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Date: 3/23/2022
SPRINGFIELD – After collaboration from community activists, city officials and an accredited design studio, Springfield is preparing to construct a bike and skate park on Carew Street.
Community Activists
Before the bike and skate park reached a point of approval, community leaders spent years advocating for the proposed park. Founder of the Greater Springfield Women Organizer Yolanda Cancel said she first became involved when a group of Springfield youths were arrested at a skate park in Chicopee. With Forest Park prohibiting bike and skateboard usage, Cancel believed it was unfair to punish kids for utilizing a skate park when Springfield did not have their own.
“Why kick [the youths] out? If they are riding their bikes there, they are not being a nuance to anyone,” said Cancel. After the incident, Cancel said she connected with the grassroots youth organization 413 BikeLife to work toward a tenable solution.
Cancel noticed sizable division caused on the bike and skate park issue. She shared that many in the community denounced the youths as “troublemakers,” often being associated with the emergence of illegal motorized dirt bikers and riders performing tricks in high-traffic areas. In 2019, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno issued a stern denouncement of these activities.
“Like the vast majority of law-abiding citizens here in Springfield and around our country, I have no patience and/or use for these miscreants’ actions, who create dangerous public safety issues by harassing drivers and pedestrians, who are just going about their daily business,” Sarno said in his April 2019 statement.
Cancel viewed the treatment of 413 BikeLife as unfair, stressing that connotations were made about the group without an understanding of their ethos. “They considered them a gang before knowing what it meant…I used the power that I had to fight that,” said Cancel. As Cancel stood in defense for 413 BikeLife, other community outlets also began their pursuit for a Bike and Skate Park.
Armory Quadrangle Civic Association President Betsy Johnson shared that she worked alongside the local organization WalkBikeSpringfield and RADSpringfield Founder Alex Weck to advocate for an accessible bike park over the past few years. They soon garnered the interest of the Director of Parks, Recreation & Building Management Patrick Sullivan, who assisted the community leaders on securing funding sources, according to Johnson.
One aspect that Johnson and Cancel both noted was the multi-generational support for the project. During their Dec. 14 public input meeting, adolescents and adult biking and skateboard enthusiasts alike advocated for the bike and skate park.
“It turns out that the constituency for skateboard parks is as much 30-to 50-year-olds as much as it is teenagers…there’s a number of folks who want to bring along the next generation,” said Johnson. The different generational perspectives collaborated throughout the meeting as they shaped what the park should ultimately offer.
Johnson, Cancel and their collaborators ultimately decided to apply for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding two years ago. “A first step to really get this project going was to put in for Community Preservation Act funding, which we got,” said Johnson. Along with securing $80,000 in CPA funding, Sullivan said that a Land and Water Conservation grant is also in the works to support construction.
With the CPA, the city hired Pillar Design Studios to perform designs and a feasibility assessment of what would be an apt location.
Pillar Design Studios
President of Pillar Design Studios Brad Siedlecki said his studio became involved in the project after securing the public Request for Proposal (RFP). Siedlecki envisions the space as an accommodating “all wheel park” that would allow bicycles, skateboards, scooters and roller blades alike.
Early designs include an asphalt pathway around the park that can be used as a walking path and for bike tricks like wheelies. “We’re going to do a nice dual use walking path and wheelie bike path for the kids to able to practice that safely instead of doing it in the street,” said Siedlecki.
Other features include a vast array of familiar staples, handrails, ledges and a sizable mini ramp. “There will be a little bit of everything for everybody,” said Siedlecki.
In reflection of his design progress, Siedlecki said park projects like the bike and skate park remain crucial in uniting members of the community. “One thing COVID-19 taught us is the importance of outdoor recreation…It’s not just kids that will be using this, there’s 50-year olds that are riding alongside their kids. Creating something for the entire community is always a plus,” said Siedlecki.
Parks and Recreation Department
While delayed by the pandemic, Sullivan said the project remained on the department’s radar over the past few years.
“It’s not that we haven’t wanted to do one in the past, we’ve had so much other work that needed to be done in our parks districts…we’re now ready to tackle a bike and skate park in Springfield,” said Sullivan.
Springfield formerly hosted a skate park in Greenleaf, but the park remained mostly dormant as the project did not connect with the public. “To be honest, it really wasn’t utilized a lot or well-received,” said Sullivan. The parks director said he is optimistic for the new bike and skate park due to the consistent advocation and collaborations from community outlets.
Sullivan expressed that the project continues to gain positive support from the department’s interactions with the public. “I think that [the design] was well received. Overall, I think they liked that initial schematic design that we came up with,” said Sullivan.
On Feb. 10, Sullivan and the Parks Commission gathered to discuss the city’s feasibility study for the bike and skate park. During the discussion, Recreation Coordinator Laura Walsh shared that the city and Pillar discussed several potential locations for the park, but ultimately agreed upon a Carew Street location that exists adjacent to the city’s Boys and Girls Club.
“They have two parcels of land that are used for recreation currently. What we are proposing to make the best site for everyone is to take a portion of the Boys and Girls Club land and turn that into a public park that would be developed into the Bike and Skate Park. It would all be connected to John L. Sullivan Park, which is on Stafford Street,” said Walsh. The recreation coordinator said the Bike and Skate Park will combine three acres of Boys and Girls Club land and five acres of School Department-owned land.
Walsh said the recommendation was made because of its benefit to the Boys and Girls club, John L. Sullivan Park and three nearby schools while also utilizing all the area’s open space. The Boys and Girls club expressed their support for the project after a vote of their leadership, according to Walsh.
“I think it’s going to bring a lot more kids to join their club and bring a lot more programing…It’s just really a great to put all of that open space [together] and get a better use for the citizens of Springfield,” said Sullivan. The feasibility study also includes a splash pad and a playground that will border the bike and skate park.
Going Forward
The Parks Commission unanimously approved the ongoing feasibility study, as well as the city’s application for a Land and Water Conservation grant. While there is still work and funding to be secured before construction begins, Cancel and Johnson expressed her approval with the ongoing progress.
“I think we’re doing pretty good, even if it is a 10-year plan,” said Cancel.
Johnson added, “It’s gaining some momentum…what’s inspiring is that [the project] encourages advocates to keep being advocates. Occasionally, you can get some wins.”