Wahconah Park Panel Looks to Funding
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three different avenues are being considered to fund the estimated $30 million restoration of historic Wahconah Park and a feasibility study has gone to the mayor.
While planners hope that grants and donations fund as much as possible, they are also looking into borrowing an amount that the tax levy could handle but have not yet determined the burden on taxpayers.
"Looking at the survey results and people I’ve spoken to, people want this," Chair Earl Persip III said to the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee on Thursday.
"The community wants this and so when it comes down to it and we understand how much we can borrow right from the jump and how that affects people's tax bill, understanding that — hopefully we'll get that answer pretty soon — we will know where we're at. I think we're in the right steps of moving this forward."
During debates that led up to the 2023 municipal election, candidates supported the project overall. Persip, who was re-elected for an at-large seat on the City Council, said Wahconah Park is one of the first projects he is excited to work on in the new term.
The committee voted to send the more than 150-page feasibility study to Mayor Linda Tyer and Mayor-elect Peter Marchetti. The study outlines where the historical park began and what it can be in the future, detailing concepts, performance, and pricing at the end.
The panel endorsed a $30 million elevated design in September.
"The work that we've done so far has been this feasibility study," Park, Open Space and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath explained.
"We hired [S3 Design] in a competitive procurement process, S3 led us through a process and the outcome, the product in which they needed to deliver to this committee was the feasibility report."
Next, the team must move into design development and the city is negotiating the cost of architectural and engineering services for that. This phase is expected to cost more than $1.5 million.
The $3 million secured by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal through Congressionally Direct Spending from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be spent on Phase 2; the first phase was funded by $2 million of city capital money.
The big question is how the construction will be funded.
Persip, McGrath, Finance Director Matthew Kerwood, and Director of Community Development Justine Dodds have begun the conversation about funding and have identified the three strategies of borrowing, grants, and donations.
They are looking into Community Preservation Act funding as a possible source and a subcommittee will be formed to look at private donations from businesses. There is a hope to secure $10 million in donations.
McGrath pointed out that there is ample opportunity to scale back the proposal to save money and that effort will be happening in parallel with the fundraising effort.
"I want to make it clear that the decision has been made to continue to advance the project into design even before we have that final price tag," he said.
"Because I think myself and the chairman and all of you around this table are very hopeful that this project will actually happen."
Tags: Wahconah Park,
