Adams Arts Advisory Board Becomes Independent

ADAMS, Mass. — After a vote by the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, the Adams Arts Advisory Board has become an independent entity from the town. 

The board unanimously voted for the separation after the advisory board discussed it at its last meeting. Melissa Silverstein, a recent addition to the advisory board, said this does not mean the panel will sever its relationship with the town.

"My understanding is that the people didn't really understand the implications of the fact that we were part of the town from the beginning," she said. "... We're at a place where we need this to happen in order for us to move forward with our work. We are committed to being a part of this town, helping grow the arts in this town, being representatives for the town in other arts areas. And this is the first step in, hopefully, a lot of great steps." 

Town Administrator Jay Green said the move relieves the advisory board from following rules other public boards have to follow, such as the Open Meeting Law. 

"Like any good volunteer organization, they need to evolve, they need to be nimble and flexible. And I don't feel the town will be misserved in any way by not having some level of town official involvement with it," he said. 

The group plans to continue its work obtaining a state-sanctioned cultural district designation for downtown Adams. Board member George LeMatrie said the change should allow the board to have smaller and more informal meetings and get work done faster. 

"I'm glad that you approved this. I think it'll be beneficial to the Arts Advisory Board. I think we'll be able to take more action quicker on our own," he said. 

Selectmen Chair John Duval, who noted he was a selectman when the town created the advisory board, said he recognizes the work put in by members of the advisory board. Selectmen Joseph Nowak and Richard Blanchard were also on the board at that time. 

"The Adams Arts Advisory Board has really grown, has really engaged in many activities and work in the community, much more than at the time," he said. "So it's the right thing, I agree, it is time to discuss the separation."

Common Table Brings Modern Comfort Food to Cheshire

By Daniel MatziBerkshires Staff
05:20AM / Monday, June 24, 2024

Marcus Lyon mixes his Taylor Swift inspired cocktail, the Tortured Poet.

 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Common Table is a transportation device. Walking into the month-old restaurant on South Street in Cheshire, surrounded by the quiet of the sleepy church across the street and the still trees all around, one might feel a shock of displacement on discovering a packed dining room, buzzing with the  energy and life of a city several orders of magnitude larger.

 

Nevertheless, partners CJ Garner and Marcus Lyon hope locals and visitors alike will feel at home here, where their take on "modern American comfort food" has already found a solid base of regulars in its five weeks of operation.

 

The 40-odd seat room, with tall white wainscoting against gray walls, and a bold white-tiled bar, has a streamlined farmhouse feel that complements the simple yet inventive menu Garner and his kitchen crew present each week.

 

A curated mix of pop tracks and classic rock songs lays a backdrop for the many conversations mingling throughout the space.

 

At the beginning of the year this room bore no resemblance to the sleek, welcoming restaurant it is today. Serving as a makeshift storage space for its owner after the last in a string of pizza joints closed here in 2017, the space had to be completely updated and renovated to be usable, let alone attractive.

 

Garner and Lyon, accompanied by Garner's father and friend Bob, installed new plumbing, new heating and cooling, new electrical, and a lot of new kitchen equipment. A wall was built to serve as the bar's backdrop, the drop ceiling was removed and raised, and the ceiling was vaulted over half of the dining room.

 

Windows all along the dining room let in beautiful daylight during lunch, and at night the darkened space is cozy and intimate.