Published in the August 2, 2018 edition
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Tonight’s Conservation Commission agenda includes a continued discussion of a possible new cross country trail behind the Shaun F. Beasley Track and Field at Wakefield Memorial High School.
“We are hoping to build a new cross country trail in the woods behind the Shaun Beasley Track & Field,” Brendan Kent, K-12 Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness for Wakefield Public Schools confirmed this week.
The current WMHS cross country course runs up Hemlock Road, loops behind the Northeast Metro Tech High School, back down Hemlock Road, and finishes with laps around Beasley Track and the Woodville School.
“We have run into some problems with this set up in the past,” Kent noted. “The Vocational School has gates to their parking lot, and sometimes the gates have been closed. Also, there are some obvious safety concerns with the kids running up and down Hemlock Road and through the Northeast Voke parking lot. I get nervous every time I see a car driving by or through the parking lot.”
SKETCH BY the Town Engineering Department of a proposed new cross country trail through the wooded area behind Wakefield Memorial High School. Proposed route is shown in light green. The dark thin line represents an alternative route suggested by Conservation Agent Elaine Vreeland.
Kent also pointed to the fact that Northeast Metro Tech is planning on rebuilding their school in the near future.
“Once the construction begins, we will not be able to run up there any more since the area will be blocked off,” Kent said. “So the timing is right to start designing a new course.”
Kent said that WMHS Cross Country Coaches Perry Pappas and Karen Barrett came up with the idea of creating a running trail through the woods behind the track.
“It would serve as part of our newly designed cross country course,” he said. “Once completed, Coaches Barrett and Pappas would like to name the trail in memory of Kelly Ledoux-Walsh, a Wakefield High School Cross-Country & Track alumni who tragically passed away a year ago.”
The Conservation Commission first heard about the proposal at its July 19 meeting, at which time some commissioners expressed reservations about the need to cross a wetland, which would require some sort of boardwalk. At that meeting, the ConCom asked proponents to look at alternative routes for the trail and commissioners offered several suggestions of their own. ConCom members visited the proposed site on July 26.
—–
Tonight’s Conservation Commission agenda also includes a continued hearing on a Notice of Intent to construct an apartment building with associated parking, grading and landscaping within 100 feet of a wetland at 598 North Ave.
