Town awards West Stockbridge dog‑park construction to Clark and Sons; Stanton Foundation MOU remains

Michael Bolognino, chair of the West Stockbridge Dog Park Advisory Committee, told members on April 26 that the town has signed a document awarding the park construction contract to Clark and Sons, the lowest bidder at $232,000. He said 18 bids in total were received and the highest bid was $479,000; the award follows state law favoring the low qualified bidder.

The committee was told the Stanton Foundation will next provide a document that outlines the town’s commitments; once that memorandum of understanding is signed the project can proceed. Mr. Bolognino and Jana Sax reviewed the draft MOU language being developed and said the foundation requires an oversight committee and a policy on use by out‑of‑town visitors. The group noted the committee may have reporting responsibilities and could be required, in partnership with town staff including Marie Ryan, to report quarterly on project expenditures.

The committee discussed scheduling constraints: Clark and Sons and Berkshire Design Group will coordinate a start date, but a town parking‑lot repaving slated for May 27–June 8 will halt work for that interval. Members asked town officials to consider completing any required water‑line connection before the repaving to avoid further delay.

No vote on the award was recorded in the meeting minutes beyond the town’s signed award document. The committee did not set a groundbreaking date at the meeting; members said a likely window is June or July pending coordination among the contractor, the design team and the Stanton Foundation.