Master plan presented for town ‘jewel’

September 11, 2015

The following was published by the Worcester Telegram on September 11, 2015. The full article can be found here

WEST BOYLSTON – What is the vision for Goodale Park?Master plan presented for town ‘jewel’

The Parks Facilities Committee held an informational meeting Tuesday night on the Goodale Park master plan that it has been working on for about a year.

The committee previously selected BETA Group, Inc. to help create the plan.

Committee Chairman Patrick Inderwish stressed the current plan is not a construction plan, but a “vision.

“This is a goal that hopefully we can obtain down the road … and meet the needs of the community for the next 25 years,” he said.

A major concern of the committee, BETA, stakeholders and park users is the amount of use the park is currently receiving.

“We’re trying to accommodate the over usage of what we have right now,” Inderwish said. “The only time the fields sit is when they’re covered with snow. … There are some things that really need to be done to help the long-term liability of these fields.”

Thorough research of the park was done, including its current state and how its fields are used. A detailed survey was done and stakeholders and park users discussed what they would like to see incorporated into the plan, and park permits were reviewed, said Randy Collins, a landscape architect with BETA.

The current and recommended master plan was developed through a series of concepts.

That plan includes:

  • A new track and field facility that would meet current guidelines and regulations for track, football, soccer, field hockey and passive recreation. It could potentially be a synthetic turf field, which Collins explained would allow for more intensive use than natural grass. The bleachers in this area could hold a restroom and storage facility;
  • An improved baseball field that is level and has proper dimensions, unlike the current field that has short left and right fields and a lot of slope;
  • A multi-use field that would provide open space and be used for both passive recreation, sports practices and other athletic events;
  • Reconfigured Little League fields with proper dimensions;
  • A pool and splash park that has its own building facility with restrooms and storage;
  • A community presentation space;
  • An ADA-compliant walking trail and ADA-compliant parking; and
  • Picnic, concession stand and other storage areas and storm water.

“We wanted the plan to have a lot of flexibility to meet baseline needs but also have the ability for parts of the park to be further built upon in the future,” Collins said.

He said BETA and the committee are waiting to receive geotechnical test results of the park and will eventually have a three-dimensional graphic model of the master plan.

Inderwish said the next step is to finalize the master plan.

“We are looking forward to having a final document in the next 30 to 45 days.

“We want to keep [Goodale Park’s] character and what it means to the town. BETA has been very on top of that concern – making sure that we keep it the jewel that it is for the town,” Inderwish said.