Pittsfield Parks Commission Awaits Con Comm Finding on Bike Track
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission is waiting on a ruling from the Conservation Commission before moving forward with a formal decision on the Springside Park pump track proposal.
Last month, the panel recommended that the project leaders file a request for determination of applicability (RDA) to be reviewed by the Conservation Commission to ensure the track would not be within a wetlands buffer zone.
The Conservation Commission then tabled the RDA because of confusion related to the two possible locations for the pump track and requested clarification from the applicants before voting.
If it is not within the 100-foot buffer zone, that take it out of the Conversation Commission's jurisdiction, but the Parks Commission wanted to verify the plan would not have detrimental environmental effects on the surrounding landscape.
"There was a little bit of confusion about the proposed site, the original proposed site, which was to the north of where the little league field in, in our last meeting we discussed, potentially, said that we would prefer to see if we can move away from that to the old little league field," Parks Chairman Anthony DeMartino said to the commission on Tuesday in its first meeting at City Hall since the beginning of the pandemic.
"So my understanding is at that meeting it was both areas and so I think the Conservation Commission was a little bit confused as to actually what the deal is, so for that reason they tabled it."
DeMartino said it is moving forward through a process and once a determination is received and the applicants define the exact area of the proposal, the commission can vote on it.
If there is approximately one acre and above of land disturbance, there will be a city stormwater permit required for the project as well.
Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath reported that the city is working on an agreement that will be between the applicants, Berkshire Chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA), and the city outlining maintenance responsibilities.
By the next meeting, they hope to present the commission with a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU.)
"The way that this was brought to the Park Commission was that 'hey, we're willing to fund the design,' speaking of NEMBA, 'fund the design, fund the construction and take on perpetual maintenance,'" McGrath explained.
"So, through an agreement that has to be very tight language to codify what that maintenance looks like, what level of maintenance, when is that maintenance performed, so what the solicitor has asked, and what I have done at his request, is reached out to the executive director of the New England Mountain Bike Association, seeking his input as to whether he is aware of other communities that have bike skills parks that are on municipal property where there is an agreement for independent clubs to perform the maintenance so he thinks that there is something out there. Why reinvent the wheel? Let's look at what others have put together."
He clarified that there are multiple license agreements between private entities and the city including one with the Pittsfield Suns baseball team.
This agreement is of high importance because if the city is taking maintenance off of its hands, the private property needs to be taken care of to the city's standards.
McGrath also addressed misinformation that had been circulating around the procurement of the project.
"I want to be very clear that the design by Powder Horn for this project, it is being donated so, at some point, the design will be donated to the city, the city will accept that design, provided it means a certain standard of engineering performance, we will accept that design, and then we will bid the project as a formal city bid," He explained.
"We will only bid that project when we can attest that funds are in place that equal or exceed the estimate of probable cost of the project, so those funds will need to be raised and turned over to the city, when we know we have those funds in place, we can bid the project."
A group who opposes the pump track being located at Springside Park called a point of order to say that they sent correspondence requesting to be on the agenda to speak on the environmental effects of the proposal.
Many, if not all of the members, have previously spoken in opposition to the proposal.
Both city staff and DeMartino assured the group that missing the supposed communications was an honest oversight and they will be included on next month's agenda.
"I hope that everybody present and everybody on the commission, everybody in the community can see that we are doing everything we can with this project, to get all of the input possible on both sides in every way," DeMartino said.
"We are not to turn anybody away who has a desire to speak, in any way from the start or beginning of this project, and we wouldn't do that now."
Tags: biking, Springside Park,
