ADAMS, Mass. — Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners is in need of a member. 

 

Executive Director William Schrade notified the Board of Selectmen of the opening last month and returned at its request last week to explain the commission's responsibilities.

 

"The state has asked us to reach out and go every avenue we can to try to find people who might be willing to serve for the state appointee," he reminded the board. "If the state does not appoint someone within 120 days, it falls into the role the Board of Selectmen to be able to choose that person with no input, obviously, from our Board of Commissioners or or myself."

 

The three major duties of the authority's board is to monitor the annual budget, set policy and hire and fire the executive director. 

 

There are five members, three elected by the town, one appointed by the Selectmen and one by the governor. 

 

The Selectmen's appointee is the tenant representative and must be a resident of the authority. The board appointed the most recent tenant representative last spring. 

 

The seat is the governor's appointment with a term of five years. Any Adams resident interested can apply online here or contact Schrade at 413-743-5924.

 

The deadline is May 13 after which the Selectmen would determine who will fill the vacancy.

 

"We manage 82 public low-income housing units. Sixty-four of them are at Columbia Street, right across from Walgreens," Schrade said. "We have 20 units of family units scattered throughout Adams, couple duplexes."

 

This includes a rowhouse with six units on Columbia Street and a leased eight-unit on Elm Street. 

 

"Currently we administer 73 housing choice vouchers, that was the Section 8 on the federal side. We have 10 vouchers that are mobile, or what they call project based, that is the state vouchers that they can be taken out," he said. "And then we also administer 14 vouchers strictly through the Department of Mental Health."

 

Schrade pointed out that the authority's funds come the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and U.S. Housing and Urban Development.

 

"We pay a pilot tax. And we are also renting some space for you. We are not funded by the town of Adams," he said. 

 

Selectman Joseph Nowak questioned Schrade about the conditions of buildings owned by the authority on North Summer Street. Schrade said the authority has to go through a process including a request for proposals to try to sell it and, if that doesn't work, a request for funds to tear it down. 

 

"I do not want to be a landlord that gives that appearance. I have talked to the neighbors, they understand they're not happy with it, but we are going to try and do something with it to get it down," he said.

 

He anticipated it would take about a year or two, based on how long it had taken to deal with an East Road property. "So it's on my radar, but there's a lengthy process."

 

The authority has a waiting list of thousands from across the state because public housing uses one portal. 

 

"They do give priorities. One is that if you're a veteran and you're an Adams resident, you will take a priority over someone who is from Boston. However, that could still floodgate people in Boston," Schrade said. 

 

For example, a unit is opening up and he'll have to send out 75 applications because the first 60 on the waiting list are from Worcester to Cape Cod.

 

"Let's say you're No, 5 on the list, and there's four, and you're an Adams resident, and I know that you need housing and you're homeless, and whatever it is, I cannot override those five," he said.  

 

"I have two people who came from Cape Cod, one who came from New Hampshire. A lot of them had been within Berkshire County. But there is a huge need for affordable housing."

 

In other business on Wednesday, Finance Director Ashley Satko updated the board on last month's vote by the Berkshire Health Group to increase rates by 16 percent.

 

Satko, who voted against the hike, noted that it also covered the Hoosac Valley and Northern Berkshire Vocational school districts. She anticipated about a $60,000 increase in the budget.

 

Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, participating remotely, said similar health groups are seeing double-digit increases across the state. 

 

"It's disappointing, but ... there are a lot of reasons as to why we're seeing those double-digit increases across the board, but I'm sure we'll talk more about that as we get into the budget workshop," she said. 

 

• Referred an Open Meeting complaint from resident Cathy Foster related to an executive session on Jan. 15 regarding release of a lien on 110 Columbia St. to town counsel. 

 

• The board signed an agreement with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission for work on a $45,000 grant from the state Office of Disability. BRPC will aid in the development of a transitional plan to address accessibility issues. 

 

• The board appointed Donna Cesan as acting community development director until May 31 or a new director can be hired. It also ratified the week she spent as an assistant in January and as a temporary assistant again for a month after the new director is hired. She will be paid $1,200 a week as director and $1,000 during her time as assistant. This is for half-time with no benefits.