Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Town planner: Mada Madakeas sports-complex work to proceed with $200,000 MassDevelopment grant
Loading...
Summary
Planner Cathy Williams said the Mada Madakeas project will use a $200,000 MassDevelopment grant to hire two consultants for engineering due diligence and a market/financial analysis, with work expected to take 12'18 months and a final presentation to the Select Board possible in early May.
Town planner Cathy Williams updated the Planning Board on the Mada Madakeas sports-complex planning process, saying the project team is reviewing community input and will next meet March 19 to refine design concepts.
Williams told the board the town received a $200,000 MassDevelopment grant to hire two consultants: one to perform engineering due diligence (wetlands delineation, surveying and a traffic study) and a second to perform a full market analysis and financial feasibility study. She said that work could take roughly 12 to 18 months and that the financial analysis will be a major determinant of project scale; "We may find that the demand isn't quite what we thought it was... Maybe you don't need 4 fields," she said.
Williams said turnout at the March 11 community meeting was modest (roughly 20 remote and 15'120 in person) and that the team will wrap up concept selection and prepare a draft final report for the Select Board likely in early May. Board members asked whether the financial analysis will account for concurrent infrastructure projects (such as bridge construction) and Williams said the analysis will consider infrastructure timing as part of scenario planning.
The board did not take formal votes on the Mada Madakeas project at the March 18 meeting; staff will continue community outreach, finalize consultant scopes and return with an updated schedule and draft report.
