PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Conservation Commission has green-lit the latest Ashuwillticook Rail Trail extension.

Last week, the panel issued 34 orders of conditions for the project, which includes a 10-foot paved multi-use path that runs from Crane Avenue to Merrill Road. The commission added a requirement for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) soil testing after Jonathan Lothrop expressed concern about the pollutants.

Following conversation at the last meeting, he said it seemed like the project was geared up for possible contaminants from railroad ties and is concerned about PCB contamination, as there is a remediated site to the west.

Nicholas Lapointe of Fuss and O'Neill, the project engineers, explained that the contractor is required to develop a testing plan prior to any excavation and there are specific measures to handle hazardous material removal if it is encountered.

PCB testing is not typically a part of that standard but Lapointe said it would be up to the licensed site professional to make that call. This triggered the commission's added requirement.

"In this community, we've had such a history of PCBs migrating farther than previously understood or expected in many different sites. We've had to go back time and time again to come back after it and, given the hydrology and the topography of the area and the relatively high water level, it would almost be inconceivable in my mind that that would not have some level of contamination back there because I do believe the Sackett Brook, which is adjacent to this property, has already had remediation processes all the way up to almost Plastics Ave, frankly, due to past disposal or improper disposal of PCBs," Lothrop said.

"So I am uncomfortable with the idea, honestly, of just proceeding without some kind of specific sampling of this. I assumed that would be something that would just be a part of this and I guess the answer, I don't want to put words in the mouth of the proponent, it sounds like really the answer is no, they're not gonna specifically do that."

The applicants were fine with this requirement.

"Our goal is to contain any sort of hazardous material and then dispose of it properly," Lapointe said.

Early this year, plans for phase 2 of the rail trail's extension into Pittsfield geared up.  

After the City Council approved five temporary property easements to assist in the construction, the project will be bid in the spring and completed next year.  

With a state and federally-funded price tag of about $1.4 million, the trail will eventually travel to East Street and future plans bring it through the whole county.

The 0.4-mile extension will go underneath the Dalton Avenue bridge, travel behind the Shops at Unkamet Brook (which include Dick's Sporting Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Panera Bread,) and come out next to O'Connell Oil Associates.

To accommodate the extension, a 5,900-square-foot paved parking area with 11 spaces will be built adjacent to the trail at Merrill Road.

Proposed project activities also include a rest area with bench seating, bicycle racks, and trail information; a "Pedestrian Activated Hybrid Beacon" signal at Merrill Road; repair of an existing stormwater drainage culvert underneath the existing rail embankment at one location; and new grass-lined infiltration swales parallel to the trail totaling a cumulative 1,150 linear feet.

The rail trail runs more than 14 miles from Lime Street in Adams to Crane Avenue in Pittsfield. Phase 1 of its extension into the city was completed last year, connecting the leg that ended at the Connector Road to Crane Avenue.

The first section opened in 2001 from Route 8 in Cheshire to Hoosac Street in Adams and was extended to Lime Street in 2016. The trail will eventually link up to a recently completed 2.4-mile path in Williamstown.

The commission also issued 47 orders of conditions for the implementation of an aquatic plant management program for non-indigenous vegetation control in Pontoosuc Lake.

The plan, proposed by the Friends of Pontoosuc Lake and designed by Solitude Lake Management, first came before the panel nearly a year ago and the town of Lanesborough's Conservation Commission issued an order of conditions last week.

The city hired s a third-party reviewer to provide an analysis of the project and, with those recommendations, Conservation Agent Robert Van Der Kar is comfortable with issuing a set of conditions.

A Lanesborough resident explained that a recommended schedule was put together for the treatments, taking into account that there is a survey somewhere around may and recommending the first treatment in June.  

Most of the conditions approved were existing based on the past project submission or standard conditions. The town added a requirement for a third-party monitor to look at survey data and proposed treatment plans to see the metrics in real-time.

"There is a recommended timeline just to help the town understand the meeting schedule because we are doing additional monitoring and we wanted to make sure everybody was clear about when things should be submitted so that there were not any delays," the resident explained.

Pittsfield resident Daniel Miraglia said it is important to look at the timing of herbicide treatments and having a third-party reviewer.

In other business:

• An order of conditions 1-38 was issued for the management of nuisance aquatic vegetation on property located at 669 Churchill Street/Park Pond within the riverfront area and land subject to flooding. The applicant is Jeffrey Carr.  
   
• An order of conditions 1-33 was issued for the Pittsfield Municipal Airport to clear trees on property located at Lebanon Avenue and Barker Road. The activities are proposed to occur within a buffer zone to bordering vegetated wetlands.
   
• An order of conditions 1-31 was issued to KidZone Child Care for site improvements on a new facility at 699 Dalton Ave. that is within bordering land subject to flooding. The improvements include the removal of an existing concrete loading dock, new decks, a new gravel parking area, and the construction of two outdoor play areas. The commission stipulated that up to 20 cubic yards of fill can be placed in the play area.
   
• An order of conditions 1-32 was issued for the city's Department of Public Services to install a one foot public water main and appurtenances within the city right of way along Valentine and Peck's Road. The area is within the riverfront area and bordering land subject to flooding.
   
• A negative determination was issued on an application for the construction of a driveway for a new single-family home on property located at 45 Bel Air Ave., which is within the riverfront area.  The applicant is Stefanie Weber and John Gault.
   
• A certificate of compliance was re-issued for work done on property located at 500 Hubbard Ave. The applicant is Hill Engineers, Architects, Planners, Inc.
   
• The commission approved a license agreement with Mass Audubon for the use of Wild Acres for a summer camp. The program is five weeks long and is for kids from the West Side.
   
• Due to the termination of the 2022 Act Relative to Extending Certain State of Emergency Accommodations, the commission's next meeting on April 6 will be in person at City Hall.

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