Ribbon Cut on Springside Pond as 'A Place for Everyone'
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For many, Springside Pond represents a time when people from all walks of life gathered in public spaces for free outdoor recreation. Its renovation is a critical moment for the park and neighborhood as a whole.
Smiles were all around on Saturday as a ribbon was cut on the pond's new boardwalk. Over the last year, a quarter-century of planning culminated as crews removed sediment, repaired the dam, and increased accessibility on the historic site.
It was funded by more than $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act monies allocated in 2022.
Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath feels this is the perfect park project.
"This park, of course, is very special. It's the largest city park but also a huge element to what we've done here is ecological restoration and that's critically important as we continue to rely on the natural resources in our community. There was historic preservation components to what we did here. Of course, the park is on the National Register of Historic Places," he said.
"At its core, this is a neighborhood improvement project but most importantly, and what really, I think, is just critical about what we've done here is we have made this area of the park fully handicapped accessible."
Mayor Peter Marchetti was glad to be back in the neighborhood where he spent decades, living there from when he was 2 years old until about 10 years ago.
"The Springside Pond is known to many residents for many fond memories from their visits, from catching tadpoles and frogs in the spring and summer, ice skating in the winter, and using the space for quiet reflection. This pond provided the opportunity for recreation, relaxation, and fun," he said.
"Now, if I can take you back almost 50 years, I was a little child playing in the wading pool that used to exist here in Springside Park."
McGrath held up the extensive Springside Park Pond Management Study, explaining that it was on his desk when he began working for the city in 2002. It was put together with a grant from the state and shepherded by the former parks and recreation director.
"What really struck me about the pond study was not just that it articulated the need to restore the pond and reconnect this portion of the park with the neighborhood. What really struck me were all of the personal memories that are within this document," he said.
"So as the planning process for this pond study moved along, they asked folks from the neighborhood, folks that grew up in the park, folks that have an affinity for this place to put together memories. There are pages and pages and pages of personal memories of folks who grew up in the neighborhood, who skated on the pond, who ran through the trails, and it was really just telling to me how important these parks, and this park especially, are to folks in our community."
McGrath said this is not lost on him and for the past 20-plus years of being at the helm of city park planning, one of the great joys is hearing from folks who share a memory, anecdote, or vision for the spaces.
He explained that "there really is this connectedness that we all have to special places and I, as a planner, appreciate that because that helps us do our job better."
"When we finally were able to get the funding to work on this pond and bring it to reality, it was a really special moment for me," he said.
Marchetti was the chair of the Morningside Initiative in the early 2000s and the group was looking at ways to rehabilitate the park. One effort put a fountain in the middle of the pond but unfortunately, it was clogged with muck within days and never worked again.
"In recent years, the city actively worked to gather the necessary funding to implement the vision through applying for grants and other funding opportunities," he said.
In 2018, $20,000 in Community Development Block Grant money was secured for formal design permitting and the project was coming closer to reality. There are a few finishing items such as picnic tables the city will purchase to complete the space.
"The vision for this project is consistent with what we are trying to do across the city: create safe and healthy neighborhoods that are supported by quality infrastructure. With historic stonework repaired at the dam and the bridge and the new accessible trail connection from the sidewalk, this restored pond will be enjoyed for many years ahead," Marchetti said.
"This pond will now serve as a focal point and will be enjoyed for many years ahead. We welcome our community back to this section of the park to explore the pond, experience the boardwalk, and rediscover the wonders of Springside Park. We will continue to find ways in which we can improve the quality of life and our neighborhood to our parks and open spaces."
Joe Durwin, Springside Park Conservancy member and a local historian, said this was an emotional experience.
"I was reminiscing with the mayor earlier this week that it was about 13 years ago this very week, we had a long conversation about Springside Park and what it needed and where it needed to be going, and as he often does, he had his thumb really on the pulse of what the community wanted," he said.
"He spoke of restoring the pond, restoring the house, really doubling down on maintaining the things that we already have here in the park, and he talked about uniting the various volunteer groups and organizations who all have this common interest in this park, and that has shaped a lot of what's happened over the last decade and it's been an honor to be part of that."
Durwin spoke of the pond's larger historical significance, with the name Springside being more than 200 years old and referring to the natural springs that feed into it.
This pond in particular was a big community hub, he explained.
"People have been ice skating here for over a century and that's a usage that we are looking to get back online as soon as possible but it was many picnics, cookouts, field trips, singing groups, concerts," he said.
"As humans, water brings us together. It bonds communities, it gathers people together, and this project really is nothing less than reconnecting a neighborhood to those waters that shape it, giving them access to it again, and such access, this full ADA accessibility for the first time in history, and this is where we're going."
Durwin added that accessibility is a main part of the Springside Master Plan, designs for the Springside House, and the way things will be moving forward. The aim is to create a park for everyone.
"There was talk of filling [the pond] in and just paving over all this many times so ultimately, it was the community, the residents, and the neighbors, who stuck up for this pond and took care of this pond for many years for us to even be able to be here," he said, thanking all of the volunteers for their efforts over the years.
Parks Commission Chair Paula Albro coined Springside Park as a gem, pointing to all of the activities in its 237 acres.
"We're very lucky here and it's all free,"
"This project is one more that we can add to our list. I think it had been forgotten but you know now it is a reality and people can come here and maybe kids can catch frogs, or maybe go fishing, and people can just sit and enjoy nature and we are just so blessed, I think, in Pittsfield to have this here."
McGrath said this is a people-powered park.
"So people, you are now welcome back to this portion of Springside Park. We want to see you here. We want to see you with your friends and your family. This is a project that we did for you, so you are all welcome."
