ATHOL – Representatives of the BSC Group, the Boston-based consulting firm that developed plans for the greening of Lord Pond Plaza, recently brought in Athol’s Selectboard to facilitate that effort.
An assessment of the plaza was conducted in 2020 under the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which is designed to help cities and towns adapt to problems arising from climate change, particularly global warming.
“This review looks to identify opportunities to incorporate nature-based solutions and green infrastructure at Lord Pond Plaza,” BSC Planning Director Heather Gould told the board. “Some of these solutions include stream daylighting, shade trees, green space for stormwater or flooding.”
Lord Pond Plaza consists of acres of impervious blacktop, which in addition to limiting the use of the plaza and being aesthetically unpleasing, creates a large heat island in the middle of downtown Athol during high temperatures. .
“What we’re working on is a two-year action grant,” Gould continued. “We are now in the second year of the grant itself. We’ve gone through site design and engineering for 30 percent design, and we’re getting to 70 percent design. Within the next six months, by the end of June, we will have 100 percent design; we’re doing more public engagement and education and we’ve done some of the environmental permitting that’s needed to move the project forward.”
Gould said some of the issues raised at public meetings for the plaza held last year addressed concerns related to transportation, green infrastructure versus gray infrastructure (using a concrete system to storm water as opposed to using the environment to reduce runoff) and the project’s impact on municipal resources, such as maintenance costs.
“Overall, the public has really expressed a desire for open space and public gathering places downtown – how do you connect Lord Pond Plaza to Main Street – and looking at different design techniques for that,” Gould said.
Landscape architect Casey-Lee Bastien presented the latest design proposal, which includes traffic and parking management plans to accommodate community and commercial activity, while also providing a route for in so-called “pass-through” traffic.
“We found, especially at different times of the day and for different activities, the truck and pass-through activity should go down South Street and over School Street for the Route 2 connection. ,” said Bastien. “So we have one entrance that allows for easy access and another that leads to the parking lot.”
The plan also calls for the creation of a large amount of green space. That will consist of open space with a central gathering area surrounded by landscaping on either side of Mill Brook, which will be open for public enjoyment. The stream is covered with asphalt from one end of the square to the other end.
“A stream, once exposed to the sun, doesn’t need to be maintained or replaced the same way a culvert and pipe do,” Lee said. “It’s about nature-based solutions; it’s about thinking about how little we can do for work and what more the ecology and nature of downtown can do with us – serve us, process water, slow down the something to reduce flooding, create more space for flood storage.
“There’s cooling so this pavement doesn’t get hot, especially when we’re right downtown with a lot of hardscaped roofs, walls. This helps give it a little better feel, but also an aesthetic of something modern. “
Additional green space is also proposed for a portion of the plaza that sits behind the building that houses the Ocean State Job Lot, the Senior Center, and the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce.
Lee said the creation of the green space will eliminate the need to haul snow off-site in the winter. Instead, the snow can be deposited into green areas that act as a filter for salts and other pollutants as the snow melts and migrates through the soil into Mill Brook.
When the project reaches 100 percent design, Lee said cost estimates for maintaining the greening of Lord Pond Plaza will be provided to the city. He added that BSC and Athol Planning and Development Director Eric Smith have been looking at potential funding sources since the planning process began.
“Frankly, since we started the process, the funding sources … have continued to expand,” Lee said. “So you showed up at the right time.”
Gould said that the next step is to file a Notice of Intent with the town’s Conservation Commission. He said it should be filed in time for ConCom’s meeting on January 24. Public education and engagement, he said, will continue this spring, with 100 percent of the design ready for presentation in May of this year.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.
