The Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday suggested that the Parks & Recreation Department change the scope of its Pyne Field redesign project after safety concerns were raised by the Planning Board the previous evening.

Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus updated members on project feedback from the Planning Board and the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting that ended just before the CPC meeting.

After 14 months of engaging in the design process, Lewitus appeared before the Planning Board with the proposal for a baseball field and cricket pitch at the upper field located at 66 Fruit Street. The first meeting two weeks ago addressed abutter JB Sawmill’s concerns about its easement to the access road to enter its business.

Monday night’s meeting addressed safety concerns raised by several Planning Board members. They spoke about having to cross the access road to get from the proposed parking area to the field as well as the distance between them. Another issue raised was people who illegally park and congregate on the access road to watch cricket players. A third was the anticipation that “lazy drop-off” of youth by parents at the field would clog the access road.

Lewitus termed these concerns as “real-world issues” that he also encounters at EMC Park and the Fruit Street fields.

The Planning Board also signaled that it would not approve a waiver for the installation of infrastructure for electric vehicles at the proposed 95-space parking lot. This would further hike up the project cost.  It already has ballooned over the $1 million previously approved by Town Meeting to at least double that amount.

Lewitus pointed out that some members appeared to be more receptive to the project concept if parking were located on the same side of the road.

Said Lewitus: “Regardless of what happens here with CPC, the Planning Board is not on board with the current design of the project.”

“We’re at the point now where we’ve spent a fair amount of money on design,” added Parks & Rec Commission chair Dan Terry.

He asked that the current $1 million fiscal year 2027 request be kept as a placeholder until firmer estimates are obtained.

Chair Ken Weismantel told Lewitus his perspective on the proposal.

“We’re trying to put too much stuff on that one piece of property,” he said. He suggested that either the cricket pitch or the baseball field would work on the site along with the parking lot.

Lewitus said both fields are desperately needed because of the demand and the deterioration of Victory Field, which is the lower field off the same access road.

“I would not have a problem if you were quickly morphing into the engineering of the new field,” Weismantel said.

This hearing was continued until Dec. 17. At that time, the CPC will vote on whether to fund FY 27 proposed projects.

Parks & Rec gets kudos on project progress

During the quarterly review, Weismantel and others complimented Lewitus for the progress made on smaller projects made since he was hired last year.

The original request for security cameras at Sandy Beach and the Fruit Street fields made in 2018 were completed before Lewitus was hired in 2024, he explained. The follow-up request made in 2023 added a request for cameras at EMC Park, which have not been installed yet. They will be installed by the spring, if not sooner, Lewitus said.

Additional cameras were installed at the Sandy Beach parking lot in May. Camera installation at three different locations at the Fruit Street fields happened on the day of the meeting.

The entire camera installation project will come in under budget at about $63,000, according to Lewitus. The allocation was for $75,000.

Also, Lewitus said the boat dock project at Sandy Beach was completed under budget. It was removed last week for the season. Any remaining money could be used for accessibility improvements, Weismantel said.

The shade structure at the dog park was installed earlier this year. A grant from the Stanton Foundation covered the installation cost for the benches there. The benches are expected to arrive within the next two weeks. The committee voted unanimously to close out this project.

Said Weismantel: “Kudos to you guys. That is great.”

The water refill stations for the Town Common, Sandy Beach and the dog park were delivered recently. Lewitus said they will be installed in the spring.

One project that Lewitus requested an extension for is the bathrooms and engineering at EMC Park. Lewitus said he needs the assistance of Dave Daltorio, the town engineer/facilities director.

Terry asked the committee if it was satisfied with the pace of the projects. Parks & Rec had been criticized at previous meetings for not getting all of its proposed work accomplished within a reasonable time frame. Weismantel said he was pleased with the effort on these projects.

Ice House Pond request draws questions

Kerry Reed, the Department of Public Works director, spoke about her request for a conceptual design for area improvements to Ice House Pond near the Berry Acres conservation area on West Main Street.. She noted that the pond is highly utilized for passive recreation, fishing and skating. It also once was used as the home ice for the local hockey team.

But the parking lot has greatly deteriorated, she explained. The usage factor led her to apply to the CPC for funding because of the historical, recreational and open space usage she perceived.

Weismantel said town counsel was “having a hard time” justifying the funding request as a CPC project because of its location next to the Golden Pond assisted living facility.

Reed explained that all the work would be performed on town-owned property. She planned to reach out to Golden Pond representatives to see if “they could reciprocate” because they own the path around the pond.

Vice chair Eric Sonnett, who also serves on the Historic Commission, said that the commission liked the idea, but that there’s “no way to consider it a historical project.”

Because of its proximity to a trailhead, it may fall under the open space category, Weismantel said.

Member Beth Malloy described the parking lot as “a mess” with “things growing out of the holes last summer.”

Weismantel urged Reed to “come up with some better reasons” for the ask before the next meeting. He suggested reaching out to Golden Pond to discuss a potential easement for use of the path.

Said Reed: “I just find it hard to believe that a property that provides picnic areas, walking, fishing, hockey, all those different things now cannot be considered recreational.”