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2001-05-17 City of Beverly, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes BOARD: Open Space and Recreation Committee SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: May 17, 2001 PLACE: Beverly Senior Center COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: David Gardner (Chairman), Kathern Tracy, Cindy Modugno, Bill Squibb, Robert Buchsbaum, Ellen Flannery, Anthony Paluzzi, Richard Baker ABSENT: Kathleen Skrabut, Charles Raymond, Guido Lauranzano OTHERS PRESENT: Tina Cassidy, Planning Director RECORDER: Jeannine Dion Gardner calls the workshop to order at 7:00 p.m. and introduces himself. He states the purpose of the meeting is to discuss specific ideas members of the public may have regarding their respective wards and other issues, (Trails, Community Preservation Act, Public Participation and Parks & Recreation). Gardner introduces Robert Buchsbaum, Vice Chairman of the Open Space and Recreation Committee. Buchsbaum states during the weekend of June 8–10, there is a statewide event occurring called “Biodiversity Day.” The purpose of the event is to celebrate the biodiversity of the Commonwealth and the state is encouraging towns to hold walks and categorize the wildlife and trees to build awareness and celebrate the great natural resources in a community. The Public Participation Committee will be working on it and will provide more detailed information when it becomes available. City Councilor Virginia McGlynn states there will be a clean-up of the Sally Milligan Park and the th City-owned Santin property on Saturday morning, May 19 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. and welcomes volunteers. The meeting breaks into small group discussion. When the meeting reconvenes, each table reports the major topics discussed. Ward 2 · Noise buffers (more trees). · Better traffic control to make it safer for bicyclists and walkers. · Remove some fences along the waterfront so there is access to the waterfront, including Maple Avenue and the waterfront marina owned by the Kinzies. · Increase trees on Lothrop Street. · People like the green and white signs for signage. Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes May 17, 2001 Page 2 · Sidewalk improvements. · Install more benches and flowers. · Improve locations and general condition of bike racks. · Zoning regulations to be supported by the City to regain the Ancient Highway. · There should be public hearings before removal of shade trees (also postings on trees before they are removed). · Limited playing on the neighborhood ball fields. · Parking issues at the ball fields. · Use dump area for more playground areas. · Pleasant Street having water drainage issues because of handicap accessibility work that is not finished. · Make the former McDonald’s building a tourist center and more accessible. · Use Ventron area as a park. · Landscape the area next to the bridge with trees so that when people come into the City from the Salem side, they are welcomed to the “Garden City”. · Safety concerns about signal lights (walk lights). · Create a color-coded painted trail system for historical walk areas. For example the “maritime mile” (waterfront) could be one color and the “Fish Flake Hill” area could be another color. Ward 1 · Buy the Green’s Hill property for open space (to use for pathways, fields, walkway around the river). · Consider buying a strip of land known as “the buffer strip” that is owned by a Danvers resident, which would link to the golf course. · Pedestrian light at the corner of Elliott and MacKay Streets. · Redesign Lindsey Park. · Complete walkway from the pump station built on the river. · Link all paths in the forests with the streets (color-coding is a good idea). · Walkway around Bass River. · Consider purchasing Tanzella’s Hill if it is for sale. · Bike paths and bike racks throughout the City. · Link green spaces through the streets. Ward 4 · Acquire the rest of the Hill/Santin property to protect Sally Milligan Park. · Develop a Beverly open space land trust. · Explore what can be done to protect Bartlett Estate. · Control new street construction off of Birch Woods and Cross Lane. Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes May 17, 2001 Page 3 · Look at the traffic pattern around the Cove School and how the school and traffic impacts fields and recreation space around the school. · Get public access to Hannah Park on Bayview Avenue. · Prepare a public list of public rights-of-way so that citizens who want to know where they can walk, would have easy access. · Identify public ways, walk paths and animal corridors. · Keep an eye on YMCA plans for development on Essex Street. · Protect the City’s rights to Witch Lane. · Explore conservation restrictions with some of the big non-profit landowners (i.e. Endicott College, Landmark School, YMCA, Music Theater, etc.). · Enforce zoning, easements and wetland protection. · Develop coastal overlay zones. · Establish Route 127 and Lothrop Street as scenic ways. · Create a public ways map. · Schedule public walks on public property. · Enforce Chapter 91 regulations. · Remove illegal fences on Lothrop Street. · Protect what is left of the Ancient Highway. Ward 5 · Trails. · Roads dangerous for biking or walking. · Request permission to access the private way at Beaver Pond. · Signage for trails on Norwood Pond site. · Establish easements for links from either Parker Brothers or Music Theater (or both) into Norwood Pond. · Link trails in Beverly to those in abutting towns. · Obtain easement links or conservation restrictions on the YMCA property to connect the old dump site. · Norwood Pond - land conservation, passive recreation with conservation restrictions. · Johnson Tree Farm – priority to identify the agricultural restriction and do some research on the City’s right of first refusal on the property. · Lease properties on a temporary basis (i.e. lease property at the tree farm for a temporary playing field or Vitale property). · Produce a multi-purpose sports facility on the dump site after clean-up. · Link Essex Street with biking and hiking paths. · Investigate possibility of property north of Northridge Road for potential playing field location. · Exercise option on Moraine Farm for a playing field. · Opposition to overpass over Route 128. Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes May 17, 2001 Page 4 Ward 6 · Identified existing open space in Ward 6. · Formal trail system (linking open space). · Trail linkage a priority, especially to the ocean. · Establish access down Brackenbury Lane to Patch Beach. · Intertidal walk to the public landing on Prince Street – crossing Hale Street, entering Witch’s Lane and taking Witch’s Lane behind Endicott College to link in with Thissel Street. · Identified Pole Swamp Lane as a valuable open space area. Establish linkages with Pole Swamp Lane with areas in Manchester and down to the salt marsh. · Access for walking on West Beach. · Access easements through Tall Tree Drive to some areas behind Endicott College. · Identify the Appleton triangle. · Bartlett Estate could be connected with Ward 6 trail system and open space areas. · Expand open space on the hill of Centerville School. · Community Preservation Act discussion – Competition for funds. Perhaps the CPA could free up some funding in the school budget for other items. Community Preservation Act · There is some misinformation and misconceptions about the Community Preservation Act (CPA). · Some people stated they would like to help get the knowledge out to the public. · It could be a marvelous source of funding for open space acquisition. Parks and Recreation · Need more fields in the City. · Need one 90-foot baseball diamond, two 60-foot diamonds for baseball and softball and four long fields for soccer, lacrosse and pop warner football. · Working on developing some collaboration with some of the private schools and non- profit organizations in the City to get access to fields that already exist, which would eliminate the need to develop fields in the city. · Possible locations – Henderson Road, Moraine Farm, Memorial School, Johnson Tree Farm (multi-field facility), Green’s Hill, Standley Street area, former landfill (multi-field facility, dog park, etc.), Northridge housing area. · Add lights at Balch Field. · Redesign fields in the city (high school) and recommend the City maintain the fields. · Cooney Field possible redesign of the layout and adding lacrosse field between the existing baseball field and Hurd Stadium. Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes May 17, 2001 Page 5 · Propose dog park and BMX track. · Need for bike racks at facilities and proper location for the bike racks. · Bikeways in the City. · Walkways and hiking trails (Norwood Pond). · Recommend not adding tot lots in the City. Make better use of the existing playgrounds. Eliminate small pocket parks that require ongoing maintenance and focus the monies and the maintenance on larger parks that are more community oriented. · More trees in the parks. · Maintain trees and plantings in the parks. · New benches and picnic tables at the appropriate parks. · Develop appropriate and up-to-date signage for all parks. Gardner thanks all who participated in the meeting and welcomes members of the public to attend meetings of the open space and recreation committee and serve on subcommittees. The meeting adjourns at 9:00 p.m.