SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen met with the Finance Committee and the Park and Recreation Commission to discuss Whalley Park this week.
R. Levesque Associates presented the ever-decreasing list of items left to complete. Last month, Robert Levesque presented a similar list to the board and said every time he reviewed the list, it became shorter.
“John keeps doing more projects,” said Levesque of John Whalley, owner of the property.
Whalley gave the park to the town with the intention of it being used by the Park and Recreation Department and Recreation Center, as well as the community at large. The property is still under the ownership of Whalley, but the town will soon take over and the details of how the park will be maintained, run, scheduled, etc. are still up in the air.
Monday night the Parks and Recreation Commission presented a list of items to complete totaling approximately $1.4 million.
Selectmen Chairman Arthur Pinell said the list could be even smaller as the summer comes to an end.
“This is not a formal list – no decisions have been made,” Pinell said.
Pinell said the park project has been “in limbo” for some time and it remains there.
“It’s still in limbo,” he said, nothing is ready to be presented to Town Meeting yet.”
The board has yet to set the Town Meeting date. However, Pinell said the goal is to have an article concerning the acceptance of Whalley Park and the items left to complete on the fall warrant.
The 75-acre park is located on Powder Mill Road and features two youth baseball fields, two soccer fields, a full-size baseball field, two volleyball courts, a playscape, bathrooms and parking for 300 vehicles. There are plans for a pavilion and stage area.
