Residents will have to wait a little longer to enjoy Whalley Park. The Parks and Recreation Commission expects a spring, 2015 opening. (File photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
SOUTHWICK – Residents will have to wait another season for the opening of Whalley Park.
Park and Recreation Commissioners said last week there are still finishing touches being made to the 70-acre park, which includes 35 acres of recreational fields and 30 acres of conservation land, and they expect a spring 2015 opening.
“We still have paving and line painting,” said Commissioner Daniel Call.
Contractors are finishing up the restrooms and plumbing, but one of the biggest punch list projects left is fixing the irrigation system.
“There were sprinkler heads everywhere when we took control of the park and when heavy equipment was brought in, many of them were damaged,” Call said.
The reason for the damage was that there was no drawn plans for placement of the heads, and there were too many.
“There were hundreds,” said Call. “It was a mess.”
Now, the company making repairs is creating a map for the commission so any future work on the system will be much easier.
The irrigation system should be complete by fall and the paving and lines done before the first frost.
“We are looking forward to opening the park next spring,” said Call. “It’s going to be a great asset to the town.”
Whalley Park was a gift from John and Kathy Whalley to the town. While the majority of the park was complete when it was turned over to the town in October of 2012, several projects were unfinished. During the same meeting when residents officially voted to accept the park, they also approved using $1.2 million in Community Preservation funds to complete remaining items at the park.
The Whalleys also gifted the commission $100,000 for park maintenance that should last through such time that the park maintenance is funded through user fees and rental of the park for sports leagues, concerts, and more.
