With the closure of Conway Park, youth athletic organizations are looking to alternative playing areas such as Dilboy Field to provide them with the spaces needed to function. ~ Photo by John Phelan

By Jim Clark

With the temporary closure of Conway Park due to concerns over soil contamination, many youth athletic groups have been left wanting in terms of playing spaces for their regularly scheduled activities.

The City of Somerville Board of Aldermen took up the issue at their latest regular meeting last week, looking to find solutions to the ongoing problems faced by youth athletic organizers.

A number of orders and resolutions were put forward at that meeting, seeking to move the process along.

One such order asked that the Director of Parks and Open Space share progress updates with the Board on all current parks projects in order to determine if they are on schedule and what might be needed to enable park projects to stay on schedule going forward, especially as they make budget decisions later in the year.

A resolution put forward by Alderman At-Large Stephanie Hirsch and co-sponsored by the entire Board called for the Administration to consider the following steps to address the field space crisis: petition the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) for a waiver for a reduced expectation to schedule regional uses, cover costs of using Dilboy Field for teams displaced from less expensive fields to Dilboy, and prioritize youth sports over adult sports for field usage.

Speaking on behalf of the plan, Alderman Hirsch told the Board, “We know there’s an incredible urgency for finding more and better field space, and until we can have that we need to put real money behind supporting youth organizations that are pulling their hair out over finding places to play.”

Hirsch pointed out that groups that had been displaced from playing at Conway Park would be paying higher fees if forced to use Dilboy Field instead. “That’s something we can pay for through our general fund as a transfer into the Dilboy account,” said Hirsch.

Several members of the Board of Aldermen expressed their frustration with the current situation with regard to the shortage of playing fields in the city.

Alderman At-Large Mary Jo Rossetti agreed with the urgency of taking immediate action on the issue. “It’s very painful,” Rossetti said. “I can never get it out of my head, I think it was two budget seasons ago, when so many of the families and children came and begged us. And nobody should have to beg to be able to play in their own community. But there was begging, and we still weren’t able to give them what they were asking of us. And here we sit now, this many years later. I predict that’s what we are going to be hearing about this budget session as well.”

Along with the approval of this resolution, a related resolution was submitted by Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis and Ward 4 Alderman Jesse Clingan asking that the Administration put the Conway Park renovation out to bid without delay.

Alderman Davis told the Board, “This was the worst case scenario that was raised back when we heard those folks talk about the budget and going back to when the Lincoln Park renovation was being discussed. That there was a number of people in the community who said we should take care of Conway first, so that’s done and online before we take Lincoln Park online, essentially forever, given the actual capacity that we’ll have on those fields after the fact.”

Ward 2 Alderman J.T. Scott expressed reservations about the proposed resolution, telling the Board that he questioned the seriousness of the situation at Conway Park in terms of just how toxic the reported pollutants may be, and that the park might be opened right away, at least in part.

The resolution was ultimately approved and referred to the Open Space Committee for further action.