Great Barrington Parks Commission Approves Full Spring Field and Park Use Slate

LENOX — April 6, 2026 — Great Barrington's Parks and Recreation Commission approved a full slate of spring and summer field and park use requests at its April 6 meeting and introduced a mandatory field maintenance protocol for all user groups. Chair Karen unveiled a written usage requirements document — developed with DPW Superintendent Steve Larkin — requiring pre-season, mid-season, and post-season meetings, post-game clay raking, debris patrol after every use, and DPW-supervised training for any volunteer who wants to operate town mowing equipment, with a minimum age of 21. The commission unanimously approved field use for GB Little League (143 players, 12 teams), Great Barrington Girls' Softball (extended through June 30), outdoor yoga at Lake Mansfield, Party in the Park at the commons on June 13 with up to 1,200 attendees expected, Rural Recovery's 10th-anniversary Smash Stigma event, and the Berkshire Environmental Action Team's Old Maids Park MVP grant engagement event. A Greenfield adult softball pickup request was tabled for lack of information. In citizen comment, a member cited the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center's IRS Form 990 — showing $5.5 million in annual revenue, $12 million in assets, and more than $300,000 in gala income — and demanded a facility fee; the chair placed the item on the next meeting's agenda.