The future of the Pyne Field redevelopment project is in question following Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission.

The commission held a brief meeting to talk about the latest updates to the project and recent feedback received by the Planning Board. Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus laid out the board’s safety concerns and other requirements it wants the project to meet.

“Overall, there’s a lot of hesitation from the Planning Board,” Lewitus summarized.

During its meeting on Monday, the Planning Board voted 5-3 in a straw poll that the Pyne Field plan was not safe in its current design. Members brought up concerns over people parking along an easement held by JB Sawmill, whose access road would split the parking area from the baseball and cricket fields. There were additional questions raised regarding pedestrian safety when crossing that road.

In a second straw poll, board members voted 6-2 against allowing an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure waiver for the field’s parking lot. 

Lewitus explained to the commission that the EV infrastructure would be an additional cost that was not planned. The current plan for Pyne Field does not include electric work. 

He noted that a full peer review has not been completed yet, but he believed the Planning Board would continue to hold reservations about the project in its current design. However, the board appeared open to a plan that puts parking below the fields on the same side of the access road.

During a previous meeting, the commission authorized Lewitus to request an additional $1 million in Community Preservation funds after learning the project cost estimate had almost doubled to $1,939,000. While the costs of redesign and EV infrastructure work for the site are not known yet, commission members debated what those numbers could look like and the impact on the project’s future.

Chair Dan Terry estimated that costs could balloon up to $2.5 million, while Lewitus shared he believed the project could cost as much as $2.75 million. 

“Where do we think we want to draw the line on that?” said Terry.

Lewitus laid out three paths forward, given the response thus far. The Parks & Rec Commission can either continue to pursue the current design for Pyne Field, engage Gale Associates in a redesign process using feedback from the Planning Board and peer review or, as vice chair Kyle Smith put it, “pull the rip cord” and halt the project.

Terry was not confident that redesigning the field would alleviate the Planning Board’s safety concerns. “If we have too few [parking spots], the whole concern about people parking in weird places … is definitely going to happen,” he said.

Commission members engaged in a discussion over other paths forward. Lewitus informed members that Hopkinton Little League, which would be one of Pyne Field’s primary users, had expressed interest in using its money to rehabilitate the field. 

“Improvements would be made,” said Lewitus. “I’m not sure to what scope.”

Smith and member Amy O’Donnell both mentioned that dropping the project would not address community needs for a cricket pitch.

“Are we, as a commission, intended to continue to pursue the desires of a big chunk of the town of Hopkinton who asked for this cricket pitch?” Smith asked.

Rather than coming to a decision, Terry encouraged commission members to let the process play out with the Planning Board. He also recommended remaining open with the Community Preservation Committee about a potential change in the funding request.

“I don’t have high hopes for this going forward as drawn up right now,” he said, “but I do think we owe it to ourselves and to the people that are interested in the project to … go and see if we can get approval.”