The Parks and Recreation Commission discusses a new parking lot for Sadie Knox Playground Monday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – A Parks and Recreation subcommittee, chaired by Ward 1 member Sara Unger, met on Monday to look at establishing an official parking area behind the ball fields at Sadie Knox Park. Also attending were Department of Public Works Director David Billips, Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski, Westfield Little League President Ken Diegel, and Community Police Patrolman Allen Magdycz.
“We’re looking at permanent parking on city property, where people now park on the grass,” Unger said. She said once the details have been ironed out and concerns are addressed, a public hearing will be scheduled.
Billips showed a map of a proposed parking area accessed by Oakdale Avenue behind the rear field. He said the area is flat, and the DPW could do a lot of the work themselves. One issue is that it’s across from the Eversource substation, and the utility has just been granted an easement to cross city property to put in switching stations there.
Billips said he will have to speak with Eversource and find out what exactly their plans and timeline are. He said he would also meet with the Law Department and Community Development. “It’s a public safety issue,” he said.
Some of the issues discussed at the meeting were concerns in the neighborhood about parking on Prospect Street and side streets, and traffic going too fast on Oakdale Avenue. “I think we have to be cognizant of their issues,” Babinski said.
“We always try to address the issues before us in a positive way. We need to come up with a longer term solution for parking and traffic,” said Unger. She asked how much enforcement of parking there was on Prospect Street. Westfield Little League President Ken Diegel said the most that he’s ever seen. He asked if once cars are ticketed, if they are ever towed.
“We wouldn’t tow, we would ask the person to move their car, and would ticket again,” Magdycz said. He also said the main concern on Pine Street, another adjacent street, is also parking, which is allowed on one side of the street only.
Unger said another issue is in the indented parking area right in front of the park, where people try to push it, and stick out in the road. She said more signs may be needed there.
Map of Sadie Knox with proposed parking area. (Photo submitted)
Parks and Recreation Chair Kenneth Magarian said there aren’t too many options for parking in the neighborhood. He also said that people have been parking on the grass in the back lot accessed by Oakdale Avenue since the 90’s.
Unger said currently parents are using the back field as a drop off area. She said it should be specifically dedicated as a parking lot, not as a drop off, and parents should be asked to drop off kids in the front, and park in the front as overflow. Unger also asked if there were more accessible parking, could they program more activities at the park. She said the problems that occur at Sadie Knox happen when no one’s there.
Parks and Recreation member Robert Veronesi said since it is city property back there, they could fence it in if they wanted to. Billips said there is also more land available, and the parking area they have proposed could be enlarged if they need it to be.
Unger asked about funding, and Billips said since they could do a lot of the work themselves, and the area is already flat, he didn’t think it would be too expensive. Unger asked if they could start with a gravel lot, but Billips said they would have to allow for handicap spaces, which cannot be on gravel. He said the handicap spaces could all be in the front of the park, but Unger said that parking is also important to people attending the spray park and other park visitors, too.
Billips said he would look into the requirements for numbers of handicap spaces for the proposed parking area.
Babinski asked about lights in the parking area. Babinski said there is an existing Eversource pole there. He also said they would have to shut the lights at night. Asked if it could be connected to the lights on the field, he said it could.
“If all of this works, would we have a gate that would only be open during games,” asked Magarian. Diegel said there is already a keyed gate to the back of the park, which the city and Eversource locks. Billips said a new gate would be electrically controlled.
“To ease the parking on Prospect St, you have to put a parking lot in the back,” Veronesi said.
Parks and Recreation member Scott LaBombard said the ball park season is mid-April through October. Billips asked if they would use the lot for every game from April through October.
Diegel said now when they hold two games, parking gets really tight. He said when a game is on, 30 to 40 people are parking there anyway. “We had the state tournament there Saturday. Our girls did win the state championship,” he added.
Babinski asked since Oakdale Avenue is a dead end, whether it could be restricted to 15 mph. Magdycz said that it is technically a 30 mph zone, and Billips said that would have to go to the Traffic Commission. Diegel said most people know to drive slowly on Oakdale.
Unger said the sub-committee would have to bring the recommendation to the full committee, and Magarian said they should first hold a second meeting to get consensus on the plan. “The timing of this is good. Hopefully, we’ll get this done, so next year all the neighbors will know this is our plan,” Magarian said.
Billips responded that if Eversource is planning construction there, they may have to put it off for a year. “I’ll find out exactly what they’re doing.” he said.
