Wahconah Grandstand Demo Beginning Monday
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Wahconah Park grandstand will begin to come down next week.
During the Parks Commission meeting on Tuesday, it was reported that demolition will begin on April 27. The over-quarter-century-old structure was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option; a $15 million rebuild is on the table.
"All permits are in place for the grandstand demo. The demo work will actively take place beginning April 27," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath wrote in a memo to the commission.
Conceptual plans have been delivered, he reported, and cost estimates have come back favorably.
"That I know has been a challenge with the cost estimates," Chair Simon Muil commented after reading the memo. "So that's great."
Earlier this month, Pittsfield held a "Farewell to the Grandstand" event to celebrate its past and look forward to the future.
It included a round of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs, and stories about the ballpark. Artifacts from the ballpark were displayed in cases outside of the grandstand for the event, along with banners depicting the park's history and a roped-off area for community members to see the structure one last time.
The Parks Commission also OKed several warm-weather events for kids and adults in the coming months.
The Westside Legends' sixth annual Westside Block Party will be held on May 23 at Riverway Park from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event averages about 150 attendees.
The Springside Conservancy's National Get Outdoors Day event was approved for June 14 at Springside Park.
"We decided to do something very low-key this year. We are going to sponsor a scavenger hunt throughout the park," explained Conservancy member Esther Anderson.
This will include "P" letters hidden throughout the park on colorful, laminated paper that people can find throughout the day. In the evening, gift certificates will be given to those who find all of them.
Live on the Lake was also approved for its 24th year at Onota Lake's Burbank Park. Shows will be on Wednesday evenings in July and August from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Berkshire Pride's Youth Pride event was also OKed for Burbank Park on July 12.
Commissioners also fielded pickleball requests from the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center and Berkshire Mountain Pickleball. Council on Aging Director Jennifer Reynolds explained that the seniors did a pickleball program last year, and it was "very successful."
"We're hoping to serve 16 to 20 different seniors one day a week for an hour, teaching them pickleball and providing them with socialization and exercise," she said.
"We need the dedicated time just to be consistent with seniors. We are asking for a $20 donation, but we just want them to be really invested in it, so they show up to each class."
She explained that the donation is more of an assurance that people will not miss classes, and it will be returned to pickleball players or used to throw a party, whatever the class decides.
The city's pickleball facility debuted in 2024 with six courts, a parking lot, and shaded seating. It is located on the northeast corner of Springside Park near the Doyle Softball Complex on Benedict Road.
The pickleball proposal rose from the grave in 2023 after its funding was scrapped in 2019, this time covered by more than $500,000 from the city's nearly $41 million American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Tags: demolition, grandstand,
