THE LOWER COMMON is the type of recreational area that the Open Space and Recreation Plan seeks to preserve and enhance. The Town Council recently reviewed a draft plan presented by the Recreation and Open Space Committee.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — A draft of the updated Wakefield Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) received a mixed reception when it was presented to the Town Council this week.
Judy Green, chair of the Recreation and Open Space Committee, presented the plan to the Town Council using a series of PowerPoint slides. She said that she was seeking a letter of support from the Town Council to forward to the state Division of Conservation Services, which reviews municipal open space and recreation plans to ensure that they conform to the OSRP requirements. She noted that the state has sent the town a letter of conditional approval for the updated Wakefield OSRP.
The committee that created the updated OSRP included representation from the Conservation Commission, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Environmental Sustainability Committee, the Recreation Committee, the Economic Development Director, the Town Engineer, the Senior Center Director, the Recreation Director and the public. Consultants from the Horsley Witten Group assisted in the creation of Wakefield’s updated OSRP.
Green explained that Wakefield’s first OSRP was approved in 1987. It was updated in 2000 and again in 2005. The five-year action plan goals from the 2005 OSRP were updated in 2012.
Green said that the OSRP provides a comprehensive, detailed view of the town’s open space and recreational resources. It builds on other municipal plans and initiatives focused on protecting, enhancing, and maintaining natural resources, open spaces, and recreation areas in Wakefield.
The OSRP is a tool that can be used by local decision makers to understand the condition of Wakefield’s resources, Green said, where improvements are needed, the direction the community wants to head in, and how they anticipate getting there.
A state-approved, up-to-date OSRP, she added, makes a municipality eligible to apply for state and federal land and recreation grants.
Green listed four goals for the updated OSRP.
1. Promote awareness and stewardship of Wakefield’s open spaces, parks and recreational facilities.
2. Improve accessibility, inclusiveness and equity of recreation and open space resources to residents of all ages and abilities.
3. Improve coordination among municipal departments, committees and local organizations as well as with regional partners to work towards common goals for open space, recreation, sustainability and resilience.
4. Protect, enhance and maintain Wakefield’s natural resources, open spaces and recreation facilities.
To gather community feedback, four virtual OSRP committee meetings were held as well as two public forums and a community survey. The feedback gathered indicated interest in the following:
• Maintaining and improving current open space and recreational parcels.
• Acquiring new parcels to expand both passive and recreational opportunities, as well as to protect natural resources.
• Identifying new opportunities to create connections between open spaces, recreational facilities and destination areas in Wakefield.
• Fostering social cohesion through the promotion of public spaces.
• Evaluating and pursuing actions that support climate resiliency goals.
• Promoting environmental equity and justice.
Other recurring themes related to the OSRP included:
• Increase public awareness of the OSRP.
• Development of trail networks and stewards.
• Permanent protection of the Town Forest.
• Evaluation of tax title properties.
• Expand recreational opportunities to encompass a broad range
of abilities and ages.
• Enhance communication amongst Town boards with an interest in open space and recreation.
• Participate in local and regional planning efforts relative to open space and water management issues.
At the conclusion of Green’s presentation, members of the Town Council had a number of observations.
Councilor John Carney noted that the town’s playgrounds seem to be under-utilized compared to past years when there were more organized activities.
Town Councilor Edward Dombroski observed that it seemed “unusual” that the Open Space and Recreation Committee was appointed by the Conservation Commission rather than the Town Council.
Dombroski also asked about the goal of “promoting environmental equity and justice.” He asked Green what that meant in practical terms.
Green said that it meant providing recreational opportunities for all people in all areas of town.
Dombroski responded that it sounded like a “buzzword.”
Dombroski also observed that the OSRP refers to Wakefield’s Town Council as the “Select Board” and the Town Administrator as “Town manager,” suggesting that much of the document was copied and pasted from a template.
Councilor Jonathan Chines wanted to clarify that “environmental justice” is a state designation based on income and minority composition. He said that he supported the Town Council writing a letter of Support for the OSRP.
Councilor Robert Vincent said that he found some inconsistencies in his review of the OSRP draft. He noted that the OSRP states that the School Department owns school properties, but in Wakefield, ownership and management of school properties comes under the town.
He also pointed out that the document has not been updated to reflect the Town Meeting vote related to Chapter 40A (multifamily zoning near public transit hubs). He said that inconsistencies like those didn’t give him a level of comfort to support the document.
Councilor Mehreen Butt supported the updated OSRP. “I thought it was great,” she said.
Councilors wanted the inconsistencies in the OSRP cleaned up before they issue a letter of support. The Council voted to table the matter until its August meeting.
