NORTH ADAMS — It took longer than originally expected, and it will cost more, too. But the Northern Berkshire YMCA swimming pool roof is finally being repaired.
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said Monday that Adams contractor Geary Builders will begin planning repairs to the city-owned building this week.
The work was to have begun earlier, but the City of North Adams was dealt a setback when its chosen contractor, Triumph Roofing, backed out last November.
“There’s a lot going on with the Y, and I don’t know where they’re going to land, but we’re committed to fixing the roof, and we’re going forward with what we were going to do,” Macksey said.
Geary Builders, out of Adams, has agreed to do the job for $491,528. Triumph Roofing had submitted a low bid of $319,000.
The city aims to get the North Adams YMCA roof repaired ‘before the snow flies’ — and swimmers back in the pool
The Northern Berkshire branch of the Berkshire Family YMCA has had issues of late, beginning with the closing of its pool following a routine roof inspection that flagged structural concerns. In October, the Berkshire Family Y announced that the Northern Berkshire YMCA would temporarily stop offering child care, citing inadequate staff to comply with state regulations.
Berkshire Family Y Interim Executive Director Christian Bianchi told The Eagle last week that he could not provide a timeline for when child care would reopen in North Adams. But, the Y is “excited and grateful” about a recent reform in reimbursement rates for child care providers set to benefit Berkshire families next month, which could help with staffing issues, he said.
“Hopefully this rate increase will encourage new educators to pursue a career in the early education and care field,” Bianchi wrote in an email. “As for now, our focus for Northern Berkshire remains on school-age child care and camp.”
Northern Berkshire YMCA to temporarily halt early childhood child care on Friday
Bianchi did not return a request for comment about the new contractor hired to fix the roof.
In late November, the Y announced that it would be significantly shortening hours at the Northern Berkshire branch. Now, the Y is open 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on weekends.
The Northern Berkshire YMCA has had issues of late, including North Adams’s chosen contractor backing out of a bid to repair the roof over the pool. But the city has since come to an agreement with the second-lowest bidder.
“After careful consideration of facility usage, staffing resources, and the temporary closure of our child care, and the delay in the pool roof repair due to the general contractor withdrawing from the project, we have made the difficult decision to adjust our hours of operation,” the Y wrote in a Facebook post.
The news triggered concern from locals about the institution’s future.
The city had planned to pay for the repairs with $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding, a $100,000 state budget earmark obtained by state Rep. John Barrett III, and the rest of the money to be determined. Now, it’s anticipated ARPA dollars will pay for all but the $100,000 in state funds.
The Northern Berkshire branch of the Berkshire Family YMCA has had issues of late: the closing of the pool and the announcement that it would temporarily stop offering child care.
“Today they’re there, they’re mobilizing their trailer, I think they’re walking the site with the roofer,” Macksey said. “It’ll be a slow startup, but they’re there to get the job done.”