SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen met with Robert Levesque last night to get a better understanding of the work that remains at Whalley Park.
The town is set to take ownership of the property, a gift from John and Kathy Whalley, located next to the Recreation Center on Powder Mill Road. It includes playing fields and playscapes for use by the community at large as well as the Recreation Center.
Levesque, of the land planning company R. Levesque Associates, offered a list of items that would become the responsibility of the town. He said among them are two big issues.
“The key components are the third bathroom, not yet constructed, and the septic system,” said Levesque.
Those are the two high-priced items that are still unknowns. He said the third bathroom is considered vertical construction and because it would come with a price tag of more than $100,000, it would have to go through the Division of Capital Asset Management and require design. Levesque suggested, however, that because there is already an architectural design for two existing bathrooms, the town may be able to use the same design.
The septic system would also be a pricey item, one that Selectman Art Pinnel suggested could be put on hold.
“We are right on target for that area being on a sewer in the next five years or so,” said Pinnel. “I think that’s something that we should be looking at going forward.”
“Art brings up a good point,” said Select Board Chairman Fred Arnold. “If sewers are coming to that area, to spend $150,000 for a short period of time is quite a bit of money.
Pinnel noted that the town has other parks without formal bathrooms and wondered if portable bathrooms, like those on the Rail Trail, would be appropriate, until sewers were brought to Whalley Park. Thomas Fitzgerald from the Board of Health said there is a difference between the Rail Trail use and the park.
“One is a stationary park where kids will be playing for a prolonged time,” said Fitzgerald.
Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Kelly Magni noted that the Rail Trail portable bathroom does get a lot of use.
Other items that would fall under town responsibility include roadway lighting, finishing coat of paving, roadway signage, skinning the infield of the baseball fields, creating accessible pathways around the baseball and soccer fields, installing foul poles and benches, finishing the interior of the bathrooms, running electrical service to the maintenance building, purchasing and installing water fountains, landscaping, and purchasing recreation equipment, among others.
Levesque reminded the board that the park is not set to open yet and the town has time to complete the unfinished items.
“This is a park that will take a while to establish,” said Levesque. “You probably have another year-and-a-half before you have playable fields,” he said.
The board asked Levesque for an estimate of what it would cost to finish the items on the list. Levesque said that was tough to do because the cost for him to hire private contractors would most likely be less than what the town would pay because of the state bidding process and requirement to pay prevailing wages.
Levesque said Stanley Park Director Robert McKean offered to provide an equipment list for the park. The board asked that the soccer and baseball associations provide a list of costs associated with the upkeep of those fields so they can try to get a grasp of maintenance costs for Whalley Park.
