![]() It's the northerly anchor, whereas we have the Colonial Theatre on the southerly end so if we look at our downtown as a linear, planned neighborhood, Wahconah Park has extreme value in our downtown so we hope that, through this investment, and this is not going to be inexpensive, we hope that this investment spurs additional investment in the neighborhood in our downtown and we really think that Wahconah Park can be a catalyst for that so it's not an isolated project. "And Wahconah Park really is an anchor to our downtown. "Whatever shape it takes in the end, we hope as a community that this project will spur additional neighborhood improvement, community improvement, across our downtown," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath said. Other considerations in the design are flood solutions and options for providing additional uses and revenue generators to the park. The first occurred at the park with the restoration committee in May. There will be two more workshops scheduled. S3 Design aims to deliver a plan at the end of August after a summer of gathering input. This would result in a new ballpark that is open for use by the summer of 2025. The owner's project manager Skanska USA anticipates the design being complete by February or March of next year and bidding and work by August 2024 after the Pittsfield Sun's season. The city is embarking on a $10 to $15 million reimagining of Wahconah Park that is so far supported by a $2 million capital appropriation from the past fiscal year and a $3 million earmark grant. You don't get that smell anymore."Īnother attendee wished for the design to be a meeting of old and new. "Everybody used to love it's smell, when you come in down to the and you smell the footlong hot dogs in your face and they hit you in the face of the top of Weller Avenue. "How about let's make the part welcoming again? Let's make it homey," a resident who is in favor of a complete rebuild said. ![]() He also spoke to the sun delay, calling it the "greatest happening of the whole park" and pointing out that rotating the field in the 100-year floodplain would be almost impossible for permitting and expensive. There's no question about it."Ĭonant, along with other residents, said the grandstand doesn't need to be any larger. "I really feel that the grandstand, the bathrooms, the concessions should all be demolished," he said. Ward 4 Councilor Jim Conant said the current state of Wahconah Park is disappointing. He said most collegiate stadiums and Division 1 schools have chosen artificial turf to extend the use of the field in New England weather. "What if I told you that if you did artificial turf, the field can be used 365 days a year," principal architect Salvatore Canciello said, explaining that it could be used for youth sports or other events. There was also much support for a natural grass field over artificial turf, with attendees answering "natural grass" when asked if they favored either option. ![]() ![]() Many residents spoke in favor of the sun delay, pointing out that it is part of the experience at the park and a time to get concessions, which is smart for business. There is currently a sun delay due to the direction of the field and the team provided options for rotating the facility to avoid it. gave a quick look at possible layouts and field orientations to the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee. It is still not determined if the project will be a renovation, rebuild, or a mixture of both.īefore the public hearing, project designers S3 Design Inc. "In fact, this is what a baseball should be all about whether you play baseball or not so I think we should try and keep that."Īnother resident said he would love to see wood used for the new structure, as the sound of people walking by and the smell of the wood are part of the memories he has of the park. "I will say as somebody who's taken visitors through the Berkshires to Wahconah Park, everybody loves it," Muil explained. Parks Commissioner Simon Muil said he is not much of a baseball fan but loves going to Wahconah Park because it "feels how a baseball game should." He pointed out that it feels very Americana and is "a little rough around the edges," and asked that the new facility keeps the same vibe. Last week, the public spoke about their wishes for the park during a hearing with the project team. PITTSFIELD, Mass.- When it comes to the redesign of Wahconah Park, residents would like to see the historic baseball facility's charm and hometown feel preserved.
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