Is fear restricting our access to our open space and recreation opportunities?

Is fear restricting our access to our open space and recreation opportunities?

Over the last 12 months, a lot has been changing. Some of it is good, and some deserves a closer look. Times are hard; we know that, and with hard times comes unrest. With unrest comes fear. But how much are we allowing that fear to shape how we use our public land?

Seeing the possible changes at Sunny Meadow Farm really brought this home for me. For over 16 years, it has been a rock of our open space, and during COVID it was a lifeline for many residents, absolutely including our Scout troops. Before we change what makes it so valuable, let’s take a step back and look at how often fear seems to appear in these decisions.

Start with the Varney Boathouse. Close to half a million dollars in renovations, and it never really opened, except possibly for a very short time. Why? The concern, as I understand it, was vandalism and the possibility that the building would be damaged or become a hub for illicit activity. Yet leaving a building closed, unstaffed, and without regular use can put it on that very path. Then there are our beaches, where concerns about groups using them and possible danger to lifeguard staff have left us without lifeguards.

At Sunny Meadow, the original concert area was closed over concerns that concert guests would steal produce from the community gardens. I know of no reports of that happening in more than a decade of use. Now we have the relocation of the Storybook Trail and the possible closure of the Nature Trail over concerns about residents walking on leased land. This one feels self-inflicted. The trail exceptions were removed from the leases, the land was leased out, and now those leases are being raised as a reason to restrict access. Put the exceptions back and keep the trails open.

The Scouts were denied access to hold an event on the Common because of concerns that “other groups” might then use it and cause issues. The third egg hunt at Roberts Field was also denied. I suspect similar concerns played a role there, although I do not know that for certain. These are community activities that bring people together, and we seem to be getting caught up in what might happen instead of what those events actually offer.

Fear of what might happen can slowly become less access, fewer opportunities, and public land that the public cannot fully use. That is the quiet erosion I am concerned about, and we need to turn the tide.

Let groups like the Scouts use the Common. Let nonprofits offer free egg hunts on public land. Find the modest funding needed to put some staff in the Varney Boathouse and offer recreation opportunities there. Address the concerns at the park so families feel comfortable and lifeguards can return. At Sunny Meadow, restore the trail exceptions in the leases, keep the Nature Trail open, and reopen the original concert area. Do not close off Sunny Meadow or prevent clearing the walking trails and road because of fears that access might draw a “bad element.”

We should deal with actual problems when they arise, but I have not seen evidence that justifies all these fears. Allowing them to drive public policy casts a shadow over how people see our town and limits the very activities that help build a stronger community.

Is there something here to fear? Not that I know of, and I see these places every day. I see people walking, families spending time together, Scouts learning, and neighbors enjoying the land we have worked so hard to protect. That is what we should be encouraging.