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Date: 5/10/2023
LONGMEADOW — Longmeadow residents came out to the spring Town Meeting to support recreation facilities for children.
Several residents took to the microphone to put their voices behind appropriating $555,000 for accessible playgrounds at the town’s three elementary schools, one of 12 capital projects on the warrant.
A separate article proposed Community Preservation Act funding to pay for the remaining $555,000 of the playground project.
Jennifer Arnold, whose daughter uses a wheelchair for mobility, said the wood chips under the playground equipment were dangerous for those with mobility issues. She said her daughter’s wheelchair had tipped over on the uneven surface in the past, resulting in injury and indignity. The rubber mats that were added to the playgrounds in 2022 were a Band-Aid, she said, calling them “simple paths to nowhere.”
Arnold said the playgrounds are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and added, “Accessibility is not a luxury.”
While more than half a dozen people lined up to support the project, no one spoke against it. The Finance Committee had originally voted not to recommend approval of the project, but Chair Nora MacKay said that the committee had received more information and revoted the issue minutes before the start of Town Meeting, agreeing to recommend the project’s approval.
Voters approved the capital funding with a vote of 243-33 and Community Preservation Act funding 252-24.
Article 18 also focused on recreation for children. It proposed $50,000 be appropriated for renovations at the Glenbrook Middle School baseball and softball fields.
Select Board member Mark Gold, speaking as a resident, said that with recent reseeding, the fields are in “acceptable condition for this season.” With the future of Glenbrook unsure, he said it did not make sense to put money into them at this time.
Select Board Chair Josh Levine, also speaking as a resident, described the condition of the fields as “rough” and said children “deserve to play on fields where they won’t get hurt and can be proud of.”
A resident said the fields were “not safe” and that only getting five years out of the fields would be worth it to the children who would be able to play on them. Another person said waiting to renovate the fields was “utter madness.”
Yet another resident said having other towns play on the Glenbrook fields was “embarrassing.”
School Committee member Jaime Hensch, speaking as a resident, said it seemed like a waste of money. He said, “There are 18 other fields in town,” and asked why Glenbrook’s were chosen. Community Preservation Committee Chair Steve Weiss said the committee evaluates the projects that are proposed each year and that this was the latest in a series of field renovations.
The field renovations were approved by a vote of 157-46.
All other articles passed without comment from voters, except Article 27, which would have changed the zoning of a parcel adjacent to the Maple Shopping Center from residential to business. No action was taken on this article.