Pittsfield Parks Commission Visits Site of Proposed Farm at Springside ParkBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
07:32AM / Sunday, June 11, 2023 | |
 On Wednesday, the farming organization had a site visit with the Parks Commission to give a visual explanation of their plans. |
 | | Roots Rising members Joe Durwin, Vecchia, and Piotrowski present in front of the proposed site |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Roots Rising leaders were immediately enamored with the prospect of having Springside Park as its home base.
On Wednesday, the farming organization had a site visit with the Parks Commission to give a visual explanation of their plans. The proposed location is next to the Chestnut seed orchard.
"When we first walked into Springside, we all kind of lit up," Program Manager Lauren Piotrowski said.
"I mean, any place that we build our farm is going to be great but something so centrally located is going to be a great resource for the City of Pittsfield and we really want to invest where it will have the most impact on Pittsfield."
This was first presented to the commission last month. After some time to digest the information, Roots Rising will go in front of the panel again and a decision will likely be made this summer.
The organization is holding off on further investments until there is final approval but has done some pre-development work including soil sampling.
"Commission approval is one thing but site appropriateness is sort of another consideration," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath.
"And you've been doing some due diligence with respect to soil sampling because as a farm you're looking to grow things and we want to make certain that the soil conditions are agreeable for farming operations. And then there's a whole host of other considerations."
Roots Rising currently has two main initiatives: the Pittsfield Farmer's Market and its youth crews of local teens that work on farms.
The goal is to create a teen-powered community center that enriches lives and strengthens the local food system. It is planned to be an intersection of the organization's youth empowerment and food justice work.
Included in the roughly 4-acre plans are a tool shed, farm office, curing and drying shed, a wash and pack station, an open-air pavilion, and the build-out of a hoop house and prop house.
About two years have been spent looking for a location to call home.
"Really important to us was that the land be as accessible to as many folks in the community as possible. A lot of the land that we were finding was really on the very outskirts of the city, not super accessible, so Springside Park is a gem in our downtown, and that really excites us," Executive Director and Co-Founder Jessica Vecchia said.
"We also would love to be near community partners, especially the schools. Reid Middle School is right there. Again, that really excites us. We don't currently work with middle schoolers but obviously, we're excited to expand the work that we do and open up that pathway into our youth crews through additional programming and that is sort of a no-brainer for us."
The young people of Roots Rising said that they would like a sanctuary feeling.
Originally, they were looking at smaller urban-type settings downtown but heard that the young farmers would like to step outside of their neighborhoods and the city feeling.
"And something we love obviously about Springside is that it is right in the heart of our city but it is 237 acres," Vecchia explained.
"It is a complete sanctuary for Pittsfield and the greater county."
Commissioner Paula Albro observed that the site is secluded and asked if they have considered occurrences of vandalism.
"Our plan is to be really smart just to design and to put in security measures that we discuss with the parks department," Piotrowski said.
"It is also our hope that a continued presence here and community investment will help this space in the park get a less abandoned feel and as the people who are living and working in Pittsfield make a connection with our farm, either as their child being a youth crew member or they are a customer of ours at the market, it will increase that community investment and sort of decrease that idea that kids can come out here and do what they want and it has no consequence."
The seed orchard has been in that area for about a decade and has reportedly seen little vandalism.
Commissioner Michele Matthews asked about the customer component of the farm, as they have plans for a sliding-scale CSA.
The initial plan is for a small CSA with about 35 members that would come once a week and parking accommodations would be included in the plan.
"When you have a CSA the real benefit of that is that the people are able to come to the farm, connect with the farmers, connect with the land when they pick up their share," Piotrowski explained.
Albro also wanted to understand the scope of the timeframe for this project.
Vecchia explained that Regenerative Design Group of Greenfield has walked the land and done an initial report but the next phase of design work is at least $20,000, which they are hesitant to do before approval from the commission.
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