Chilmark Town Affairs Council (CTAC) / Chilmark Community Center (CCC)

Chilmark Town Affairs Council (CTAC)
PO Box 29 Chilmark, MA 02535
chilmarkcommunitycenter@gmail.com
Contact Person: Annie Treitman 508-808-8664 / anniet1205@gmail.com

Open Space-Parks & Recreation.
The Maintenance & Capital Improvement Committee of the Chilmark Town Affairs Council (CTAC) was formed to create and propose a master plan for improvements to the Chilmark Community Center (CCC) Grounds including the playground. While we are in the beginning stages of creating the master plan, there are two spaces - the basketball court and the tennis courts - that will not change location and are in need of upgrading and repair. We expect to apply for funds for a playground in 2024 as part of this plan. We believe that the improvements to the basketball court and the fencing around the hard tennis court fall under the Open Space-Parks & Recreation category which ...”allows for CPA funds to be used for the rehabilitation of existing, outdoor recreational facilities [...] and could include the replacement of playground equipment and other capital improvements to the land or the facilities thereon to make them more functional for their intended recreational use.”
Funding Scope: $122,191
We are asking for CPA funding for the basketball court and hard court tennis fencing and plan to use CTAC reserves from the Funding Our Future campaign to fund the additional fencing of the clay courts to the east of the hard courts. The clay court fencing, if completed at the same time as the hard court fencing, will have a similar cost of ~$90,000. Please see the attached quote for details of the proposed work.
Goals:
The goal of the Maintenance & Capital Improvement Committee is to update the grounds of the CCC by replacing or updating existing infrastructure to ensure that those who use and enjoy the space are able to do so in a safe and welcoming environment. The CCC grounds are central to community life in Chilmark. The facilities provide a public space for recreational activity for the community with a basketball
court, hard tennis courts that remain open all year, large field for baseball and soccer, a playground and picnic tables and benches. It is a large and readily accessible space, but through years of heavy year-round use, particularly during the Covid pandemic but continuing now, the facilities are in need of upgrade to improve safety, accessibility and best use of the space. We have already begun the upgrade process by resurfacing the hard tennis courts in September 2023, but much remains to be done.
Community Need and Support:
We have received feedback from members of the community about the general maintenance and infrastructure of the grounds at the Chilmark Community Center. The fencing on the tennis courts has holes and significant warping at the bottom of the fence. Tennis balls regularly roll off the tennis courts and onto the basketball court, the gate to the courts does not open and close properly and it is difficult to control weed growth on the courts with the condition of the fences. The replacement fencing would address these concerns. The basketball court and the tennis hard courts are used by Chilmark School children both during the school day for recess and PE and after school, by families in the community, by contractors and workers on their lunch breaks, and by visitors to Chilmark. Community members use the space for playing basketball, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading, and other activities that require the use of flat pavement. We believe this space is the only paved place accessible to the public in Chilmark that is not meant for cars and is thus a safe place for kids to participate in these activities. Many children who grow up in Chilmark learn to ride a bike on the court.
Timing Our goal is to complete both of these projects by the Spring of 2024.
Other Information
We are concerned about the current state of the basketball court and recognize the urgency of fixing a number of issues.
● The current steel basketball posts are dangerous and out of date. They abutt the courts rather than having a setback, and players regularly smash into them. The height of the nets is not adjustable. Despite this, the courts are used constantly for basketball play.
● The steep drop off between the basketball and tennis courts and the ground creates a hazard for those playing on the basketball courts or walking to the tennis courts. People roll their ankles when they are playing on the pavement and don’t notice the differential in the heights of the surfaces, and a number of injuries have been reported.
● The curling/warping of the fencing causes a lot of tennis balls to roll underneath and get lost in the woods or roll into the playground or basketball court.
● The CCC had a fundraiser last year to fund the resurfacing of the hard courts that was completed in September of 2023. The cost of resurfacing these courts was shared by CTAC and the Town of Chilmark, through the Town/CTAC joint maintenance account. The company that completed the project recommended that the fencing be replaced.
● The current gates don’t work and the fences are at least 20 years old.
Permits:
We understand that we need to apply for a building permit with the Town of Chilmark Building Inspector before removing and replacing the fence.
There should not be any permitting necessary for the basketball court since there is no building involved.