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The SMILE playground at Haskell Field will be closed this week for tree removal work that is part of a long-delayed project to make improvements to the playground and repair the play surface. The Park and Recreation Department announced the closure on their website.
The Park and Recreation Commission emphasized in their January meeting that the tree removal was necessary, as the root systems were damaging the play surface. They referenced a tree study that was conducted in 2021 by Davey Resource Group, which recommended removal. That study is available here and is embedded below for readers using a desktop computer.
Given the delay in the project and cost escalation in recent years, the available budget wasn’t quite enough to complete the full scope according to Dennis Mannone, Director of Sudbury Parks, Recreation and Aquatics. He informed the commissioners that the spinner and the shade structure had to be cut out of the project before going out to bid.
The Park and Recreation Commission advocated for a shade structure, and Mannone indicated that there has been some discussion about a Town Meeting warrant article for free cash to fund those pieces and potentially other components of the project. He also suggested locating one of the department’s tents closer to the playground, or possibly inside the playground, in the interim. Mannone was also hopeful that there would be enough money left in the budget to add some plants back in after the trees are removed. (19:00)