County's Two Cities Fight Over Rail Trail Money
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North Adams and Pittsfield are fighting for a federal earmark to extend the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. In North County, officials are hoping the money will extend the trail from Lime Street in Adams to Hodges Cross Road in North Adams while Pittsfield is vying for the money to extend the trail from the Berkshire Mall to Crane Avenue.
Both cities are heralding the money as vital to their economic growth and have invested time and money into the projects but only one will receive the earmark. Top officials from each area — including both mayors — are expected to plead their cased at the next Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting, when a decision is expected to be made.
The money has already stirred up controversy when the MPO, a regional planning group through the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, previously voted to give the money to Lenox. However, Lenox withdrew its application and both areas scampered for it. Another planning organization, the Transportation Advisory Committee, made a recommendation to give the money to Adams on April 19.
But on Aug. 30, two days after Hurrican Irene smashed through Northern Berkshire, the MPO decided to give it to Pittsfield. It was a move some in the north are calling "underhanded" because no North County voting member was able to attend.
Last Tuesday, North County delegate Michael Ouellette of Adams and North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright asked to have the vote reconsidered — essentially taking the money back from Pittsfield — and set the stage for both sides to again make presentations in hopes to secure the funds.
"It's too important of an issue to the northern communities to not have a fair shot at it," Ouellette said on Tuesday. "Hopefully, we'll get the votes to get it to the north."
Bruce Collingwood, who represented Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto at the meeting, said the reconsideration vote has caused some unhappiness among Pittsfield officials because the Office of Community Development has already begun "mobilizing" to work on the project but now has to hold off.
A discussion and "a possible action" was listed on the Aug. 30 meeting agenda. The committee had a quorum and made a decision.
"We were all notified at the same time and told to be prepared to make a presentation," Collingwood said on Wednesday. "The city is not particularly happy with the re-vote ... [but] at this point, it is water under the bridge."
At that meeting, both James McGrath, Pittsfield's Park, Open Space and Natural Resource program director, and Adams Selectmen Chairman Arthur "Skip" Harrington (neither of whom is a voting member) both made presentations. A motion to designate the money for Adams was defeated by a 4-3 vote and a following motion to give it to Pittsfield passed 6-0 with one abstention.
Ouellette said he had prior commitments and had sent an e-mail to the committee when the meeting was posted informing them that North County might not be represented. The alternative, Ronald Turbin of Williamstown, was also unable to fill in and other officials said they were busy attending to storm damage from Hurricane Irene.
"We had big things to deal with, we had people homeless, we had property destroyed," Adams Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said on Wednesday. "I am glad that they are giving us another opportunity."
With a second shot at the money, North County representatives — including Alcombright, Butler, Ouellette, Adams Director of Community Development Donna Cesan and state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi — will be preparing the make another presentation in hopes to redirect the money. In Pittsfield, officials — including Ruberto, McGrath and Deanna Ruffer, Pittsfields' Department of Community Development director — will be doing the same.
"The importance of the bike path extension into Pittsfield cannot be overstated. The city has committed significant financial and staff resources over the past five years to advance the development of the bike path into Pittsfield, has worked closely with the Berkshire Bike Path Council, and has actively sought funding through multiple sources," McGrath said in an e-mail on Wednesday. "The path will link a major retail shopping center — Berkshire Mall — to other active commercial areas, major employers in the area — General Electric and General Dynamics — and dense residential neighborhoods."
The extension would bring the trail closer to South County towns that have been working for years on developing their own bike path, McGrath said, and the MPO money is "critical" for a South County expansion. For North County, it will be a continuation of a $2.1 million trail construction that is expected to break ground next summer.
"To me, it's more important to us than to Pittsfield," Ouellette said. "The question is 'what's the best for the whole Berkshire County?' I think it will have a greater economic impact here."
The trail is planned to eventually cut through North Adams and into Williamstown. It currently runs from the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough to Hoosac Street in Adams.
The next MPO meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 13 but may have to be rescheduled, according to Clete Kus of the BRPC.
Tags: Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, BRPC,
