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Date: 2/15/2022
BELCHERTOWN – With projects under way to improve the recreation areas throughout town, the Belchertown Select Board met with representatives from the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Recreation Department to discuss further funding and next steps for the Chestnut Hill recreation area and skate park.
With some shortfalls in the finances to fund the project to build out the Chestnut Hill recreation area, DPW Director Steve Williams met with the board to discuss the project and potentially allocating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to cover the shortfalls.
“We have taken a little bit of a step back and started to progress toward this goal in smaller pieces, we were originally given a legislative grant of $73,000 to get this project off the ground. We used that to demolish the existing tennis courts, prepare the site and begin the construction of the basketball courts,” he said.
Along with the basketball courts, the project also includes renovated bathrooms, pickleball courts and additional parking. While a spray park was initially part of the plan, Williams said it had to be tabled due to the costs.
“The Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant we received was $35,000 and we used a little over $11,000 to bring in a new electrical service and panel to reenergize the lighting so nighttime activities could be scheduled. One of the next steps is to replace the lights with LEDs, but while that is ongoing, we are short, we have about $18,000 available and we need about $39,000,” he said.
In the meantime, Williams said the plan is to keep the lights on for the basketball courts due to the high cost.
On top of the lighting shortfalls, Williams said there also is not enough money to fully fence the area to utilize the front section.
“In the CPA grant we also had money for fencing along the side of the roadway by the basketball courts, we have $6,000 set aside for that fencing. If we wanted to reuse the front area it would be necessary to bring the fencing all the way around and we are short there by about $12,000,” he said.
With American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, Williams said the town could quickly finish those repairs.
Williams said the initial expectation for the cost was significantly lower than the lowest bid.
“Our bids came in extremely high, in last year’s capital we had $162,000 to [renovate] the building, of that $145,000 was set aside for the building itself, the rest of it was for engineering design work, bidding and construction oversight. Our low bid came in at $315,000 so we are $175,000 behind to get that work complete,” he said.
After discussing the financial shortfalls, Williams jumped into discussing the planned renovations for the building in the space, which is currently located next to the basketball courts.
“The building itself is broken into two sections, one is storage, the other is bathrooms, a mechanical room, and a concession area that would generate revenue as more of an attraction there. In addition to that the project also includes the site work to replace the old sidewalks and concrete, add an area for dining with a patio, picnic tables and umbrellas where people could get out of the sun,” he said.
On top of the concession area, Williams said the project includes a complete overhaul of the entire building.
“For the building we were planning on replacing the garage doors, cleaning the brick, repointing the brick, bringing in new mechanicals, hot water heater, heat, AC, redoing the bathrooms with accessible features, new sinks, toilets, mirrors, new doors and electronic, Wi-Fi enabled door locks, rehabbing the concession area with all the proper appliances, a new service window and new roofing,” he said.
By continuing with the project, Recreation Director Kyle Thibeault said it would be able to generate revenue for itself.
“The concession stand is something that we can use to generate money to go back into this space to continue to improve it. You drive right by it on 202 and it is something everybody takes note of, with more recreational activities it is a place that would get utilized,” he said.
In terms of what would be sold at the stand, Thibeault said residents could expect prepackaged food, drinks as well as a coffee stand.
Board member Ed Boscher said he was in favor of using the ARPA funds to finish the project.
“The way I see it the ARPA funds are there for a purpose, nobody knew this was going to happen, so I say we just finish the project off and use the money for one of its intended purposes,” he said.
The board unanimously agreed to allocated $390,000 from the town’s ARPA funding for the work at the Chestnut Hill recreation area.
Skate Park Discussion
Thibeault said he reached out to Rampage, the company that upgraded the materials on the skate park to be more weather resistant and sturdier, about doing an inspection at the park after discussing what to do with the park at a previous meeting.
“The first thing they recommended was to have someone come out and inspect the skate park, what he is able to do for me is put a spreadsheet together with the details. The inspection is $850 and what they would do is go around the current skate park, look at all the ramps, the apparatuses, the rails, the substructures and see where there are any concerns and what needs to be repaired,” he said.
With the skate park, Thibeault said if maintaining it is the goal, it makes sense to conduct more routine inspections and maintenance.
“I think just like anything else, once you have something up to where you want it to be, by maintaining it and doing inspections yearly, the maintenance may be lower than letting it go five years and then re-looking at it to have it revamped,” he said.
Recreation Committee Chair Nancy Kwiatowski said she was worried about the cost of maintaining the park after the inspection.
“My big concern is the maintenance of it and the cost of that. Our programs are really self-supporting and there really just is not money in the budget to repair and inspect,” she said.
Thibeault added that one of his worries is a loss of interest in maintaining the park once the current parent group’s children get too old to use the park.
“My fear is longevity, quick fixes, getting money and people to do it is fine. With certain things people get involved and then their kids age out,” he said.
Boscher said he was in favor of doing the inspection.
“I think we are grasping at straws right now until we get an inspection done if we want to go that route. It is $850 and if it turns out to be too expensive people might say we wasted that money, but the reality is we do not know what kind of condition it is in,” he said. “I would be in favor of finding out what is required here.”
Board Chair Jen Turner said it could make sense to use ARPA funding for the inspection because it is an outdoor public space.
“The strain that was put on the skate park over the life of COVID, I am sure lots of kids and people used that park during the pandemic and all the outdoor spaces,” she said.
The board agreed to move forward with allocating $850 for the skate park inspection.
The Belchertown Select Board next met on Feb. 14 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Feb. 24 edition of The Reminder.