Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey and Ward 4 Councilor James Conant have been supporters of the acquisition, with Conant calling it a 'once in a lifetime opportunity.'

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city was given the OK by the City Council to purchase more than 50 acres of conservation land along the southwest branch of the Housatonic River, also known as the Saw Mill property.

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant described this as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" that will be well received by residents.  

"This is just going to be a place where people can just come and enjoy, take a walk and enjoy nature in its finest hour," he said.

Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey acknowledged that there have been efforts to protect this land even before his tenure and recounted the former proposals that included solar panels and other developments that would not have been kind to the natural environment.

"I really can't think of a better way for the city to spend its resources than this when the other options that we had on the table would have significantly impacted the neighborhoods around there in a very negative way," he said.

The $400,000 purchase is being covered by a $280,000 Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity grant from the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, $50,000 from the Community Preservation Act, $50,000 from the Conservation Commission, and $20,000 from the city.

The land consists of three parcels totaling 52.3 acres with 1/4 mile of frontage on the Housatonic River.  Within the acreage are areas of core habitat mapped by the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

For over a decade, the city has aimed to permanently protect these lands as part of the continued development of a greenway of protected land between Clapp Park and the Pittsfield Airport.

Conversations with property owners picked up again in 2020 and 2022.

Councilor at Large Karen Kalinowsky was the lone vote in opposition in the 7-1 vote with Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Sherman, Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi, and Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio absent.

"I think the land is good, I don't think the time is right," she said. "I know that the majority is paid for by grants and the (Community Preservation Act) and (Conservation Commission) are paying portions but they still want $20,000 coming from our general fund bond."

Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood said that is not how it works, as the 5 percent, or $20,000, of the purchase would be covered by bond premiums that are not costing the taxpayers any money.

Under the state statute, the bond premiums can be used in three ways: to pay for the debt issuance cost, to reduce the amount of borrowing (which the city does,) and for capital projects.

"It's money we already have in-house for the purposes set forth in this action," he said.

Kalinowsky did not agree with Kerwood's explanation and said she would like to see $20,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds used for it.

She also queried Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath about the costs of completing conditions of the state award that are due by June such as signage, means of public access, and a land management plan.

McGrath explained that these are "very low cost" items that can be done in-house, for the most part, totaling about $1,000.

Kalinowsky questioned the maintenance portion of the properties and McGrath pointed out that it will be a non-manicured woodland area with a small kiosk and trailhead.

The city has a number of supporters rallying around the project such as the Berkshire Environmental Action Team and the Berkshire Natural Resource Council that want to help with cleanups and trail maintenance.

"There is a lot of excitement around this project. It's not just the city that is going to have a stake in this, there's a lot of interest from others as well," he explained.

"And a large part of my job is creating these partnerships, bringing people into our parks and again, really making certain those relationships work for us in the long term. That's a really important part of what I do every day and I fully expect that we're going to do that with the saw mill."

Mayor Linda Tyer pointed out that there was a proposal 20 years ago to put a waste transfer station on that parcel that was not well received by abutters.

"And so the fact that 20 years later, we now have an opportunity to purchase this land through a variety of funding sources and protect it and conserve it for future generations and to protect a neighborhood from sort of haphazard development proposals that cause all kinds of angst and consternation," she said.

"We now will have a green space in the heart of this part of our city and we're going to put aside 20 years of development proposals that were not right for the neighborhood."

Councilor at Large Pete White pointed out that the $20,000 is roughly $1,000 for every year of headaches that the neighbors have put up with over the years.

"This property has been a thorn in the side for neighbors living in Ward 5," he said. "And this is going to open it up to the entire city being able to enjoy this."

The acquisition also received support from Councilor at Large Earl Persip III, who thinks that these kinds of spaces are "very rare" and said every neighbor he spoke to was excited about it.

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