Residents Request CPA Funds For Fort River Athletic Fields

Report On The Meeting Of The Amherst Recreation Commission, October 12, 2022

Present
Matt Cain, Andrew MacDougall, Yousef Fadel, and Carolyn Mailler. Absent: Sanjay Arwade.

Staff: Rey Harp (Director of Amherst Recreation)

CPA Proposal For Fort River Athletic Fields
Three Amherst residents, Maria Kopicki, Toni Cunningham, and Rudy Perkins, presented a proposal that they submitted to the town to use Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to upgrade the playing fields at Fort River school in conjunction with the construction of the new elementary school at the site.  Although the school design is still being developed, the building will be located at the south end of the site, requiring relocation of the comfort station, lighting, and fields. 

Because the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) grants only cover site work up to eight percent of the total project cost, using CPA funds would defray some of the costs of the new school that would need to be covered by a debt exclusion override. The total cost of the school project and the amount of the MSBA grant will be known in April, 2023 for an override vote in early May, but the project is currently estimated to cost approximately $100 million. 

To justify using CPA funds for the grading, irrigation, and improved drainage for the fields, Kopicki, Cunningham, and Perkins noted that the Fort River fields are currently used by over 1,000 residents to play organized ultimate, softball, soccer, and youth football in addition to informal activities. They stated that improving the fields aligns with the open space and recreation plan of 2017 and noted that the area surrounding Fort River is an environmental justice neighborhood. 

Perkins noted that there is a synergy between building the new school and improving the fields because some irrigation and soil drainage improvements will be done as part of the school project. Funding the athletic fields from CPA funds will “take a bite” out of the total in the override vote. 

The budget for the proposed athletic fields in the residents’ CPA application includes $2.4 million to create new playing fields, $360,000 for lighting, and $211,000 for a new comfort station, totaling about $3 million. The three applicants recommended that members of the Recreation Commission attend the Elementary School Building Committee meeting on November 4 at 8:30 a.m., which will focus on outdoor areas: on-site traffic, playgrounds and school outdoor learning, and fields. 

Matt Cain noted that Amherst has many playing fields that need maintenance and wondered about funding sources other than the CPA. Cunningham said that the Joint Capital Planning Commission allots funds for the fields, but often the needs of building and vehicle maintenance dominates the amount available for capital expenses. Conservation funds are also a possible source of financing, but CPA funds could help decrease direct taxpayer costs.

Andrew MacDougall, who has represented the Planning Board on the CPA committee for the past two years, noted that the town typically has about $1.5 – $2 million in CPA funds to award every year. He said that most years, almost all proposals receive some funding, but he expects a larger number of requests this year. The Recreation Commission will vote on which proposals relevant to recreation and open space to recommend to the CPA committee at their next meeting on November 7. The CPA Committee will hear presentations in November and make recommendations in December. Final CPA grant decisions are made by the Town Council based on recommendations by the CPA committee in the spring. 

War Memorial Pool Repairs Urgently Needed 
Recreation Director Rey Harp said that the War Memorial Pool needs a new liner and a new ADA compliant lift before it opens next summer. Plans to relocate and update the pool house are also being proposed. Funding of these repairs will be discussed at the November Recreation Commission meeting.

The town learned on the day prior to opening last June that the War Memorial pool needed a critical repair that delayed its opening by three weeks. The town scrambled to shift the aquatics programs to Mill River and used the middle school (indoor) pool for the summer camps during that time.

Program Reports
Harp noted that many people were disappointed in the July 4 festivities because some of the advertised activities were canceled at the last minute. There were fewer food trucks and children’s carnival activities, and no beer garden or hot air balloons. He vowed that planning would be improved for the 2023 celebration.

The Halloween Spooktacular, planned in conjunction with the Senior Center, is scheduled for October 30 at the Bangs Center. The event will include a haunted house and a scavenger hunt. 

The Amherst Community Theater is rehearsing for its January production of The Little Mermaid. 

Harp said that Winterfest will return to the town common in February and will again feature the fire and ice sculptures. The BID and Chamber of Commerce are participating in planning the events, but he hopes more people will join the planning committee.

The meeting adjourned at 8:37. The next meeting of the Recreation Commission will be on Monday, November 7.