By Adam Swift
The city council tabled a vote on a $4.2-million loan order for a new baseball field at McMackin Field until councilors can get a more detailed presentation on the project.
Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio made the motion to table the vote following the public hearing on the loan order on Monday night. While Argenzio said he is supportive of the overall project, he said he wanted to hear from engineering firm Weston Sampson about the detailed plans for the park.
The total cost of the project is about $6.5 million, according to city finance director Richard Viscay. The council previously approved using about $2.3 million in other unused bond orders to get the project underway.
Viscay added that the $4.2 million bond order would cover the remaining cost of the project. He said the project has already been put out to bid and that the city has the set numbers to finish off the project.
“The DPW has put a lot of time and effort into this property and I would love to see this come to fruition,” said public works director Chris Ciaramella.
Argenzio asked about the plans for the project, and if they had ever been presented to the council.
Ciaramella noted that there were plans that some of the councillors had seen, but that there had been no full presentation to the council.
“The design was completed by Weston and Sampson, it was done in tandem with the DPW and Parks and Rec and we had input from some of the councilors,” said Ciaramella. “It is an (artificial) turf field, there is a small building on the site for a bathroom, and there is also a press box.”
In addition, the plans also call for three sets of bleachers with a total capacity of 90 people, a netting system to protect abutters, and a scoreboard, as well as 27 parking spots in front of the field.
In addition, Ciaramella said the project includes some improvements to Winthrop Avenue, including raised crosswalks. He said the project is scheduled to be completed by late summer or early fall of next year.
“I would have been more comfortable if we saw a set of plans for what the $4.2 million is going for,” said Argenzio.
Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna noted that $1 million for the project is coming in through Community Improvement Trust funds from the Link Logistics project.
“We are all excited about McMackin Field coming back to life,” said Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto. “It was little Fenway Park when I first came to the city.”
