The park's restoration committee had its kick-off meeting with S3 Design Inc. on Monday. The firm, which was chosen in April, aims to deliver a plan at the end of August after a summer of gathering input. 

 

Principal architect Salvatore Canciello explained that there will be three more workshops scheduled through June and July. There was also a suggestion to solicit input online. 

 

"In the next workshop, we will have a community session with public input with the vision of the facility and kind of trying to get their ideas about what's historic and what's valuable about the park the way it is now and what things they see it should be. So kind of the session we're having today with the community at our next session," he said. 

 

"We will have some initial site layout designs and stadium configurations for the next workshop for us to talk about in this group and start to react to." 

 

The Wahconah Park Restoration Committee, the owner's project manager Skanska, S3 Design and representatives from SLR consulting, EDM engineering firm, and Sports Facilities Companies discussed the park's past and future for more than two hours. 

 

The group first convened in the grandstand, which has been deemed structurally unfit to support its capacity for a game, and then moved to City Hall. 

 

Vice Chair Len Light feels that the park's large concourse in front is a key feature and is one of the spaces where children can play without interrupting the event. 

 

"It's always felt like a kid-friendly venue," he said. "I think every ownership group that we've had has always tried to drive this family-friendly environment, this kid-friendly environment:" 

 

Light added that the park has always felt historically significant. 

 

"It certainly feels like a historical structure now but it felt like one and visually looked like one from when I was a kid," he said. 

 

"There's something about the outfield wall and the grandstand that felt sort of old, historically not old in a negative way." 

 

It was also pointed out that the park needs to celebrate the history of baseball in Pittsfield. The city's late 1700s broken-window bylaw that refers to "base ball" -- considered the earliest mention of the game -- was brought up as a piece of history that should be displayed. 

 

Cliff Nilan weighed in on the seating's proximity to the field. 

 

"The closeness of the stands to the field, I think, is a wonderful aspect and should not be lost," he said. 

 

Marjo Catalano referenced the remodeling of Bousquet ski mountain as a great example of preserving history in a modern building. 

 

"People who grew up and learned to ski there have such a sense of nostalgia. Well, recently it was remodeled," she explained. 

 

"I didn't learn to ski there or grow up skiing there but I feel that when I walk in because if you guys have been there, the entryway from floor to ceiling is all black and white photo of the mountain at different stages. Even though I didn't grow up and learn to ski there, you still feel that very much now when you go and I think they did a great job of bringing it to a modern era but holding on to that nostalgia and I think at least I would like to have that vibe here as well." 

 

It is still undetermined if the park will be renovated or rebuilt but it is clear that flooding issues on the property have to be addressed. 

 

Based on other niche projects that S3 Design has worked on, the ballpark cost is about $10 million to $15 million.

 

The city has secured about $5 million for the endeavor so far including a $2 million capital appropriation from the past fiscal year and a $3 million earmark grant. 

 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath pointed out that the goal is to avoid using city capital and funding the project with state or federal dollars. 

 

"We're going to try to do everything we can before we go to the taxpayer," he said. 

 

The OPM team anticipates the design being complete by February or March of next year and bidding and work by August 2024 after the Pittsfield Sun's season. This would result in a new ballpark that is open for use by the summer 2025.

 

Several other factors also need to be decided in the rebuild including the choice of a turf or natural grass field, the orientation of the facility, its capacity, and what other uses it will have to bring in revenue. 

 

It was reported that comparable leagues have facilities that hold around 2,900 fans while Wahconah Park's stadium capacity is 4,500.