ATHOL – Representatives of BSC Group, the Boston-based consulting firm developing plans for the greening of Lord Pond Plaza, recently brought Athol’s Selectboard up to speed on that effort.

An assessment of the plaza was undertaken in 2020 under the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which was designed to help cities and towns adapt to problems arising from the changing climate, particularly global warming.

“This assessment looked at identifying opportunities to incorporate nature-based solutions and green infrastructure into the Lord Pond Plaza,” BSC Director of Planning Heather Gould told the board. “Some of these solutions included stream daylighting, shade trees, green space for stormwater or flooding mitigation.”

Lord Pond Plaza consists of acres of impervious blacktop, which in addition to limiting use of the plaza and being aesthetically unpleasing, creates a major heat island in the middle of downtown Athol during periods of high temperatures.

“What we’re working on is a two-year action grant,” Gould continued. “We’re in year two of the grant itself. We have gone through site design and engineering for 30 percent design, and we are coming up to 70 percent design. Within the next six months, by the end of June, we’ll have 100 percent design; we’ll have conducted more public engagement and education and will have done some of the environmental permitting that will be necessary to make the project move forward.”

A new proposal

Gould said some of the issues raised at public meetings for the plaza held last year dealt with transportation-related concerns, green infrastructure versus gray infrastructure (utilizing a concrete stormwater system as opposed to use of the environment to mitigate runoff) and the project’s impact on town resources, such as cost of maintenance.

“In general, the public really voiced a desire for open space and public gathering areas in the downtown – how can you connect Lord Pond Plaza to Main Street – and looking at different design techniques for that,” said Gould.

Landscape architect Casey-Lee Bastien presented the latest design proposal, which included plans to handle traffic and parking to accommodate both community and commercial activity, while also providing a route for so-called “pass-through” traffic.

“We find, particularly at different times of day and for different activities, the trucking and pass-through activity needs to get down to South Street and over the School Street for the Route 2 connection,” Bastien said. “So we’ll have one entrance that allows for easier pass-through and another that leads into parking.”

Green space in the plaza

The plan also calls for the creation of a large amount of green space. That will consist of open space with a gathering area at the center surrounded by landscaping on either side of Mill Brook, which will be opened up for public enjoyment. The stream is covered by asphalt as it runs from one end of the plaza to the other.

“A stream, once daylighted, no longer needs to be maintained or replaced the same way a culvert and pipe does,” said Lee. “This about nature-based solutions; it’s figuring out how much less we can do for work and how much more ecology and nature can be in the downtown with us – serving us, processing the water, slowing things down to cut down on flooding, creating more space for flood storage.

“There will be cooling so that this pavement isn’t heating up, particularly when we have right in the downtown a whole lot of hardscaped roofs, walls. This will help to give it a little bit better feel, but also an aesthetic of something modern.”

Additional green/gathering space is also proposed for a portion of the plaza that sits behind the building that houses Ocean State Job Lot, the Senior Center, and the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce.

Lee said the creation of green space will eliminate the need to truck snow off-site in the winter. Instead, snow can be piled onto green areas that will act as a filter for salts and other pollutants as the snow melts and migrates through the soil to Mill Brook.

Once the project reaches 100 percent design, Lee said that cost estimates for proceeding with the greening of Lord Pond Plaza will be provided to the town. He added that BSC and Athol Planning and Development Director Eric Smith have been looking at potential funding sources since the planning process started.

“Frankly, since we started the process, the funding sources…keep expanding,” Lee said. “So you showed up at just the right time.”

Gould said the next step is the filing of a Notice of Intent with the town’s Conservation Commission. She said it should be filed in time for the ConCom’s meeting on Jan. 24. Public education and engagement, she said, will continue this spring, with 100 percent design ready for presentation in May of this year.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.

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