WILMINGTON, MA — At Monday’s meeting, Town Engineer Paul Alunni provided the Board of Selectmen with a brief update on the construction of the Yentile Farm Recreational Facility.
Alunni, who is serving as Project Manager, noted a great deal of progress has been made at the site since the board’s last update two months ago. Alunni pointed out, for example, that the turf field has been installed, 95% of the walkways are complete, the concession stand is being built, and the 90% of the maintenance shed is finished.
“The project is coming out beautifully. And it’s on schedule and under budget,” noted Alunni. “We’re in the final stages of the project… putting the finishing touches on.”
The Yentile Farm Development Committee has already begun planning for the park’s grand opening ceremony in the spring of 2017.
Per Alunni’s request, the Selectmen unanimously renewed the earth removal permit associated with the project. After stabilizing the site, Alunni anticipates only having a couple hundred cubic yards of dirt left over. That dirt will be stored by the town to use by the town for future projects.
About The Yentile Farm Recreational Facility
The Yentile Farm Recreational Facility project has been almost four years’ in the making. A steering committee of volunteers and staff have led the development of the project over the course of 27 meetings, three public workshops, and multiple presentations to the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting. The resulting 9-acre park will be a destination for all ages and interests. It includes a multi-purpose artificial turf field and combined basketball/street hockey courts. It has walking paths, an event green for open recreation and large community activities, and game tables for passive recreational use. In the heart of the site is a signature playground for multiple ages, restrooms and concessions, and a picnic pavilion that provides shade while enjoying a meal or snack. The site includes 109 parking spaces to accommodate visitors throughout the season.
Green Acres Landscape and Construction Company, from Lakeville Massachusetts, has been hired to build the 9-acre park. Eleven companies bid on the construction in total. Green Acres bid price, $3,903,950, combined with the construction contingency and soft costs for construction administration, brings the project in at the approved budget of $4.8M. The majority of the construction is expected to be complete in November 2016. Some finish landscaping work may need to occur in Spring 2017 depending on weather.
The project has been designed by Green International in collaboration with Stantec. Green International utilized the concept developed by their predecessor to design a project that met the town’s goals and funding constraints. They worked on addressing wetlands constraints, and developed design efficiencies such as the rain garden for stormwater treatment, and onsite traffic flow to support the varied uses of the site. The resulting project has been fully permitted and is ready to proceed on schedule.
The Yentile Farm Development Committee has been chaired by Selectmen Judy O’Connell and vice chaired by Kevin Caira. The Committee includes Town Manager Jeffrey Hull, volunteers Daniel Bamberg, Michael Gracia, Edward Loud, Edward Riekstins, Joseph Kealos, and staff including Board of Heath Director Shelly Newhouse, Recreation Director Debbie Cipriani, DPW Operations Manager Jamie Magaldi, and Planning & Conservation Director Valerie Gingrich. Assisting the Committee have been Assistant Town Manager Kendra Amaral and Town Engineer Paul Alunni. The Committee has been intimately involved in the development of the project. Their work has included gathering public input throughout the process and determining the components of the park, layout of the features, aesthetics of the landscape, and design of the structures. Their dedication led to a project design that garnered overwhelming support for construction funding at the Annual Town Meeting on May 2, 2015.
9 Cross Street was purchased by the Town in 2012. Zoned for an Over 55 development, the developer never constructed the project and the property was foreclosed upon by the lender. All that remained of the envisioned development was a foundation, piles of earth and rock, and some drainage materials. The town was able to purchase the property from the bank for $1,182,500.
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