North Adams Planners OK Motocross Track, Solar Arrays
.JPG) Range owner David Bond was approved for a motocross track on Curran Highway. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board on Monday approved the development of a motocross track at the Range on Curran Highway despite concerns from residents over noise.
Owner David Bond said the recent use of the property for snocross and declining interest in the driving range led to the decision.
"The success of our two snocross races over the past couple of seasons sort of lead us in this direction," Bond, a golf instructor, told planners. "Professionally, it was kind of sad to see the golf range ... see not as many people as we had in the past.
"A lot of families had contacted me that are actually involved in the [motocross] sport. Those two races sort of gave me a crash course in the way that motorsports are here."
He initially plans a practice track that would be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays form 10 to 6. However, he is looking into hosting a a NESCMX, or New England Motocross racing for next year.
The popularity of the snocross event, which drew 3,000 to 4,000 people in 2014 (this year's racing was cut short because of extreme cold), gave him optimism for the plunge into motorsports. Bond was also hopeful the owner of East Coast Snocross would return next year.
"If they feel they want to be in North Adams, we'd love to have them back," he said.
Several residents, however, were more concerned about the noise impact on Southview Cemeter on across the Hoosic River from The Range.
Richard Zona, of D Street, said he didn't see anything in Bond's noise impact study stating that the motorcycles would not exceed the city's 80 decibel noise ordinance.
"The level of noise and the amount and the time it's going would be a burden," he said, adding all residents own the cemetery. "I think the public has some type of legal standing as an abuttor."
Bond's impact study had been done by an engineer who had looked at several tracks and done one for another track in Massachusetts.
Planner Kyle Hanlon said the study had convinced him the noise would be mitigated.
"I was very concerned about noise in relation to the cemetery," he said. "I was very concerned until I read the sound engineering report ... it pretty much put my mind at ease that the noise spillage is not going to be nearly as much as I anticipated."
The closest description of the noise would be similar to a car driving by the cemetery on Church Street, said Planner Brian Miksic. "We don't shut down the road."
Bond said he had contacted Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals to discuss the possible effects of the track. He and the funeral directors had agreed that any racing would halt during a graveside service; Bond would be texted when one began and ended.
Beverly Whitney of Mohawk Trail pointed out that people are in the cemetery at all times of the day, visiting, walking or caring for graves.
"The cemetery is supposed to be a serene and meditative state," she said.
Building Inspector William Meranti said if the noise does exceed 80 decibels, the city ordinance would come into play.
Abuttor Michael Sarchi of South State Street was concerned with the possibility of motorcycles driving up and down the road or revving up before as they were unloaded.
Bond said there would be full-time workers on hand during practice days to prevent such incidents and that he had visited a number of tracks to learn best practices. The area would also be fenced to prevent people from using it when the track was closed.
He said the project had received all its state and local environmental permits last month.
"It's been engineered to the point we meet all the standards," he said. "This would be our final permit to move forward."
Local real estate developer David Moresi stood up in support of the track, saying it was economic development for the area and noting a steam train, the Berkshire Scenic Railway, would be going up and down the tracks on the weekend.
"Everybody is very mindful of the cemetery, but this is economic development," he said.
Whitney, however, retorted, "we're talking about a quality of life and that's something."
Planners voted 6-0, with Lynette Ritland Bond, Bond's sister-in-law, abstaining. The hearing was almost postponed because the permit needed six planners to pass it and Ritland Bond could not vote; Jay Walsh arrived in time to allow it to go forward. Planner Paul Hopkins expressed reservations at the last minute but in the end voted in the affirmative. Robert Burdick and Joanne DeRose were absent.
In other business, planners approved three solar arrays on private property. The first, a 642-kilowatt array for Holland Co. would be located on South State Street; the company would own the system on its own land.
Two others by the Clean Energy Collective, 1.32 megawatts, would be located on Reservoir Road and Furnace and Witt streets, on either side of the high tension wires. The projects were revamped from a proposal last fall that ran into opposition over water concerns.
This time around, the company is buying the lots, shifted the arrays and engineered a runoff system of catch basins that passed muster with city officials.
"We've looked at it and certainly they've made the effort to divert anything from the neighbors," he said. "It's there and they put the effort into it."
TJ's Southwestern Bar & Grill's and the Dairy Barn's new signage; a change requested by the state at the Cumberland Farms project on Union Street resulting in a 4 percent reduction of permeable surface; a trucking maintenance facility for aton's Trucking Service Inc. in the old Shapiro parts and service buildings on Union Street; and the Mohawk Tavern were all approved.
Open Meeting Complaint
Prior to the Planning Board, the Redevelopment Authority met to hear an open meeting complaint filed by Berkshire Eagle reporter Phil Demers on a meeting held four years ago. The authority had voted to purchase the Sons of Italy for $150,000 after the city and its owners had failed to come to an agreement over septic and parking. The complaint stated the vote on June 29, 2011, had taken place in executive session.
Mayor Richard Alcombright said the city's response was that, first, the complaint was filed far beyond the 30-day limit and that the newspaper Demers had worked at at the time had written about the purchase in July of that year. A response from the attorney general's office to the city basically said the matter was moot, the mayor said, but he had been informed the Eagle had appealed the complaint.
The mayor and all three board members also stated the vote to purchase the property was taken in open session.
"I want to reiterate any votes that were taken were not taken in executive session," said Vice Chairman Michael Leary. "The only vote was to go back into open session."
The complaint was filed until further communication from the attorney general's office. Alcombright suggested the board at its next meeting vote to release the executive session minutes. However, he admitted that he had not forwarded the minutes he took to the clerk at the time of the meeting; instead, they have been sitting on his computer.
Tags: motocross, open meeting complaint, Planning Board, redevelopment authority, solar array,
