Architects Rachel Loeffler, of Berkshire Design Group, and John Barry of Barry Architects presented the plans to the Parks Commission on Monday.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A final design for more than a half-million dollars worth of improvements to Clapp Park was finalized Monday.
The Parks Commission gave its stamp of approval on the design crafted by Berkshire Design Group. The design, however, isn't entirely what parks officials had been hoping for when first crafted. The full vision is now expected to be done in phases.
The city had worked with the designers on a fully re-envisioned park after receiving a $400,000 state grant but all of the elements wanted proved to be costly. Berkshire Design Group went back to the drawing board and now has a set of construction plans that will fit the $680,000 available for spending.
"We're going to focus mostly on the front part of the park," Landscape Architect Rachel Loeffler told the commission.
One of the key aspects of the project is the addition of a splash pad near the current basketball court. The Rotary Club is donating some $180,000 toward the development of that new feature. That will be featured next to the current playground, which will be seeing new elements added to it specifically eyed for handicapped accessibility. The basketball court was once eyed to be moved to the back of the park but instead, that will stay and be resurfaced.
Right next to the playgrounds will be a new bathroom facility that will be open during the day during the summer months. A new walkway from the playground to the existing track will connect the features of the park.
The backstop of the baseball field is eyed to be moved back 45 feet. The Buddy Pellerin Field Committee is donating some $30,000 for improvements to the field, with moving the backstop is one of many changes it has planned. The project is also supported with funds from the Community Preservation Act.
The city was hoping to install a new, net meshing backstop, but that might not be financially feasible. Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath said it will be an "add-on" and if the price is reasonable and there is room in the budget, will be added. Otherwise, that would be pushed to another phase of renovations.
The moved backstop will force the track to be repositioned slightly. However, there is no money to repair the track so it will remain crushed stone. The crushed stone, however, is not considered handicapped accessible but the path to it will be. McGrath hopes in the future the track is renovated.
The original plan also looked to install a handicapped parking lot near the splash park. But that, too, had to be pulled from this phase of the project. Instead, the accessible walkway will continue to Hollister Street where the city will be setting aside handicapped parking.
"We're meeting the spirit of accessibility with this design," McGrath said. "The improvements we're making on the eastern side of the park in the playground and splash pad are connected to handicapped parking we will stripe out on Hollister Street."
Along West Housatonic Street the plans call for cutting down all but one of the trees and replanting new ones. McGrath said that is eyed to have the tree line be all of the same species and age to provide a more uniformed look.
"What we currently have is a mismatch," McGrath said.
The baseball field itself will see new sodding, new dugouts, benches, and fencing. The current parking area will be repaved and new signage and wooden guardrails will be added.
The light on top of the hill will be removed. McGrath said the state grant requires electrical lines to be buried and for that one light, it would be too costly to do so.
"No one is going to miss this random light at the top of the hill," McGrath said.
McGrath added that some of the historic features of the park won't go away. Sledding will be not be impeded and the horse trough and Clapp Park dedication stone along West Housatonic Street will be moved into the park.
"The horse trough is a really cool element and there is a marker that almost looks like a gravestone and the idea is to incorporate those features into the design," McGrath said.
The city had first taken a very expansive look at the park and had plans for the entire property, including new walking paths and trails to connect all parts. Now that is being broken down into phases.
"The reality is that everything is very expensive these days," McGrath said. "This is a trimmed-down plan that meets our objectives and is a starting point for substantial improvements to this part of Clapp Park."
Outside of the West Housatonic side of the park, McGrath said the city and the Little League program matched funds to order and install a new scoreboard so the rear portion of the park won't be left out completely.
"It is a small improvement that we are happy to help the Little League with down there," McGrath said.
McGrath hopes to get the project to bid as soon as possible and the hope is to at least get the baseball field completed before the season starts.
Parks and Open Space Manager James McGrath told the Parks Commission on Tuesday that the design currently crafted is estimated to go over the $675,000 budget for the project. He is now working with Berkshire Design on scaling the concept back slightly to make the numbers work.
The new splash pad at Clapp Park is eyed to be located where the basketball court currently sits. The basketball court is eyed to move to the rear of the property. A new parking lot, and curbcut onto Route 20, will be built next to the splash bad. The bullpen will be moved. The playground will be renovated. The backstop will be moved back and the track will be repaired.
The state is investing $400,000 to renovate Clapp Park. Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Friday some $6.3 million worth of grants statewide for park improvement projects. Pittsfield received the maximum amount through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs project for a massive renovation to the West Housatonic Street Park.
On Monday, Carr Hardware did what it said it would do - donate its recent prize winnings toward building a splash pad at Clapp Park. The local company has won the "Indie Award" as small business of the year from the business organization Independent We Stand. The prize includes $5,000 cash, which Carr Hardware opted to go toward a splash pad project in partnership with the city of the Rotary Club.
Clapp Park could see a major upgrade in the coming years. The city has partnered with the Rotary Club and the Buddy Pellerin Field Committee on a state grant to complete a major park renovation.
The first round of improvements to the newly named Buddy Pellerin Field at Clapp Park is set for this summer. The Parks Commission gave the group heading the effort the Okay to order a scoreboard and to continue planning for a number of other additions and changes to the field. The group has already raised $20,000 and has set a goal of a quarter of a million to make four phases worth of improvements to the ballfield.
The committee behind the naming of Buddy Pellerin Baseball Field at Clapp Park has set a goal of raising $250,000 in the next three years to improve the ballfield. The Parks Commission in April unanimously approved renaming the Clapp Park ballfield after longtime baseball coach George "Buddy" Pellerin. The committee for the Clapp Park Project had applied for the naming and presented the commission more than 150 letters of support.
The baseball field at Clapp Park is being named after former coach Buddy Pellerin. The Parks Commission approved the naming on Tuesday after being overwhelmed by support from former players, family and friends of Pellerin. A large crowd filled the meeting room as Ken Ferris gave a presentation on not just why Pellerin deserved the recognition but also plans to upgrade the field.
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Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.
Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.
According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.
When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.
A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.
The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.
In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:
4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
Ring door cameras
A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants
Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.
The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant.
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The seasonal road closed because of flooding caused by what was initially thought to be from a beaver dam that was located on the Pittsfield stretch.
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Voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 6, will decide 22 articles, including articles on sidewalks and the authorization of a number of spending articles, including an approximate $22 million budget. click for more
Ken Sagendorph, a former firefighter and emergency technician, says his goal is to improve communication between the Fire District, residents, town, and department if elected to the Board of Water Commissioners. click for more