During a discussion on updates to the Pyne Field redesign project Tuesday night, chair Dan Terry asked the Parks & Recreation Commission to remain committed to transparency.

“Going forward, we want to be as transparent as possible,” said Terry.

Terry’s comments partially were prompted from a discussion that occurred during public comment at the start of the meeting. Melissa Ewing, a Fruit Street resident who is an abutter to the fields, spoke to concerns she had regarding the project.

“My main concern is the 10 or so parking spots that would be directly across from my property,” Ewing said.

She explained that she viewed commuters cutting through Fruit Street as a more pressing threat to pedestrian safety than the sawmill traffic coming down the adjacent access road.

Ewing worried that putting parking for Pyne Field on Fruit Street would pose a risk to pedestrians, especially children “riding their bikes around the block,” she said.

The debate over the parking arrangement for Pyne Field has been ongoing. The owners of JB Sawmill have lobbied Parks & Rec numerous times to adopt a solution that would avoid people having to cross their access road. 

The Community Preservation Committee later persuaded the commission to readjust plans to develop a new driveway for the fields in favor of an alternate parking situation. Phase 1 of the project, which includes surveying for that alternate solution, was initiated in January.

Terry assured Ewing that the decision process for Pyne Field would remain open to the public as designs are finalized and presented to the commission.

He stressed this point to his fellow commission members later in the meeting.

“All stakeholders will be involved going forward,” said Terry. “Not just abutters, [but] groups that … want us to develop these fields.”

“Battle lines are going to be drawn on this,” he added.

Prior to Terry’s comments, Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus informed the commission that surveys of Pyne Field had been completed. He said he anticipated having designs for two parking lot options from Gale Associates “within the next 24 hours.”

Given the incoming designs, members discussed the format for review. Terry worried about opening a public hearing in the same meeting commission members would be seeing the proposals for the first time.

“I don’t think it’s beneficial to have the first night we’re seeing this stuff officially to have the entire community able to express their opinions,” he said.

Lewitus agreed, stating he was looking to get input from other town officials in reviewing the design. “I want to get the perspective of [the town’s] principal planner as well,” said Lewitus.

The Parks & Rec Commission will hold its initial review of the Pyne Field design plans on Feb. 27.

Parks & Rec defends access to school turf fields

Terry informed the Parks & Rec Commission that he and Lewitus felt encouraged following a meeting with the Turf Field Oversight Committee regarding the department’s revenue goals.

“Jon did an excellent job of putting forth the needs of the town,” said Terry. “I was encouraged by how many people saw our side of it.”

Lewitus and Terry attended that committee meeting on Monday to explain the Parks & Rec Department’s duty to generate revenue for Fields 4 and 5 at Hopkinton High School. Parks & Rec is responsible for raising $75,000 for those turf fields annually. The revenue generated is intended for repairs and turf replacement.

“If we’re to do that, we need priority access to certain times on those fields to generate revenue,” explained Lewitus.

A memorandum of understanding between Hopkinton Public Schools and Parks & Rec governs rental requests for the turf fields. However, Terry and Lewitus said that Parks & Rec has been more conciliatory in the request process than the School Department in recent years.

Terry claimed the issue stems from a misunderstanding around the fact that Parks & Rec is responsible for the turf fields, even though they are on school grounds. This leads to a “disconnect” in the perception of how the fields are shared.

“Parks & Rec has been making all these concessions for years, but we’re starting to change that,” said Lewitus.