Open Space Plan validated by state
Published on April 15th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham's five-year Open Space and Recreational Land Plan, the product of countless hours of hard work and dedication by the town's Open Space Committee, has been validated at the state level with the granting of conditional approval, according to Stoneham's Community Development Director Steve Sadwick.
The plan details the town's open space and recreation land and offers options for future use and maintenance of those natural resources.
At the committee's meeting on Monday night, Sadwick reviewed the issues for which the state is requesting additional information before granting final approval on the plan. Some of the items requested for submission include a letter of review from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, various maps of the areas involved, completion of a state mandated accessibility report, and a narrative of the inventory of open space.
According to Sadwick, if the request includes copies of deeds to be provided for properties listed in the report, "that's going to take a little bit of time." He also stated that such a request may involve incurring the costs of a title examiner, and clarification from the state would be sought before embarking on such a detailed task.
According to committee members, the majority of the requests can be easily satisfied with the submission of existing documents.
The plan describes Stoneham's open space as "one of the features ...that distinguishes Stoneham from other communities in the Boston metropolitan area," and includes action plans for each of the five years discussed from l997 to 200l. The report emphasizes the need for long range planning in order "to ensure that recreational facilities and open space areas will be available for future generations."
Sadwick complimented the committee on the quality of the recommendations made in the report and further advised that he would take on the responsibility for monitoring progress on the action plans and updating the committee of such progress.
This monitoring role has been a concern to committee members since such authority has been considered outside of the committee's jurisdiction.
"We have no power to do anything," Committee member Stephen Sylvester explained, as the committee expressed collective relief in Sadwick's assumption of this role. Without the delegation of such follow-up, successful realization of the action plans might be jeopardized.
Included in the five-year plan are some action items that are currently being pursued by the town, such as the beginning of a tree planting program on public ways and development of the Spot Pond area. A tree planting policy is presently being established by Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting, along with the Department of Public Works, under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, while the formation of the Spot Pond Committee has given the town a voice in working with the MDC and MWRA in planning for the latter.
Other future items listed in the five-year plan include the creation of a natural outdoor public skating rink, revitalization of Pomeworth Park, creation of a walking path and picnic area at Sweetwater Brook, development of a uniform signage program for all open space areas, and establishment of programs at Whip Hill, including incorporation of that resource into the elementary schools' science curriculum.
Since the completion of the report, the committee's status and role has been unclear, with many people, including some members of the Board of Selectmen, believing that, with the job originally delegated to the committee now completed, its existence is no longer required.
Sadwick stated, however, that he would like to see the committee continue by keeping abreast of progress regarding open space. He emphasized the need for the committee's ongoing experience and knowledge for development of the next five-year plan.
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