Newton is in the process of updating its Recreation and Open Space Plan and there’s a public hearing on the draft plan, happening tonight, 7 pm at the library.
Find out more about this on the city’s website. To read the draft 2013-17 Recreation/Open Space Plan Update: go here.
If you go, or have any thoughts to share, please comment below.
I haven’t had a chance to read the whole plan yet, but would like tothank John DeMiceli an Barbara Darnell who represented the Urban Tree Commission and the Newton Tree Conservancy during the process of developing the new draft, and helped remedy the lack of aattention that trees had gotten in he previous Open Space Plan.
I plan to be at tbe hearing tonight. If open space is important to people, I hope they will come.
I confess to having some trouble keeping my eyes open at the meeting, due to a lot of time spent in the hot sun the past few days, so what caught my attention was a couple to things to look forward to some time in the future, parcels that are being eyed as active and/or passive recreation areas: 1) the Rumford Ave landfill, when it is considered safe to do so, being turned over to Parks & Rec, and 2) the Manet Road Reservoir, if/when the MWRA gives it up. I’m not sure what the time horizon is on either.
The main/only point of contention seemed to be the connectivity of the new pedestrian bridge in Auburndale with other trails. A couple of neighbors spoke enthusiastically in favor, but one asked ‘why are we trying to connect to Wellesley’ and ‘aren’t there lots of other bridges in the state that are in worse shape to fix?’