Grafton Super Park planning goes forward; some worried about impact on override

Despite arguments that planning a Super Park as the town considers a $6.5 million override is sending a poor message, the Select Board approved a $34,000 contract to design the long-delayed facility.

Select Board members Jennifer Thomas, Donna Stock and Doreen DeFazio voted in favor of the project while Ed Prisby voted against. Peter Carlson abstained from the vote.

The original Super Park, constructed in the 1980s behind the then-police station and rehabbed in the 1990s, was community-built, with a rambling wooden structure, metal slides, features constructed from old tires and a gravel base. It was torn down in 2010 to make way for the new Grafton High School — which now houses students who are among the last remember using the park.

“I can’t in good conscience vote for this… this isn’t the scope of the project we voted for five years ago,” Prisby said, noting the $1.3 million figure used in CBA Landscape Architects in their proposal. The last plan was around $500,000. “We haven’t heard anything from the Super Park Committee or recreation since then until now.

“From a messaging perspective, this sends the wrong messaging to the community,” Prisby added. He noted that the Community Preservation Committee may not want to dedicate $1 million to the single project — and that Town Meeting may not want to either.

“We’re getting a lot of questions about ‘do people still want a Super Park?’ It’s still one of the things I get asked about around town,” Thomas said.

“Why are we talking about this now, especially when there’s talk about an override?” Thomas added. The money set aside for Super Park can’t be used for operational needs — the main purpose of the override — but could be used for capital needs. “The reason we’re doing it now is because the library is under construction. Any utilities that might be needed have to be done now so we don’t have to potentially tear up a new parking lot and landscaping.”

“This project has so many starts and stops,” Thomas said. “I don’t think this could take another stop.”

What makes a Super Park is an idea that has evolved over the last decade. Its initial vision featured access for children with disabilities, with proposals also made for walking trails and a splash pad.

Thomas, who served as the Select Board’s representative on the former Super Park Committee, recalled visiting the original park with her three children. “The kids loved it, it was a great place for families to meet.”

The first iteration of a new Super Park was proposed for a town-owned parcel on Worcester Street, which then-Selectmen decided would be better suited for other uses. That spot remains vacant.

Interest again picked up in 2015, with the Super Park proposed for a portion of land acquired for the library expansion on Upton Street. While funding was approved by Town Meeting, interest stalled as plans for the library went forward.

The Super Park Committee has since been dissolved, with some of the Town Meeting funding expired. But about $275,000 allocated for the park remains, Thomas said, and she met with Town Administrator Tim McInerney, OPM Andy Deschenes, and Recreation Director Jen Andersen. The project will now fall under the Recreation Department.

DeFazio also questioned whether the town would want to spend $40,000 on a plan for the Super Park when its price tag — and funding — is still under question.

“I’m in favor of the project, I just want to put this out there, if the public is in favor of the project,” DeFazio said.

Carlson noted that while he understood the project would use money not available for school or town personnel, the park will still need expenses for upkeep over time.

“This was originally decided in different (economic) times,” Carlson said. “I’m concerned. I’m concerned about the message we’re sending… I’m going to potentially going to have to tell constituents that we’re going to be cutting school staff and nothing on the municipal side” if the override fails.

Finance Committee member Colleen Roy asked if the entire question about whether to go forward with a Super Park could wait for Town Meeting in May. “You don’t know if people want to do it but you want to go forward with a plan anyway?”

Surveys have shown people do still want the project, Thomas said.

Finance Committee member Dan Cusher also noted that McInerney’s override proposal includes capital funding. “I’m not saying parks are not important… but we do have a list of capital needs. It’s more than a quarter of what we’re going to be asking taxpayers, potentially, to approve as part of an override.”

“We are always going to have capital needs,” Thomas said. “We were going through an override the first time this was approved. I’m always in favor of asking the voters.”

DeFazio said the town should move forward on the proposal, even if it’s ultimately shelved for another decade.

“I can’t imagine that this community is going to have a $1.3 million Super Park right now,” DeFazio said. “I’m thinking more of let’s get this design started, let’s get more input, and bring it to Town Meeting.

“This is what happens with all visions,” she added. “This is what happens with a master plan. People think big.”