PITTSFIELD — The Wahconah Park Restoration Committee has taken a first step toward a potential repair or renovation of the old ballpark.
In a meeting Thursday, the committee approved a draft request for proposal so the city could hire a so-called “Owner’s Project Manager,” for whatever the final proposal is.
The OPM will provide project management services for either the renovation or repair to the facility at 105 Wahconah St., or the demolition and reconstruction of the stadium.
“The next steps for the proposal are to finalize the request for services, advertise it and accept submissions for those that are potentially qualified,” said Jim McGrath, Pittsfield’s Open Space, and Natural Resource Program manager.
After the meeting, McGrath told The Eagle that with the process underway, the month of September will be spent finalizing the RFP and receiving information from interested parties. In October, he said the vetting and selection will take place, with the hope of having someone on board by November.
“Once this is advertised in the state’s central register, then it will be about three weeks until we receive the submissions back,” McGrath said. “The mayor’s evaluation committee will work quickly to vet the submissions and set up interviews to create a short list. Then, ultimately, a recommendation will be made to the mayor on the hiring of the Owner’s Project Manager.”
According to the draft RFP, the OPM has to be someone who is registered as an architect or professional engineer and has at least five years of experience in the supervision of design and construction of public buildings. The RFP would substitute seven years of relevant experience in building and supervising the construction of a baseball or other outdoor sports stadium.
The RFP has evaluation criteria which includes, among nine categories: project experience for publicly funded sports facilities; working knowledge of Massachusetts building codes; working knowledge of minor league and Division I college baseball facilities; capacity and skills; and financial and operational stability.
The committee also learned Thursday night that should it ultimately decide on what McGrath calls a “raze and replace” plan for the Wahconah Park grandstand, the Massachusetts Historic Commission might not stand in Pittsfield’s way.
When the members of the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee toured the facility last month, questions were brought up regarding Wahconah Park and its 2005 designation on the National Register of Historic Places. The concern was whether the historic designation might otherwise prevent the city from potentially tearing down the current grandstand and replacing it with something new.
At the time, McGrath said he would look into the issue. Thursday, he told the committee he heard back from Paul Holtz from the Historic Commission, and described the response as reassuring. Holtz acknowledged that Wahconah Park is not currently under what is called a preservation restriction, which would trigger a plan review.
The Wahconah Park Restoration Committee approved a draft request for proposal Thursday in the latest step toward a renovation or repair of the grandstand at the ballpark.
“It is something that we can work with them as a consideration for this project,” McGrath said. “I think this simply opens us up to being able to evaluate all of the options without being pigeon-holed with simply one that doesn’t look at an option that raises the facility.”
In an email to Mayor Linda Tyer and At Large City Councilor Earl Persip, the committee chairman, McGrath wrote that the Massachusetts Historic Commission would be open to working with the city should the raze and replace option be chosen. That way, the sides could come together with a plan that respects the history and the character-defining features at Wahconah Park.