North Adams Panel Wants Opinion on Park Alteration
 The Historical Commission is asking for a legal opinion on Colegrove Park. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Historical Commission is asking the city solicitor to weigh in on the legal aspects of changes to Colegrove Park.
Commissioners have expressed frustration that information about removing all of stairs from the park on the west side of Conte School has been unclear or slow to reach them.
They also questioned the use of state funds to alter the park even though it will no longer be used as the school's playground.
"I want further legal clarification before we take a vote," said Chairwoman Justyna Carlson.
Four of the five commissioners present voted to request City Solicitor John DeRosa provide an opinion on the legality of using the Massachusetts School Building Authority funds to remove the stairs at Colegrove Park if it was no longer part of the educational plan. Commissioner Jake Elder abstained.
The commission had been surprised last week to learn that the plan they had approved last year and passed on to Massachusetts Historical Society to incorporate the area as a playground was no longer viable.
The School Building Committee voted in June not to replace the upper sets of stairs. The original concepts had envisioned some type of playground but educators didn't think a play area in Colegrove would be convenient. And as costs mounted — the state will only pay 8 percent of construction costs toward site work — the repairs were abandoned in favor of removal and grading.
The only thing remaining in the plan is the trees and the circular landing mid-slope.
"When we first considered this there were changes to the hillside, changes to the stairs because a ramp had to be put in," said Carlson, referring to the need to make the park handicapped accessible. "That was why the whole issue had to be tackled ... The stairs were going to have to be moved a little.
"Now that's not connected, it changes whether this had to tackled at all."
Carlson said if the emergency route in front of the west side of the school means "the banking has to be changed, that's a different story."
Julie Sniezek of Guntlow & Associates said the stairs were an "attractive nuisance" and unsafe even if they weren't utilized by the school.
"There are probably going to be students on that hill and those are very dangerous stairs," she said. The concrete stairs had been condemned years ago.
 The concrete stairs are in poor condition. |
Removing the stairs "leaves the door open for future improvements," Sniezek said, "rather than building something now that wouldn't be historically true."
Resident Richard Zona said he couldn't understand why school project money was being used toward the stairs.
"My biggest concern is money is being spent to alter this park," he said, asking if the Massachusett Historical Commission needed to approve the new changes. "It makes no sense to me."
Architect Margo Jones said the project's historical consultant Douglas Kelleher didn't see a problem with the state commission.
Sniezek wondered if the commission wanted to retain the decaying stairs.
"As a functional standpoint ... that doesn't impact us at all," she said, although there could be some damage from heavy equipment working at the top of the hill and in repairing the retaining wall on the south side.
"Will all the issues here go away if the hillside stays as exactly as it is now?" she asked.
"It's also the cheaper alternative," chimed in Jones.
Tags: Colegrove Park, Conte School, historical building, historical commission, MSBA, school building, school project,
