The Parks & Recreation Department will move forward on the second phase of the Pyne Field project after a unanimous vote on a design for the field’s parking lot by the Parks & Rec Commission at its Tuesday night meeting.

“Our primary focus is to zero in on an area for parking,” chair Dan Terry clarified at the beginning of the meeting.

Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus kicked off the discussion by reviewing the status of the Pyne Field project and steps taken since the commission’s previous discussion on Feb. 28. During that meeting, the Parks & Rec Commission directed Lewitus to follow up with the design contractors regarding alternate options that would preserve available space and limit impact on abutters. 

At that time, Gale Associates had developed two parking lot proposals. The first (referred to by the commission as Lot 1) would sit on the sand pit to the east of the cricket and baseball fields at Pyne Field and have 101 parking spaces. Lot 2 would be situated to the south in a wooded area and have 77 spots.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Lewitus informed the commission that he had asked Gale Associates to develop options that would “also allow room for a future field” at the sand pits.

“Their short answer was no,” he said. He explained that another full athletic field on the eastern part of the property would reduce the available parking for Lot 1 to 15 spots, with five additional spaces for adaptive parking.

Added Lewitus: “There’s not truly enough room to do both there.”

He took commission members through a number of other options Gale Associates came up with to fit a smaller athletic field on the eastern side of Pyne Field. He also shared that he had discussed the two initial lot options with both the town manager and Planning Board members, noting anxiety over the tree cutting that would be necessary to build Lot 2.

Project timeline outlined

After the commission reviewed the available options, Terry opened the floor to questions from the public.

Representatives of Hopkinton’s youth cricket league asked about the project timeline, noting there was some urgency on their end to facilitate their league matches. They also asked whether the fields could be built first and the parking lot be constructed later.

Terry explained that the Pyne Field project relies on funds from the Community Preservation Committee and that the agreement with that committee is to complete “the whole project.” He also laid out the timeline it would take to get the full funding, which likely would exceed earlier estimations of $1 million.

“If CPC agreed to fund it and Town Meeting approved it, that’s when we would have the funding,” Terry said. “Then we would go out to bid and then construction after that.”

The best case scenario for starting construction would be around fall 2026, vice chair Amy O’Donnell estimated.

Member Kyle Smith noted that the plans presented were “essentially what Jon presented to us nine months ago” and that the extended timeline for getting Pyne Field accomplished rested on the commission’s shoulders.

Terry agreed, but noted that getting public feedback on the project had been necessary. “It was a little bit our decision and a little bit of a requirement that we review this,” he said.

Parking option selected from updated designs

A design for parking at Pyne Field, designated as “Lot 1A” by the Parks & Rec Commission, would put parking north of the sand pit on the east side of the property.

Following public comment, the commission zeroed in on which option for parking it should pursue. Terry noted that Lot 2 had issues with the number of spaces available and its location that made it a tough sell for him.

Said Terry: “I think we’re going to get more pushback on that one, and we’re more apt to get the project done sooner” with one of the Lot 1 options presented.

Smith said he had a “strong preference” for what the commission dubbed as Lot 1A. This option rotated the original Lot 1 design to run east to west and sit to the north of the sand pit. O’Donnell noted her preference for Lot 2, as it would allow for full use of the sand pit should Parks & Rec need additional recreation space.

After further discussion, the commission unanimously voted to approve Lot 1A as the parking option for Pyne Field. Lewitus now will work with Gale Associates to begin Phase 2 of the project, which will include engineering, design and discussions with the Planning Board.

Chair calls CPC comments ‘wildly off-base’

During other commission business, Terry and Lewitus discussed updates from a recent meeting with the CPC. 

At that meeting, criticism was leveled at Parks & Rec for what was perceived as a lack of progress on key projects, including Pyne Field. Terry and Lewitus defended the department, noting that five of the seven projects discussed were nearly complete.

“The conclusion that the chair of the CPC came to was that he didn’t feel as though we should seek additional CPC funding until all our projects are complete,” Terry explained to the commission.

“I spoke very, very much against that idea,” he added. “I thought that criticism was wildly off-base.”

Members acknowledged the frustration over the pace of the Pyne Field project but noted its size was a factor in its extended timeline.

“This is a giant project that we’ve not executed on this level before,” said O’Donnell, adding that the commission still is in the process of learning how to manage that execution.

Terry also took time to recognize Lewitus’ efforts in moving key Parks & Rec projects along since he took over the department in September 2023.

“I think our director’s doing a phenomenal job at moving these things forward and building programs and building staff,” Terry said.