ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Housing Authority is working on a cable television survey for residents to gauge interest in how many want and use the basic services. 

 

The authority has an agreement with telecommunications company Spectrum to provide basic cable service to all residents for $27 per unit, but some residents do not take advantage of it and some units are empty.

 

Executive Commissioner William Schrade suggested the survey at the Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, saying the program cost would likely need to increase to keep up with rising cable costs.

 

"If we keep it the way it is, I now have to raise their rate by about $7. That means next year, I'm probably going to have to raise it a little bit more, because cable is always going up," he said, noting the program, which is supposed to pay for itself, is costing the authority money. 

 

Commission member Kelley Rice said she is interested to see the survey results but wants to ensure services remain affordable for residents. 

 

"I just want to make sure that they're not going to rake [residents] over the coals if we have an agreement already in place with them," she said. 

 

Schrade said many residents of the authority already upgrade from the basic cable, which requires them to pay additional money to Spectrum. The survey, he said, will likely go out sometime in August, and he plans to work with Spectrum to discuss possible options. 

 

"This is a long process," he said. "This is not something that in two or three months is going to be done ... I will work with the cable company to figure out what's going on or what we can do." 

 

The authority is also planning to get a $2,000 change machine for laundry. With the new machine, cost for washer and dryer will go up 25 cents each. 

 

Schrade said he sent out a memo asking residents if they would want a change machine, even if it meant a 25-cent increase in laundry costs. The majority of residents, he said, were in favor.

 

"We're trying to make it a little bit easier for our tenants so that they don't have to run to the bank to be able to get change ... Surprisingly enough, the majority of the people would prefer to get the machine," he said. 

 

The 25-cent increase, Schrade said, would pay for the machine in nine months. 

 

Thursday's meeting was the first for Schrade, who started last month, replacing former director Patricia Volpi. Schrade said he has met with most residents and has worked well with housing authority staff. 

 

"It's been great. We've had a couple staff meetings to go over our goals, concerns, our expectations," he said. "I expect out of them what they expect out of me. We've had a couple great suggestions that have come out."