Pittsfield ConCom OKs Stairs at Pontoosuc Lake
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Shoreline access stairs are coming to the south side of Pontoosuc Lake.
Last week, the Conservation Commission approved an amendment to the Order of Conditions for work at Pontoosuc Lake Park. There will be two stair sets on the south shoreline, and additional bank stabilization.
In 2025, the park's south side saw new stairs from the parking lot, a boardwalk, and other improvements. Later phases of the project will enhance the north side of the park for swimming, and remedy a concrete barrier wall that is partially underwater.
"Generally, what we're looking to do at Pontoosuc Lake Park is install some stair sets in two locations to help folks access from up above the bank, over the bank, and into the water," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained during the July 23 meeting.
"We're sensitive to some of the issues that are currently existing on the bank, and we're also sensitive to some of the needs for lake recreation out there."
Stairs for water access will be placed on the shoreline at the beginning of the boardwalk, where it is highly eroded, and the second staircase will be at the extreme western end of the project area, which has around 100 feet of highly eroded bank.
Additional brush layering will also stabilize the bank.
An area near the boat ramp where live stakes were vandalized will see them replanted after the ConCom found some of the bank erosion was worse than believed on a site visit last year.
The city originally proposed not replanting the area where live stakes were removed.
"And as I understand, I think it's the desire of this commission to see these bank plantings go back in," McGrath said.
Last year, community members argued that erosion control plantings impeded access at Pontoosuc Lake; four easy access points were originally proposed.
McGrath reported that the brush layering has been generally successful in this area. This method is a soil bioengineering technique where live woody cuttings are placed in horizontal, overlapping layers along excavated slope terraces and covered with compacted soil.
There was a mix-up with some button bush plants that led to them being mowed, and the Parks Department has taken some corrective measures to ensure that doesn't happen again.
"There was an unfortunate incident where the button bush and the wetland restoration were mowed down. We've made some corrections to not only the operations of how we convey the work and what needs to be done or what should not be done," McGrath said, showing where rocks were placed to prevent a mower from accessing that area.
"…There will also be signage installed, and we're handling internally some of how we convey how we handle the maintenance or how we deal with restoration areas in several of our park areas."
He said it was inadvertent and took responsibility. Some of the bushes are expected to bounce back, and the desire is to replant in the same locations with the same species.
Conservation Agent Shannon Poulin said this project prioritizes bank stabilization and holding the park together so that it doesn't fall into Pontoosuc Lake.
Pontoosuc Lake Park was acquired by the city in 1913 and has not received substantial improvements since the 1960s. Historic pictures of the park show beach facilities, ferry boats, and large slides.
The improvements are part of a long-range open space and recreation plan for the city that was developed in the early 2000s and a master plan that was endorsed by the commission in 2022.
The north side of the park is being eyed for swimming, with plans for a beach to replace the concrete wall where people commonly swim, and the south side is targeted for passive recreation, recognizing that boats travel through a narrow channel to reach the ramp.
Tags: parks & rec, Pontoosuc,
