The Planning Board on Monday voted 8-0 to continue the hearing on the redevelopment of Pyne Field after the attorney for the abutting sawmill raised concerns about safety and the behavior of the cricket fans who attend games there.

The Community Preservation Committee in 2022 approved $1 million in funding to redesign Pyne Field for use as both baseball and cricket fields. Annual Town Meeting in May 2023 approved this allocation so the town could meet the resident demand for a cricket pitch in order to play the popular sport.

Since that time, a new design evolved for the natural grass field. It changed the orientation of the baseball field in order to accommodate the cricket pitch. As of late September, the project cost had nearly doubled to $1,939,000.

Parks director, project manager pitch plan

Parks & Recreation Department director John Lewitus explained that the project intends to convert the current baseball field and parking area into a “full-time cricket and baseball Little League field.” The plan also calls for a 95-space parking lot to be built on the other side of the access road.

He noted that funding was approved four months before he began his employment as the town’s Parks & Rec director. The project began to “pick up steam in May of 2024” and has made what he described as slow, incremental progress while several smaller projects moved forward.

The field would operate from dawn until dusk, Lewitus said. No lights are planned for the parking lot or the field, so he is seeking a waiver from the requirement for electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation. A minor electrical connection is planned for the irrigation system as well as for a well and pump.

Project manager Colleen Fowler displayed the plans. She explained that reorienting the baseball field would allow the cricket pitch to fit. Fencing and guardrails are proposed along Fruit Street and the access road for protection. A separate ADA-compliant parking area with four spaces is situated between the cricket pitch and the access road.

A walkway is planned to go from the parking lot to the access road. Fowler said there will be a crosswalk on the access road. Stairs will lead up to the fields’ perimeter walkways.

“We’re not expecting much of an increase in foot traffic here,” she added. “We’re just hoping to make this an overall better facility for the community.”

Principal Planner Aneri Patel noted that she expects to receive a peer review of the project next week for review at the Nov. 17 meeting.

“I know a lot of people are very excited about it,” said Parker Happ, the board’s CPC liaison. “But one key thing to note is that this thing is over budget, and anything we can do to help avoid any additional cost overruns would be incredibly helpful.”

Sawmill attorney slams proposal

Attorney Neal Bingham represented the owners of JB Sawmill, located at 36 Fruit Street. He noted that the business obtained an easement in 2009 from the town that allowed it to use the access road, which he described as “more of a driveway.”

He explained that the project interferes with the easement rights granted to his client. Without that easement, he said the sawmill would not be able to operate.

Bingham also said the current site plan “is trying to squeeze much, much too much into a very small space.”

Safety was another concern raised by Bingham. He said the sawmill had no previous issues with the athletic field because it was on the other side of the easement, along with the parking area. Adding the cricket pitch where the parking area now is located will force attendees to cross the road to get from the parking lot to the fields.

He also questioned whether people would use the parking lot, as well as the statement Fowler made about not expecting an increase in foot traffic.

Bingham pointed out what he called “the misuse, abuse and interference” of the easement caused by attendees of cricket games now on the lower field. He said cars tend to park on both sides of the access road, ignoring the no parking signs that his clients installed. People also gather in the access road to watch cricket contests, he claimed.

The sawmill uses large trucks that have to go down an incline. As they cross the easement, there is a danger that they could hit cars parked along the sides of the access road as well as children and adults.

“We’ve got nothing against cricket,” said Bingham. “However, it has to be safe, and this is just not safe.”

Added Bingham: “Exploring every option is the very least Parks & Recreation owes the town of Hopkinton.”

Lewitus defends plan

Lewitus clapped back against Bingham’s assertion that his clients’ concerns have been ignored. He noted that sawmill representatives have participated in “every single Parks & Rec [Commission] meeting” when the project has been on the agenda.

He also said he has been to cricket games and has spoken to attendees about not parking on the access road and put out cones to deter that practice. Lewitus also asked the DPW to install no parking signs.

Lewitus added that the design was updated to take feedback from the sawmill owners into account about the location of the crosswalk. There have been four design plans during the past two years, he said.

Other areas were scouted for the parking lot, he explained, including the wooded area south of the site. Because of concerns from other abutters, that area was not selected.

Lewitus touted his experience in other towns with adding new athletic fields, courts and gyms. He noted that the new parking lot should mitigate concerns about parking in the easement. While there will be “a learning curve,” if participants do not obey the parking rules, their field use permit can be revoked.

“I just want to stress that I’ve made this a very public project,” he stressed. “There is a large cricket community and a large baseball community that would really like this field.”

The redevelopment project also would free up space for other recreational uses, including lacrosse and soccer, Lewitus added.

Member Vikasith Pratty noted that cricket players have held practices at night, bringing their own lanterns. This statement appeared to take Lewitus aback, as he said he was unaware this was happening.

A site walk was planned for Nov. 15 at 8:30 a.m.

Starbucks/UniBank hearing continued

The hearing on the Starbucks/UniBank parking lot reconfiguration at 85-89 West Main Street was continued in a 7-1 vote, with Happ voting against it. The applicant requested time for continued design work.