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The Pines trails behind the Senior Center are being cleared and graded to make them more accessible.

Work on Dalton's Pines Accessibility Trail Continues

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Work on the Pines accessibility trail continues, with hopes that it will be completed within the next several weeks. 
 
Since the last correspondence with Greenagers Conservation Director Elia DelMolino, work was anticipated to continue on Monday, Open Space and Recreation Committee Chair Brandon Quail said last week. 
 
The trailhead, located behind the Senior Center, is a hidden gem in the area that needs to be protected, and more people should know about it, committee members previously said. Work on making the Pines trail more usable and accessible began last year. The town's owned the property for about seven years. 
 
The project will make the trail accessible to those with mobility restrictions, including wheelchair users.  
 
So far, it's about a quarter-mile long, and there are plans to extend it to approximately a mile to a mile and a half, Quail said. 
 
The committee has contracted with the youth environmental community organization to develop the trail, utilizing a Massachusetts Trails grant in the amount of $49,450. 
 
Greenagers hires five to eight youths who are paid to create the trail. 
 
The committee also elected Mitch Salvini as its vice chair. 

Tags: accessibility,   greenagers,   trails,   

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Wahconah Park Grandstand Leveled, Close to Shovel-Ready

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wahconah Park is expected to be shovel-ready next month, with just a couple of outstanding permits remaining. 

The 75-plus-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022 and demolished at the end of the summer. Now, the space where the large structure stood has been leveled, though some accessory buildings, such as the dugouts, remain. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported that the site, which "looks a lot different," will be shovel-ready in mid-November.  From there, the city needs to do financial planning and sourcing. 

"Again, I sound like a broken record, but it becomes a matter of identifying the funding strategy that will advance the project," McGrath told the Parks Commission on Tuesday. 

In the meantime, the city hopes to return baseball to the site in 2027. 

Planners determined that starting from square one is the best option with the grandstand; a $15 million design was last on the table. 

McGrath reported that all but two permits approved through the Community Development Board and Zoning Board of Appeals remain. One relates to the use because stadiums are not zoned by-right in that area; Wahconah Park is considered "non-conforming" or "pre-existing," and a parking spot waiver. 

He does not foresee the boards denying these permits. 

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