Cumberland officials award contract for Diamond Hill

Town will fund improvements to park music pavilion and pond area

C8MB(RLA1D – The town will award a contract to a Lincoln-based engineering firm to develop a repair and maintenance plan for the pond and music pavilion at Diamond Hill 3ark.

At meeting last week, the council authorized Mayor Jeffrey Mutter to award a 39,040 contract to 3are Corporation, the lowest of three firms bids submitted for the job, including CDR Maguire, 54,280 and B(TA roup, 64,965.

The money for the project will be advanced by the town’s general fund and then reimbursed via a 300,000 Rhode Island Department of (nvironmental Management D(M legislative grant.

“This contract handles the engineering and some of the soft costs and permitting that gets us to a place where we might make that pond a little more aesthetically pleasing and a little more appropriate for what we would like to see that park be, Mutter told the council.

The town is proposing to revitalize Diamond Hill 3ark through a multi-phased approach that includes maintenance of the pond music pavilion, enhancements to the ski lodge, installation of bathrooms, creation of a multi-use green space, updates to the trail system, improvements to traffic flow and parking as well as other project that will improve the function and aesthetics of the park. The 375-acre Diamond Hill 3ark on Diamond Hill Road is a multi-use facility that includes athletic fields, picnic spots and hiking trails.

The first phase of the project is to address the pond and music pavilion, which have fallen into disrepair and have become an eyesore within the park. The goal of that phase is to improve the water quality of the pond by removing existing debris and sediment repair the flow control structures and surrounding bank remove and replace the pedestrian bridges and improve the aesthetics of the pavilion.

According to town officials, a long-term maintenance program will also be developed to sustain the improvements so that the area does not fall into disrepair again.

In December, the town applied for a 400,000 grant from the Rhode Island Department of nvironmental Management for renovations to the Diamond Hill Park ski lodge, which is located at the park’s entrance. Renovating the nearly 60-year-old old cinder block recreation hall - which has fallen into disrepair over the years - is a priority in Mutter’s developing master plan for the park.

The RID M Recreational Grant requires a 20 percent match from the town, which is seeking the maximum amount of 400,000. If the town is awarded the grant, the renovation work would include ADA-compliant entrance ways and restrooms remodeling of community rooms and a new community space for summer camps, public gatherings, , weddings, farmers markets, and expanded recreational, health and wellness classes. The project would also include a wraparound ‘sunrise porch’ facing Diamond Hill for additional capacity during outdoor recreational events.

A major goal of the project is to consolidate and centralize the town’s summer camps at the park to accommodate approximately 250 students.

The ultimate objective, town officials say, is to have the renovated ski lodge serve as a park-wide hub for connectivity to the park’s athletic fields, trails, cultural events and public concerts.

Last year, state Rep. Alex D. Marszalkowski (D-Dist. 52, Cumberland and Sen. Ryan W. Pearson (D-Dist. 19, Cumberland, Lincoln announced that 300,000 was included in the FY 2020 state budget for continuing improvements of Diamond Hill Park . The two lawmakers were in attendance to hear the public’s input regarding the project at a meeting held last October at the ski lodge. Hosted by Mutter, the meeting was a planned opportunity for a community conversation on seeking input from residents about their vision to improve the park. The revitalization of the park has been a priority of Mutter’s since assuming office in January. The town acquired the park from the state in 1997.

The most recent town master plan approved a couple of years ago for the park focuses on ways to improve the usability of the band shell as well as other parts of the park. The document was drafted by the Cumberland-based Gifford Design Group, which studied the park for about a year.

While the updated master plan re-establishes many of the same recommendations cited in the original plan drafted in 1998, the new document focuses on two priority initiatives improving the music pavilion by building handicapped access and filling the pond in front to eliminate safety hazards, and renovating the parking lot.