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A proposed recreational site on the west side of Holbrook continues to move forward. In 2017, Chief Fiscal Officer for the City of Holbrook, Randall Sullivan, proposed that the city use some vacant property located at the west end of Buffalo Street for a community recreational site. After securing the property through a donation from a local family, the Newman’s, Kathleen Smith, who was Events Coordinator for the City of Holbrook at the time, began applying for grants to make the idea a reality.
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Through their efforts to secure funding, they linked up with a professional services company called Stantec Engineering that offered their services pro bono and recently reported that the next phase of development is in the works.
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Stantec is a company of over 22,000 employees who reside in over six continents and provides consulting and design services. During a recent interview with Stantec Project Manager Mark LaRue he provided an overview of how the relationship came to be between the City of Holbrook and Stantec.
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In 2017, the City of Holbrook submitted an application to Community Engineering Core, which according to LaRue, is an extension of Engineers Without Borders, which consists of non-governmental organizations internationally who use the term to indicate that their contributions to the communities are done through engineering projects that would otherwise not be affordable.
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LaRue went on to explain that once the relationship was established, city leaders and Stantec engineers were able to begin brainstorming. Already having overcome what seemed to be one of the largest hurdles by securing the property, they now had a vision of what could be done with the project. Incorporating things such as a pond, pathways and a community amphitheater as just some of the possibilities. As Ryan Lamont Public Relations Manager for Stantec put it, they had an image of something that “will be a center of pride in the community.”
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LaRue also explained that the pond is the focal point of the project because of the variety of possibilities it could offer, from fishing lessons to boating areas. Stantec has hydrology experts, environmental experts and design teams who are coordinating diagnostics that will be necessary to determine if the pond will be sustainable in the area. LaRue also said there is a possibility Holbrook could receive additional help with readings and hard infrastructure from an instruction program provided through the national guard but did not have specifics as they are still in the discussion phase.
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With the design being complete and soil testing to take place in the next two months, LaRue was optimistic about breaking ground on the project early next year pending testing and the city’s retrieval of all the necessary components, such as grants to complete the construction.
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Sullivan later confirmed that while they are waiting on testing, he has not sought out any other grants considering the time restrictions most have. Sullivan explained that the engineers from Stantec who are volunteering their time to this project all work remotely from different sides of the United States and Canada so their ability to coordinate presents a bit more of a challenge for this project.
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“It’s a timing thing. They’re doing it all free, on their own time from all over. We just have to be patient.” Further explaining that they could end up losing grants if they jump the gun on getting them before they are ready to use. Offering that if testing comes back good and he can get the necessary approvals, he can’t imagine why they would break not ground on a parking lot.
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In a separate interview, City Manager Ted Soltis was able to provide his thoughts on the project. Soltis explained that it is important to stay motivated about the possibilities of growing Holbrook’s recreational options and improving towns appearance. Adding also, that part of the process requires that the city evaluate and maintain the city’s current assets such as the golf course and city parks. While not too much information was available Soltis said that they do have a $42,165 grant for the project so far.
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Soltis was reluctant to offer much on the expected outcome because they are still in very preliminary phases.
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Pending the bore testing, which will determine whether the ground is suitable for the construction of such a project, Soltis said that Stantec has confirmed they will be doing the bore testing in the next four weeks, adding, “The good news is, the grant’s been written, they’ve come up with preliminary designs and we’re waiting for bore samples.”
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