PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new playground is the first step in a multi-phased plan to revamp the newly re-named Durant Park.

 

Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath received approval of the plan from the Parks Commission on Tuesday that features not only a new playground but also new signage, fitness area, upgraded bathrooms, new pavilion, upgrades to the baseball and softball field and a new fence along the river.

 

"These were improvements that were looked at by the city as well as the neighborhood. This is not a decision thrust on Durant Park by myself and others from city hall. This was drafted, we made copies, this was distributed throughout the neighborhood, comments were made. I worked with Eddie Taylor to take all those comments and develop what we see now," McGrath said.

 

McGrath said $70,000 from the city's Community Development Block Grant funding, which is a federal source, will replace the playground. 

 

"The playground that is there is probably 20 years old or so. The playground is mainly a pressure-treated playground and over the years there have been concerns by folks in the neighborhood about pressure-treated playgrounds. Is it safe for kids?" McGrath said.

 

He said the new playground will be constructed during a "community build."

 

"Our playground vendor will come down with two professional playground builders and the rest of the folks participating in building would be folks from the neighborhood. This saves a fair amount of money for the cost of labor and it builds community."

 

Right now, that is the only upgrade funded. McGrath is seeking additional funding for the other upgrades. He said he is meeting with Greylock Federal Credit Union in an attempt to receive funding help. He is also looking for grants or a possible capital funding request.

 

"We are actively seeking ways to fund this other than using city funding," McGrath said. 

 

There is new signs at the park's two entrances — one on John Street and the other on Columbus Avenue — but those were just a few made by the Department of Public Services.

 

Those were put in shortly after the community gathered together and petitioned the City Council to change the name from Pitt Park to being named after Rosemary and the Rev. Willard Durant. McGrath said "appropriate signage" is eyed to replace those signs. That community effort and movement led to the plan presented on Tuesday.

 

"After the renaming there was a real motivation by mainly Eddie Taylor and others from the neighborhood to really start looking at the park and if there are improvements to be made, some modest improvements others much more costly," McGrath said.

 

A new addition to the park is what is eyed to be a fitness area. This will be a clustering of equipment similar to playground equipment but used by the older park users for exercise. 

 

"This is a place for the older set, maybe teenagers to 20 something to get together, exercise in a collective way," McGrath said. 

 

The bathrooms are part of an existing bandshell but are in poor condition. McGrath said the hope is to retrofit that building, which the city recently put a new roof on, to support upgraded bathroom facilities. If retrofitting doesn't work, that requires a demotion and rebuild which is more costly, he said.

 

Currently programs such as the Marilyn Hamilton Sports and Literacy Program operate in the park but when it rains or is too hot, there is nowhere for shelter other than tents brought in by organizers. What could be the most expensive part of the plan calls for a new shelter site — a six- or four-post pavilion to provide shade and protection from the elements.

 

The basketball court has just recently been upgraded but there are still elements the community would like to add such as a scorers table. The plan calls for improvements to the baseball and softball field as well.

 

Finally, the plan calls to replace the four-foot fence lining the Housatonic River with a taller one to keep basketballs from ending up in the water.

 

"Often what happens is basketballs go over that low fence, we have a river over that fence, and we have little ones climbing over that fence to retrieve the basketball, not the most ideal situation," McGrath said. 

 

The Parks Commission only wanted to ensure there was enough open space and that the new elements didn't clutter the park, which McGrath said they did not. The commissioners gave their stamp of approval so there is now a roadmap for the improvements and the funding is hoped to follow. 

 

The upgrades to Durant Park is just one of three community led efforts to invest in city parks. The Springside Conservancy has been advocating for improvements there and has recently received a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historical Society to re-do the roof on the historic mansion. At Clapp Park, another group has joined together and has raised more than $30,000 to make major changes to the baseball field, recently renamed Buddy Pellerin Field. Those improvements are set to begin this summer with new fencing, scoreboard, and a batting cage.