Lee — In conjunction with an update to the town’s Master Plan, the Select Board unanimously endorsed a draft of its 2024 Open Space and Recreation Plan on June 18. Designed to “protect, preserve and broaden” these local areas, the 262-page proposal released this month is intended to cover the next seven years, encompassing priorities identified by residents and offering a plan to transition its facilities to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Referring to the Open Space and Recreation Plan, board members also received an update on a portion of that plan focused on the potential uses for 300 Stockbridge Road, with the group to discuss the plan in more detail after members have had an opportunity for review.
According to its survey results, the Open Space and Recreation Plan specified trail projects as a top goal, second to improved water recreation facilities. Recently, with the use of $135,000 of Community Preservation Act funds, Lee acquired 25 acres of open-space land at 505 Stockbridge Road,
at Long Cope Park and 300 Stockbridge Road. A dilapidated barn and a small, 1.2-acre part of 300 Stockbridge Road was approved for sale at Lee’s December 6 Special Town Meeting. These events were the culmination of a 2022 grant that resulted in the town hiring Seth Jenkins, senior community planner at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, to provide insight into possible uses for the open land.
Addressing the Select Board on June 18, Jenkins said his team interviewed 13 different groups of stakeholders, including government officials and committee members, as to “what they’d like to see on the site.” Although each group touted its own outlook for the combined tracts, he said “it seemed like the greatest consensus was around some enhanced trail network.” The town has been active at Long Cope Park to reestablish some of the tract’s trails.
“It’s quite a volume of work, and I know you put a lot of time in talking to everyone,” Chair Gordon Bailey said to Jenkins.
Prompted by Bailey as being bantered about for two decades, Jenkins responded that some survey and interview responders pushed for a dog park to be located on the site, but it wasn’t something Jenkins’ team “heard over and over,” rising to the popularity of trails.
“There’s a lot to consider here,” said board member Sean Regnier, who also served on the Master Plan Committee. “I think, at some level, the trails [are] a good starter and then, over the years, we can sort of pick at some of these smaller items.”
Jenkins agreed other uses can be added in the coming years for recreational opportunities on the tract, but the development can begin with adding trails and a parking lot.
Town Administrator Christopher Brittain said the next step will be to employ a follow-up grant in the fall to determine the trail design and accessibility and conservation requirements.
By unanimously approving an endorsement of the new Open Space and Recreation Plan, the Select Board’s action allows the town to be more easily eligible for state grants to fund its projects. However, modifications to the plan can still be made.
“I think we can get a lot done with this plan in place,” Regnier said.
At the meeting, the Select Board also:
- Approved a 30-day temporary sign permit extension and waiver to the Lee Chamber of Commerce and Farmer’s Market;
- Reappointed numerous members to town boards, councils, committees, and commissions;
- Approved a Hawker Peddler License to Mobile Hair Berkshire that will provide hair-grooming services in clients homes, especially for those who are homebound;
- Signed a letter of support for a Planning Assistant Grant aimed at providing additional housing in the downtown area;
- Approved a one-day wine and malt license to Evening Star Lodge, with Bailey recused;
- Heard Bailey provide an update to the Community Development Corporation that the entity has expanded its purview to include a focus on housing as well as business promotion;
- Appointed four at-large members to the new Building Re-Use Committee;
- Appointed Andrea Wadsworth to the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority in place of Regnier;
- Reappointed David Carrington to the Agricultural Committee;
- Approved a state-adopted procurement procedure to select a project manager for the new public safety facilities;
- Reiterated that a town meeting is called for June 27,; and
- Heard Brittain announce that an applicant has accepted a town planner position, with that name to be disclosed after the individual is onboarded.
