Letter to State Historical: Wahconah Grandstand Can't Be SavedBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:25PM / Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | |
 The state Historical Commission wants to see if the failing grandstand at Wahconah can be preserved; the renovation committee has asked its engineers and architects to respond. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The revitalization of Wahconah Park is inching closer but planners must first gain the approval of the state Historical Commission.
The ballpark's restoration committee heard a project update from architects S3 Design on Thursday and discussed outreach with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which would like to see best efforts made to preserve the failing grandstand.
Epsilon Associates, hired to guide this communication, drafted a letter that rationalizes the razed and rebuilt design the committee voted in favor of.
"I think we're in a better position now that we have Epsilon working on our behalf," Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath said.
"Again, they are known to Mass Historic, they work closely with the planners there. It may be a different story if it was just Jim McGrath and Community Development trying to get in front of Mass Historic with a response to their letter. So we're in the best position that we can be in."
Principal architect Salvatore Canciello added that the state will also look favorably on the city's wealth of historical documentation and photographs for the park.
"If we don't tear it down and rebuild it, it's just going to decay where it is," he said, reiterating one of the points made in the response letter. "Because you can't really repair it so you're going to lose the history of the site completely."
The letter outlines the current condition of the grandstand with structural deficiencies, hazardous materials, a lack of compliant accessibility features, and non-compliant restroom accommodations.
The city could leave the structure as it is — which was identified as not being feasible or safe because it is currently taken out of use — to renovate the grandstand — which would rebuild habitable spaces in the floodplain and deficiencies requiring a nearly complete reconstruction would remain — or go for a new build.
The elevated design builds the program space above the floodplain, simplifies construction between the habitable space and the grandstand, and makes it code compliant.
It is requested that the Mass Historical Commission accept the adverse effect that would occur if the grandstand wasn't properly addressed and that options are between the loss of a grandstand versus the loss of tradition at Wahconah Park.
It is a two-step process requiring the commission to first accept the city's reasoning and then to draft a memorandum of understanding for mitigation terms.
Last month, the city's Historical Commission agreed to write a letter of support for the project and one member of the panel has expressed a wish to see more historical materials used on the exterior.
While he supports the effort, he criticized the exterior brick on the $26.3 million design, as it does not match the current aesthetic, and the community "doesn't necessarily have a strong brick-making tradition."
"I had lunch today with the member of the commission who was the most challenging on the materials, the brick," Canciello reported. "And we had a good discussion about some ideas he had that we will show you some options from those ideas just to consider."
Planners have been working to get the originally $30 million price tag down, reducing the footprint to about $32,300 square feet and looking into other cost-saving measures.
It was reported that Mayor Peter Marchetti is committed to borrowing up to $15 million for the project.
After the communication is sent to the state, the design team will continue to work through the schematic design and refine the plan. Next, the committee will review the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems as well as the site design.
"We've been heavily focused on the building but there is a whole parking lot and connection to Wahconah Street, the driveway in, the approach, and of course the wetlands component, the wetland restoration, and how we're handling the flood water," McGrath said.
A final design will likely be completed after the next meeting so that they can get an official estimate on pricing.
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