Park Board wields power in DPW facility debate

Feb. 4, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – The decision to construct a new Department of Public Works (DWP) facility on a portion of Wolf Swamp Fields will come down to a vote by the Park Board in the near future.

Town Manager Stephen Crane told Reminder Publications the parcel is recreation space and would need unanimous approval from the Park Board in order for the project to move forward at the site.

However, the Park Board would not likely take a vote until the town presents information about the project related to the site, he noted.

He added once the town hires its owner’s project manager (OPM), it would work with the Park Board to identify target dates for discussions.

“We’re not ready to present yet,” Crane said. “I hope the Park Board would reserve judgment until they have a chance to hear a presentation from the town and Weston & Sampson and let us continue with our evaluation process because at the end of it Wolf Swamp may not be the recommendation.”

Previously, a Town Manager’s DPW Task Force vetted more than 100 town-owned properties and determined the top sites as a section of Wolf Swamp Fields and the privately owned Grande Meadows Athletic Club. The Select Board recently began interviews for its own DPW Task Force, which would also vet sites and come up with its own recommendations of potential locations for the project.

According to Article 97 section four of the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ land disposition policy, the site would also need two-thirds majority approval from residents during a Town Meeting vote and from the state legislature.

Crane said it is uncertain whether the Conservation Commission would also have to take a unanimous vote to allow the proposed new DPW facility to be built on the site. The town’s legal counsel is currently exploring this issue.

Under the town’s zoning bylaw, it could rezone the parcel from recreation to industrial, but Article 97 would still apply, he noted.

Park Board Vice Chair David Horowitz said the board would likely vote on the property in approximately a month or two.

He added the board would review all relevant information related to the site before making its decision.

Crane said he believes that resident concerns about field space issues are justified.

“That is a problem that will need to be addressed as part of this [project],” he explained. “I want to make sure that it’s clear that Wolf Swamp Fields is the best site if we can work out a solution for the lost field space. If we cannot work out a solution for that, it may change the evaluation of Wolf Swamp as a site.”

He added he plans to present information about potentially installing a synthetic turf field at Longmeadow High School to the Select Board’s DPW Task Force.

The Select Board previously endorsed the idea to install turf fields at the high school in September 2014. At that time, members of Friends of Longmeadow Sports stated they would raise funds for a turf field.

“If you look at all of our fields collectively as a system, doing the turf field really dramatically enhances the capacity of that system,” Crane said.

He stated he’s been told one synthetic turf field could replace one or more grass fields.

“Of course, we will look for materials options that are safe,” he noted.

Crane said a master list of the town’s field spaces would also be created as part of the project.

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