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Date: 9/15/2022
WESTFIELD – Roughly a dozen residents met Community Development Director Peter Miller and new Community Development Block Grant Coordinator Michaela Grady at the Hampton Ponds playground to share their thoughts on a planned upgrade. Among those who turned out were Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski, at-large Councilor Kristen Mello, Planning Board member Cheryl Crowe and School Committee member Kathleen Hillman, all North Side residents.
Miller said the planned expenditure of $95,000 won’t go as far as it once did, and the city is interested to hear what is on the residents’ wish lists for the park. He said if more funding was needed, another potential source could be Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.
Miller said his thought is to spend the funds on new playscape equipment that would have accessible ramps, although not be entirely accessible like the one on Cross Street, which was more costly.
“We’re looking to make it serviceable for the families that live here,” he said.
Miller said having two playscapes, one for toddlers and one for older children, has worked well in other locations. In his opinion, the first priority would be to revamp the playground area, and the second to repave the adjacent basketball court, which does get neighborhood use.
The tennis courts at the park are in good shape, having been ungraded two years ago. There is also an active Little League baseball field in the park.
Resident Patrick Lalli, who came to the meeting with his 2-year-old daughter Isla Lalli, said his main concern is the amount of broken glass that is everywhere in the park.
Miller said maintenance is always the biggest issue. He said as part of the project the city would clean up and level the ground as much as possible, putting in new wood chips as a cushion, with borders to hold the wood chips.
He said the city would also be looking to make this as much of a community project as possible, giving the example of Whitney Park, where 15 community volunteers from the Spanish American Association worked with a solo contractor, saving the project $30,000 in labor costs. That park and build was dedicated to Jose Torres, a Westfield police officer who died in the line of duty.
“We could make the project go farther by doing a community build,” Miller said.
Several residents, including Crowe, said they thought they could get the community involved.
Residents also listed several other needs for the park, including trash receptacles, more light poles, benches, a portable toilet and the possible installation of a pavilion where there had formerly been one. One resident said the Parks and Recreation Department stopped hosting activities in the park when it lost the pavilion.
Miller said the current grant is not enough to build a pavilion. He said there are possibly benches available from another location that could be repurposed.
“If $95,000 isn’t enough, we can make an application for additional funding to the Community Preservation Commission,” he said.
Crowe asked whether CPA funds could be used for the basketball court. Miller said they could.
The group also discussed the existing equipment, which includes a swing set, slide, a carousel, a broken seesaw, and an umbrella-shaped climber. Miller said they would keep the swings, and several residents said area kids use the carousel a lot.
“We need to find a way to maximize what we can put in a small area,” Miller said, directing the residents to a catalog of playground equipment.
He said colors of the equipment will also need to be considered. He asked anyone interested in being involved to sign up, or to email him at p.miller@cityofwestfield.org.
Miller said the Hampton Ponds playground is the last one in the city to be refurbished, after the work that has been done at Whitney, Cross Street, the Municipal Playground, Chapman Street and Paper Mill.
It is on Article 97 protected recreational land, which may not be used for any other purpose.