State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Community Development Director Douglas Clark, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett, Mayor Daniel Bianchi and Parks and Open Spaces Director James McGrath during a tour of the Common on Friday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state's new secretary of energy and environmental affairs can envision what the First Street Common will look like as she ushers in the final few months of the construction.

 

Maeve Vallely Bartlett took over from Richard Sullivan in June as head of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the office overseeing the $4.6 million reconstruction. 

 

The state is paying the majority of the cost to reinvigorate the park by adding a new playground, walking loops, sprayground, basketball court, gazebo, bathrooms and performance space. The hope is to fill the downtown park with new life and activity.

 

"A park like this, both the open nature of it with the trees and the grass and with the activation of the playground, sprayground and basketball courts. It is just a great mix of safe land in the middle of land in an urban area," Bartlett said following a Friday afternoon tour. "It is just in a lovely area. It has a lovely layout."

 

The park has been under construction for a number of years with the first phase breaking ground back in 2011. In 2012, the city cut the ribbon on the first $1.7 million phase. The construction continued through Phase 2 and last November Gov. Deval Patrick announced the funding to finish both of the final two phases.

 

"We are eager to get this project done. It has been a number of years that this project has been in various stages of construction. To be able to finish the final two phases at the same time allows us to finish the project and let people in here to enjoy this great, new destination," said Parks and Open Spaces Director James McGrath said.

 

McGrath said the final phases are on track both budget-wise and time-wise. Substantial completion is expected in November with workers returning in the spring for the final touch-up work.

 

"We're expecting that we will be substantially completed on or about Nov. 1. All of the elements will be substantially completed," McGrath said.

 

The park is part of Patrick's push to develop urban parks across the state. The Common is one of more than 200 parks that have either been reconstructed or renovated under his administration. The focus of most of those parks has been for greenspace in urban areas, including the more recent round of funding to build 54 new parks specifically in urban areas.

 

The goal is to ensure that every resident can walk to a park.

 

Bartlett has taken over that initiative and has been touring the various projects. Even though funding is in place and construction is in the home stretch, Bartlett says she still has an important role in final few months of the Common's reconstruction.

 

"We are really managing both the funding aspect and working with the city in case they hit a snag or in case something needs to be redesigned. It is really just a working relationship to make sure it gets finished," she said.

 

Bartlett said she has been briefed multiple times by staff but was impressed to see the park. She was shown around the park and told the various details and history by Mayor Daniel Bianchi, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, McGrath, Director of Maintenance Peter Sondrini and Director of Community Development Douglas Clark.

 

"It looks great. I know it isn't done, but it looks great," Bartlett said.