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During the September 17 meeting of the Sudbury Park and Recreation Commission, the commissioners discussed applications for the upcoming Community Preservation Committee (CPC) cycle. The CPC reviews applications for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding, which is a combination of a local tax surcharge and an annual state match in participating communities.
Sudbury Weekly previously covered an application from the Assistant Town Manager, Victor Garofalo, to fund the addition of additional play structures at the SMILE playground near Haskell Field. That application is moving forward based on the discussion on September 17. But the commissioners were also informed of three other recreation-themed applications, which could tee up major field projects in the years to come.
The first was an application to develop designs and complete permitting and bid documents for a renovation of Davis Field. The proposal referenced the recently-completed Fields Needs Assessment, which called for consideration of paving the parking lot, making a connection to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, enhancing Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, adding two natural grass multi-purpose playing fields, installing an irrigation system, and safety lighting (not athletic lighting). However, the exact changes would be determined by the design project itself, and construction would require a CPC application in a future year.
The second CPC application was similar: it covered the design, permitting and bid documents for renovations at Broadacres Farm and Featherland Park on Morse Road. The proposal referenced the Fields Needs Assessment once again, which included parking lot changes, paved walkways, ADA enhancements, the addition of a natural grass baseball field, and conversion of the existing softball field into a 60-foot hybrid baseball/softball field.
The project would also consider irrigation improvements. Once again, the design process would determine precisely what changes would be implemented during the project, but the information from the Field Needs Assessment provided a baseline understanding of the overall scope of design needs. The Park and Recreation Commission will have additional input on the designs, at least according to the discussion during the meeting.
Once again, the construction would have to be funded by a future CPC application, or some other means.
Finally, Combined Facility Director Sandra Duran informed the commission that should would be applying for CPA funds to renovate the bathrooms at the Haskell field SMILE playground. That work is still being scoped, but could include commercial-grade toilets to reduce clogging incidents, new fixtures, flooring, painting, and the possibility of wireless controls for the locks.
