Pittsfield Hoping To Bring Softball Back To The Complex This Summer
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is currently looking for somebody to run a softball league at the 13-acre complex on East Street.
Last summer, with proper notice, the lessee of the city-owned park backed out of the lease in the final year. The building, which served as a concession stand, and the fields have fallen into poor condition.
Purchasing Agent Colleen Hunter-Mullett offered the use of the fields during the day to an interested individual looking to continue a softball league there to finish out the summer, but that ultimately that did not come to fruition. The city was willing to allow that individual to finish the year for free.
"Because it is so late in the season, and the City really wants to provide a space for this type of activity for our residents, we are offering them the use of the fields at no cost as long as they are willing to maintain them for the duration of their league. We are looking at our options for future years," Hunter-Mullett wrote in an email last July.
This spring, the city issued a request for proposals for somebody else to take it over. But there were no bids.
Now, Hunter-Mullett said she is again working with an individual to get softball leagues up and running again.
"Currently, I have a gentleman who is interested in running a softball league at the facility this summer. Once the snow melts we plan to meet with him on site to discuss the limitations of the facility, as well as the do's and don'ts," Hunter-Mullett wrote in an email this week.
"I have an e-mail into the Building Inspector's office to see if I can get something in writing as to the number of code violations the building has and what it will take to re-open the snack bar, or not, whichever the case may be."
Hunter-Mullett said the interested individual doesn't necessarily need a concession stand but he would like to know what it would take to get it back into compliance with city code.
"The gentleman interested in running the league agrees that he does not need to provide a concession stand in order to run a league because there is that great community interest in having the league itself. But he would like to know what exactly the building needs in case he can come up with the money to fix the building. He plans to provide porta-johns at a minimum this summer," she wrote.
For years, Berkshire County Softball Complex Inc. and Jim Bridges ran league among the three fields on the parcel. Most recently, Mark Montemagni signed a lease in 2012 for five years and ran leagues.
The city is now hoping to bring softball back to the complex this summer.
Tags: public parks, softball, sports facility, sports fields,
