Copyright berkshireeagle
PITTSFIELD — The wait for access points to fish at Pontoosuc Lake Park will continue for local anglers. The Pittsfield Conservation Commission on Thursday decided not to vote on a proposed modification to a bank planting plan from the Board of Parks Commissioners, instead sending it back for revisions. But local angler Daniel Miraglia hasn’t lost hope. He wants the city to move forward with what he says should have been a proper plan from the start. “The issue at hand is the inland bank and how to protect the inland bank, Miraglia said. “The [Conservation Commission] doesn’t want any more foot traffic going in there doing more damage to the bank until there’s a plan to mitigate that.” The dispute centers on the city’s planting of 1,088 native shrubs along the shoreline at Pontoosuc Lake Park on Hancock Road. The city says the plantings are needed to combat erosion and stabilize the shoreline. Anglers argue the city moved too quickly and cut them off from traditional fishing spots. The Conservation Commission’s decision followed an Oct. 7 site visit. Chair James Conant emphasized that the city, through the parks department, is the applicant and that the Conservation Commission cannot change its plan. “They need to come to us and seek an amendment to their approved order of conditions,” Conant said. “That’s where it sits.” Conant said he would add any new plan from the Parks Commission to a future agenda. The proposed modification includes four access points that would restore 22 percent — 208 feet of the 940 feet — of the affected shoreline. Commission member Jonathan Lothrop said he would be fine if the area next to the boat launch was not replanted but noted that the other potential access areas showed significant erosion. “It’s a bank stabilization plan … that was the purpose of it,” he said. “If we just let that go, we are undercutting what the intent of the plan was ultimately.” Vice Chair Thomas Sakshaug, member Stephanie Storie and Conant agreed, with Conant stressing the commission’s role in protecting the lake’s quality. “If we are not allowed to use plantings to stabilize the bank, then we have to come up with another technique, and that’s the responsibility of the applicant,” Conant said. At its Oct. 1 meeting, the commission had also declined to vote, opting instead for the site visit. The Parks Commission presented its proposed changes on Sept. 16 and voted to recommend them for further review. Any changes would require new permits from the Conservation Commission, said Jim McGrath, the city’s parks, open space and natural resource program manager. The shrubs are part of the Pontoosuc Lake Park Improvements Project, now about 90 percent complete, McGrath said. The first phase, which began in March, focuses on shoreline stabilization, improved accessibility, a paved promenade connecting the park to a nearby pier, parking lot repairs, and new benches and picnic areas. Ten species of shrubs have been planted along the southern shoreline. Phase 2 will address the park’s northern side, which is being developed for swimming, water recreation and gathering spaces. McGrath said the old beach area has become a wetland and “didn’t lend itself well to a swimming beach.” The project is funded with a $500,000 state Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant, about $400,000 in city capital funds, and roughly $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act.
