They have already made a number of upgrades to the baseball field and they still have more in mind.
At the same time, the Rotary Club has raised money to install a splash pad near the playground area.
"The Rotary Club has been a great partner with the city and we look forward to working with them," Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath said.
In total, the project will cost some $610,000, with $400,000 hopefully coming from the state. McGrath said the plans include improvements to not only the baseball field and the addition of splash pads, but also look at improving parking, restrooms, and "a number of other issues that need to be addressed."
"We applied for the grant and we hope to hear in early October whether this has been funded," McGrath said.
He added, "there is zero match from the city of Pittsfield."
That type of improvement to parks has become a trend. In a short period of time, the Parks Commission approved changing the names of three city parks after being petitioned by residents and all three groups have followed through with efforts to spruce the respective parks up.
In October 2015, Pitt Park was renamed after Rosemary and Rev. Willard Durant Park. A year later, those same community members behind the name change performed a community build to put in a new playground, which was funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. McGrath said on Tuesday that in just a few weeks, new signage will be installed at the park.
In October 2016, the Parks Commission approved changing the name of Highland Park after Christopher R. Porter. On Tuesday, McGrath said new equipment has been ordered to replace the aging playground there and that the volunteers behind that effort will be holding a community build, too, on July 29.
"They've raised a lot of money to start making a lot of improvements at the park," he said. "That equipment is in the order of $14,000, $15,000 and that was entirely raised by the neighborhood group."
New fencing has been installed and benches have been priced out. McGrath said he will next be looking to install new signage there.
As for park signage, the city is looking to replace all signs in the park system to make them standardized. The Parks Commission previously approved a design, which is similar to the signs used at the conservation areas but with a different background color, and now McGrath says he'll be looking to craft a long-term plan to change them out.
"We'd like to see all of the parks have the consistent signage. ... Eventually, the idea is to brand all of the parks together," McGrath said.
He later added, "Once we get the Durant Park ones in, we can take a step back, take a breather, and then develop that long-range change out plan."
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Dalton Select Board Argues Over Sidewalk Article
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — A heated discussion concerning sidewalks during Monday night's Select Board meeting resulted in the acting chair calling a recess to cool the situation.
The debate stemmed from the two articles on the town meeting warrant for May 6 at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School.
One proposes purchasing a sidewalk paver for $64,000 so sidewalks can be paved or repaired for less money, but they will use asphalt rather than concrete. The other would amend the town's bylaws to mandate the use of concrete for all future sidewalks.
The article on concrete sidewalks was added to the warrant through a citizen petition led by resident Todd Logan.
The board was determining whether to recommend the article when member John Boyle took the conversation in a new direction by addressing how the petition was brought about.
"I just have a comment about this whole procedure. I'm very disappointed in the fact that you [Logan] have been working, lobbying various groups and implementing this plan and filed this petition six weeks ago. You never had any respect for the Select Board and …" Boyle said.
Before Boyle could finish his statement, which was directed to Logan, who was in the audience, Chair Joe Diver called point of order via Zoom.
Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
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The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. click for more
Amy Schirmer was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year for creating a weekly therapeutic art class at the George B. Crane Center to help those in recovery from substance use. click for more