NORTH ADAMS -- Chuck Felix was busy writing his ideas about recreational activities and improvements on yellow Post-It notes and tacking them to posters provided as part of the North Adams Vision 2030 Parks and Recreation community forum Thursday night.
"I want to see canoe and kayak races up at Windsor Lake," he said. "I've found pictures from the 1920s of boat races that were held up there. I think the big empty lot on Brown Street would be a great place for a music shed that could be used by Mass MoCA and the community.
"That area used to be part of the old fairgrounds. Both the bike path and the Hoosic River Revival Coalition are planning to pass through there. I think it would be great to put some easy walking trails and picnic benches along the river."
Felix, who volunteers at the city's tourist information booth during the summer and is also a coordinator of the Adams Agricultural Fair, said he participates in the master planning sessions because he believes community involvement is important.
"I'm involved and visit other communities. I see what's working in those communities and bring that information back here to share," he said.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Senior Planner Amy Kacala, who has been working with the city on its master plan, said the focus of the evening was to generate ideas, from what residents feel is missing from a park to what type of recreational amenities they want to see in
"We've also been working on a skate park and have Mass In Motion and the Hoosic River Revival Coalition here as well," she said. "Each of those items or groups are part of our overall goals, so we've been collaborating together."
Within the first hour of the session, about 30 individuals had filtered through the doors of 49 Main St. and begun tacking up ideas.
"We've seen a few new faces tonight," Kacala said.
Among the ideas being shared was the need for a designated dog park, while others wanted better parking at trail heads or volleyball courts in neighborhood parks. One suggestion provided on the posters that was garnering a lot of attention and marks in favor, was the idea of creating an annual "Mayor's Fitness Challenge."
"There are some really great ideas here, but one priority that really caught my eye was the goal of promoting year-round healthy living," he said. "It's a low-cost, high-impact concept that can be fun and implemented fairly easily without a lot of infrastructure or cost."
The ideas generated at Thursday's forum will be incorporated into the city's master plan, which is entering its final phase of information gathering sessions. Summaries of planning workshops and more information about North Adams Vision 2030 can be found on the city's website at www.northadams-ma.gov.
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