Stairs Proposed to Increase Access on Pontoosuc Lake Shoreline
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to ensure access along the south shoreline of Pontoosuc Lake Park with stairs funded by the Community Preservation Act.
Last Tuesday, the Parks Commission tabled discussion on the Pontoosuc Lake Park shoreline plantings. This comes after community members argued that erosion control plantings impeded access, four easy access points were proposed, and a site visit with the Conservation Commission revealed that some of the bank erosion was worse than they believed.
Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath will return around springtime with formally engineered plans for two sets of wooden steps with railings along the nearly 1,000-foot stretch. An eligibility application has been submitted for CPA funds.
"I think the general takeaway from the Conservation Commission was that the erosion along the southerly bank of Pontoosuc Lake within Pontoosuc Lake Park is more severe than they had realized," he said.
"They were reluctant to even entertain any removal of any bank plantings that had been installed as part of the project. After their firsthand look at the sloughing bank in multiple places, the undercutting, the instability of the bank in multiple locations, they've indicated that any removal of vegetation is not something that they would endorse."
Speaking about the westerly area, he added, "in fact, what I've heard from the chairman of the commission is that there is an area that is so severely eroded, they would like the Park Department, via the Park Commission, to take action as soon as possible."
The plan will return to both commissions for votes once the design is completed. Berkshire Design Group is currently working on Phase 2 of the project, and McGrath said it would be worthwhile to re-engage them for the stairs.
With the new proposal, live stakes that were planted for erosion control will be removed for the two staircases, and the two areas near the boat ramp that were vandalized will remain open. This retains the four easy-access points, with steps added to two of them.
The steps would course over the shoreline, similar to the ones done at Burbank Park years ago as part of a bank stabilization project.
"I would suggest we not put [the vandalized plantings] back, because those are areas where I think we can compromise for access. They're not the real serious erosion areas," McGrath said.
On the other hand, the ConCom would like to see more done to prevent erosion in the westerly area, which will require an engineer to develop a plan and cost estimate.
Commissioner Anthony DeMartino compared this to a previous proposal where they would remove stakes that have been planted in at least two low-grade, high-traffic areas before they grow.
"What this is doing is really better than that in my mind in that we are not doing anything additional with the two that are already accessible, and the other two, we are looking to improve more by actually creating step access," he said.
McGrath said they are trying to balance concerns from the community with realities of what is happening at the site. Bank stabilization is a part of a larger effort to renovate the north and south sides of Pontoosuc Lake Park. The south side also saw a wooden boardwalk and an improved stair set from the road.
The north side of the park is being eyed for swimming, with plans for a beach to replace the concrete wall where people commonly swim, and the south side was targeted for passive recreation, recognizing that boats travel through a narrow channel to reach the ramp.
"We're trying to understand what the historic uses have been and frankly, despite what people might say, fishing has not historically been an activity taking place at this portion of the park," McGrath said.
"… What we're trying to do is create some access, universal access, for whatever folks may desire to do, to transfer themselves from up in the park to the water."
Tags: parks commission, Pontoosuc, public parks,
