Commission finds Safe Routes-to-School sidewalk upgrades near Samuel Bulls Park not detrimental

Designers told the Springfield Historical Commission that a Safe Routes-to-School sidewalk and pedestrian-safety project along East Street at Samuel Bulls Park is a direct response to a 2018 fatality and is aimed at improving student access to the adjacent elementary school.

Kate Maker, a designer with Pool Design LLC, said the work will reconstruct existing sidewalks, build new sidewalks, add curb extensions and pedestrian crossings along the school frontage between Windberry Street and Oborn Terrace, and tighten intersection geometry at the park entrance while retaining large trees and existing utility poles. "The goal is really to spend the money building safer routes for the kids out there," Maker said.

The design package includes painted crossings, a pavement-marking plan, a bus auto-turn analysis and vertical granite curb at the curb extensions. Maker said medians along parts of the street will be narrowed by about 4 feet per side (roughly 8 feet total) to accommodate a designated parking lane and to reduce haphazard parking during school pickup and drop-off.

Melissa Andred, an architectural historian with MassDOT conducting the cultural-resources review, told commissioners there are no presently inventoried or National Register–listed properties within the project area. Based on aerials and research, she said the neighborhood was platted in the early 20th century and some landscaping likely dates to the early–mid 20th century, but the record is unclear about how much original material survives.

Commissioners pressed the design team on why the project's limits exclude a large circular median; Maker said the limits were focused on sidewalk safety improvements for the school and the circular median was outside the current project scope. The design team said they had briefed the East Springfield Neighborhood Council and City staff as part of outreach.

After discussion of the design and historic-context findings, the commission opened a motion on whether the project would be detrimental to historic character. The majority voted to determine the project would not be detrimental, effectively clearing the proposed sidewalk and crossing work from an adverse-effect determination under the commission’s review.

The commission recorded no additional conditions beyond the usual requirement that any changes to the approved drawings be returned for review. The project team said they will provide final construction plans and the pavement-marking plan prior to construction.