NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Figment North Adams returns this Saturday, April 29 from 3 to 9:30 p.m. at Windsor Lake. 

 

Organizer Krystal Henriquez updated the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission  on Tuesday about the plans for the art-focused community that will include a children's climate quilt project, stone embellishing, fabric art, dancing, music and a magician.

 

"We have 38 projects and submissions," she said. "It was 45 last year but a lot of them ended up dropping out and some people didn't show up and this is our number that's absolutely coming ... we're looking pretty good to have a similar outcome of last year."

 

Last year's first Figment event brought hundreds of people to participate in games and art projects, and to stay for the "after dark" portion of music and dancing. The worldwide initiative promotes free interactive arts-focused activities for all ages to bring communities together. 

 

"We're encouraging people to do more of bringing picnics while enjoying the lake itself and live music as well because we saw that the people who had the most fun were the people who were prepared for a full day at the lake," she said. 

 

Desperados will also be there for food and the volleyball court and disc course will be open.  

 

After this year, Figment will switch to a two-year schedule to line up with Solid Sound Festival and it will also be lined up with the arts management class at Massachusetts College of Liberal Art. The class has been heavily involved in planning the event, which Henriquez spearheaded in her senior year after an internship with Figment Boston.

 

"We're going biennial now because it's a small town and the resources are few," she said, adding she had gotten a Figment promotion and was handing over the reins. "We feel it might draining to do it every year ... I think will gain like excitement, more immediacy."

 

The panel also agreed to discuss limitations on having dogs in the park after a number of violations of dogs running loose and being in areas where they're prohibited.

 

"Environmentally it's not good either," Bullett said. "We're a bird sanctuary and wildlife sanctuary. Having dogs up there is not OK anymore. ... We wanted to support the dog-friendly community but I'm willing to say no."

 

The commission had voted to allow leashed dogs on the trails last year. 

 

Commissioner David Racette expected the violations to drop off as the season opens but suggested that a specific area be set aside for dogs. 

 

"I think we really need to pursue that with the dog people who came already," he said. "Maybe a section of the trail ... a one mile area so we can offer them something." 

 

Chairman Arlen Cellana said the easiest thing is to ban dogs but it would put pressure on the city's resources to have to respond all the time. Or the commission could ban dogs on certain days or hours, as is done on Cape Cod.

 

"I think it's an unhealthy situation for a lot of reasons," Bullett said. "Someday a dog will be loose and it will be messy ... I think it's important to try to come up with a plan."

 

Cellana said he would look into best management practices by other parks for some options. 

 

In other business:

 

• The commission was updated on the MCLA environmental studies brochure. The students are putting together a trifold of prevalent invasive species found in the area and some information on how to prevent their spread. 

 

Cellana said it needs a mission statement or description of the commission's purpose and an image of the park. Cellan said he would pull a statement together for commissioners' review and Commissioner Nancy Bullett offered an aerial image she took of the park.

 

• The commission put off a discussion on policy updated for Historic Valley Park Campground until next month, feeling that no changes would go into effect until next season. 

 

• Cellana said Mayor Richard Alcombright was committed to getting funds appropriated for a five-year management plan for the park. It would set out priorities and be a guide for applying for grants for forest and wildlife management and the trail system. 

 

• The park is preparing for the 16th annual Jocelyn E. LeClair Memorial Scholarship Race to be run on May 7. The scholarship fundraising event in honor of the late Drury High student had been run at Clarksburg State Park. The Berkshire Family YMCA has taken over organizing the event and moved it to the lake.

 

Commissioners are hoping the race will help spark more activities and events at the recreational area.