ATHOL – Generations of families and visitors have enjoyed Silver Lake Park, and now the Town of Athol is teaming up with the Conway School to create a master plan for its revitalization.
A public meeting to share visions and insights about the park and how it can better serve the community will be held Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at Liberty Hall in the Athol Town Hall, 584 Main St. Food and refreshments will be served and all ages are welcome.
A kick-off meeting was held last week with stakeholders and two graduate students from the school’s Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design program, Robbe Verhofste and Bo Carpen, to discuss ideas and offer input to set the project in motion.
Eric Smith, Director of Planning and Development, wrote the proposal with the support of the Town Manager and others to bring the Conway School out to do the Silver Lake Park Master Plan Project. The $7,200 project was approved by voters at a town meeting last October. Joining the students were: Smith; Douglas Walsh, Department of Public Works Superintendent; Brian Hall of the Athol Conservation Commission and Conservation Land Agent; David Small of the Conservation Commission and the Board of Planning and Community Development; Deborah Vondal, Athol Health Agent; Travis Knetchel, Athol Tree Warden and Cemetery, Park and Tree foreman; Jeff Thiem, DPW; Shaun Suhoski, Athol Town Manager; and David Gaspar of Athol, a member of the Athol Lions Club who initiated the project by researching and gathering information and consulting with town officials and residents.
Areas of concern were discussed, including the beach water quality and erosion, weeds in the sand in the swimming area, whether the Canada geese present an e.coli problem, and a focus on security and safety. Ideas put forth were the addition of trees to help with erosion, solar lights, benches, exercise equipment, a splash park with apparatus appropriate for children with disabilities, replacing the Lake Street “Plastic Playground” with one at the lake, paddle boats, an ice rink and an amphitheater. It was mentioned that at one time there was a bathhouse, and the addition of bathrooms at the beach and near the playing fields was suggested as was a rebuilt backstop, and to make the upper Lincoln Street park area more playable for children.
“Part of it is to get a master plan of which activities to integrate,” said Small. “A fairly extensive amount of people walk around and like to incorporate other activities.” Gaspar said that he would like to see it designed as a multi-use park.
Traffic and parking concerns were also addressed, including the possibility of widening the entrance. “We see people park and walk and there’s no separation,” Knetchel said. “It’s wasted space between the wall and the pavilion. People park wherever, however.” Verhofste asked if there was a goal for the number of vehicles allowed. Knetchel replied that it’s “not uncommon to go down and have 15 vehicles on any given day, depending on the activity.” The park in recent years has hosted such events as the annual Senior Picnic under the pavilion, sports practices and games on the upper fields, and the Athol Lions Club car show and Haunted Hayrides, which circle the entire lake. Knetchel also suggested eliminating parking on the beach. “There’s nothing to stop people from driving along the beach.”
The addition of walking paths was also explored. Walsh said the abutting Silver Lake Cemetery should be differentiated from walking paths so it doesn’t spill out. Small questioned if there is a logical way to separate the cars from the walkers and people trying to have a picnic. Vondal said that it is a .6 mile walk around the lake and asked if people should still be allowed to drive ¾ of the way around it.
Carpen noted that there is limited seating around the fields and referred to the former cement skateboarding pad as an asset in that skate parks create independent skills for the kids using them. Gaspar said there are a lot of good arguments for skate parks.
Hall listed the existing uses of Silver Lake Park, including dog walking, softball leagues, fishing and swimming, noting that there are also challenges with drug dealing and security.
According to Verhofste, the lake’s depth is higher than average and he said there is a long term concern with the water level and how much fluctuation there will be as storms get more severe.
Walsh said the DPW has a very limited staff and budget and the revitalization would need to be made as low maintenance as possible. It was suggested to reach out to local teen groups to get them involved with park projects.
The Conway School students will review and create alternative designs for the May 9 meeting, where they will hold an interactive design discussion to share initial site assessments and analyses and collect public feedback. A second community meeting is scheduled for May 30. Verhofste finds the park “fascinating,” and Carpen said, “It’s really unique as a kettle pond in an urban area.” Vondal commented on the park’s easy accessibility for seniors and families.
“It’s walkable to most neighborhoods,” Small said. “It should be the gem of the town.”