Pittsfield Seeks CPA Funds for Bike Racks, AED
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to apply for Community Preservation Act funds for park bike racks and an AED machine at the pickleball fields.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission endorsed Pittsfield’s applications for CPA funds.
"Both of those projects are certainly, relative to CPA funds, low cost but high benefit," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said.
Through CPA, bike racks are proposed for a few city parks, and the Berkshire Mountain Pickleball league is looking to place an automatic external defibrillator at the Benedict Avenue pickleball fields.
Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath and Recreation & Special Events Coordinator Jennifer VanBramer presented the two small project applications, which will go through an eligibility period before full consideration in the spring of 2027.
During the city’s free, six-week, summer playground program, it was observed that many kids access parks by bicycle. The plan is to buy between six and eight racks to be placed at Durant Park, the Common, and Clapp Park; other parks are being considered as well.
McGrath explained that the three parks hosting the playground program don’t have bike racks, and they wind up on the ground and sometimes become a distraction.
"The ancillary benefit to having bike racks is that it encourages that mode of transportation for folks that want to come to the park on their bike," he said.
The bike racks would come from Massachusetts Correctional Industries (MassCor), and could be in place by August or September of next year if funding is secured. They cost about $1,000 each, and the CPA application would be for less than $10,000.
McGrath described it as "low cost, but a potential high impact."
"We’re just trying to accommodate what we see is a trend toward more kids on bikes," he said.
The Berkshire Mountain Pickleball league has pledged $500 for an AED at the pickleball courts that opened a couple of years ago. It is expected to cost around $3,500 in total for the device and outdoor exterior box at the courts in the northeast corner of Springside Park.
The local pickleball group has around 500 players, a record since its founding in 2018.
While there is an AED at the Doyle Softball Complex on the same site, they wanted one closer to the courts. McGrath pointed out that it can increase the ability to save a person’s life.
Tags: parks commission, public parks,
