initial stages and are hoping to work with the Berkshire Scenic Railway to learn from them about their model," Alcombright said.
To reach Jennifer Huberdeau, email jhuberdeau@thetranscript.com.
Source: http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_19669877?source=rss
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