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Date: 4/23/2015
EAST LONGMEADOW – At its April 7 meeting, the Board of Selectmen approved the construction of an outside riding arena at the Brown Farm property. The Friends of the Brown Farm, who petitioned the board for the arena, hopes to bring 4-H programs to the area this summer.
Heather Cunningham, founder of the Friends of the Brown Farm, told Reminder Publications she has partnered with 4-H educator Thomas Waskiewicz of the University of Massachusetts Extension Center for Agriculture and Shannon O’Brien of Wilbraham.
“My goal from the very beginning was to bring 4-H to this area,” Cunningham added. “We’ve always been an agricultural community, so those roots, I’d like to keep that available for our community.”
The outdoor riding arena would measure 100 feet by 200 feet, she noted.
“When you have a riding arena, it’s a safe area for animals,” Cunningham said. “They’re not going to escape. So, you’d be inside that with students doing a clinic.”
She added, “the land is completely conducive for this,” and that she considers the roughly 253 acre property to be a gem of the local community.
“We want to do fitting and showmanship with the horses ... All they’re going to be doing is basically having a halter and lead rope and walking around a horse and they’re going to understand how to lead and show,” she added.
The 4-H group that Cunningham is responsible for is called “Free Riders,” she noted.
A proposal was submitted to the town two years ago by the Friends of the Brown Farm, which consists of various phases for usage on the property, Cunningham said.
“That proposal is broken down into phases by the [Department of Public Works (DPW)],” she added. “Phase one was the community gardens and phase two will be moving forward to the building. So, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
The board also approved the use of the DPW to put the outside riding arena in place, she noted.
Board of Selectmen Chair Paul Federici said other than community gardens and the proposed 4-H programs, “not much is being done” on the property, which was purchased by the town for open space in 2009 for more than $1 million.
“The area where the gardens, that basic area, is the only area that’s feasible for potential fields,” he added. “There’s wetlands and too much in there, so that’s mainly going to be a nature area where you can hike.”
Federici said he would be in favor of the program expanding to host a couple hundred children on the property during summer days in the future.
“I think it’s a great idea because you get the school kids involved,” he added. “You’ve got Mountain View [Elementary School] literally across the street and even if you bring kids from other schools and other areas, it’s going to be something neat that the town has to help kids learn and be a resource.”
Currently, the town owns the property and programs, including the community gardens, are run by the Friends of the Brown Farm, he noted. The Recreation Department has yet to be involved with any programs at the site.
“If this gets to a point where [the Recreation Department] can offer programs that can use the property, that would be great too,” he added. “I don’t know if they would have to get involved unless they came up with some programs. If it’s being run by these private individuals and they’re being run well, that’s fine now.”
Cunningham said the community gardens continue to thrive and there “are a few spots left” for anyone who is interested in gardening. There are about 40 plots on the property.
“Our projection is to be gardening in the first week of May, weather conducive” she noted.
Those interested in the community gardens can contact Cunningham at newhouse44@charter.net.