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Planning board approves pickleball courts and ADA improvements at Pond Street Recreation Complex
Summary
After engineering and access questions, the board approved construction of new pickleball courts and ADA improvements at 33 Pond Street; the applicant requested stormwater waivers because lower basins contain non‑infiltrative fill and proposed water‑quality catch basins instead.
The Planning Board approved the site plan for new pickleball courts and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access improvements at the Pond Street Recreation Complex (33 Pond Street) after hearing technical explanations from the project team and questions about vehicle access.
Bill Buckley of Bay Colony Group summarized storm-water field testing and design changes: test pits showed high permeability in upper areas but deep boulder and stump fill in lower basins, which prevents practical infiltration there. "The infiltration system is gone...the waiver is to allow the volume we're talking about is 2,178 cubic feet," Buckley said, adding that the team will install a StormSceptor water‑quality inlet to remove solids before routing runoff to a detention basin.
Board members asked several operational questions, chiefly whether placing a handicap parking spot at the field edge would create congestion or safety issues for children and ambulances. One committee member suggested the area could be managed as a drop‑off zone rather than a permanent parking slot if it became problematic; the project team agreed that design elements (signage, limited parking, or a gate) could mitigate future issues.
After addressing access and storm‑water management details and confirming that the project meets the design review concerns raised by peer reviewers, the board closed the hearing and approved the site plan by voice vote.
