Much of the public comment was input as part of the
Town of Westborough’s Master Plan update process.
From the master plan
feedback form on GROWTH MANAGEMENT, OPEN SPACE & NATURAL RESOURCE STRATEGIES:
GM-1: Change Residential Lot Sizes: 38 would support
this
14
are opposed
GM-2: Scenic Road Bylaw: 47 would support this
6
are opposed
GM-4: Open Space Protection: 48 would
support this
7
are opposed
How much extra tax
would they be willing to pay
each year for local
land conservation?
13
voted for $200/yr.
23
voted for $100/yr.
11
voted for other
GM-5: Local Environmental Protection Laws: 36 would support this
8
are opposed
From the master plan feedback form on PUBLIC FACILITIES,
SERVICES AND LAND STRATEGIES
PF-2: Community & Neighbor Parks.
Community
park 49
would support this
5
are opposed
Neighborhood
park 27
would support this
7
are opposed
Comments:
More community parks. No
more ballfields.
One large park (pool,
playground, bandstand, etc.)
Sidewalks to access park.
Skateboard park.
From Master Plan input on
Open Space and Recreation:
On the open space and
recreation pin map, the State Hospital was identified as the highest priority
recreation site in the Town, by far, with 50 votes out of 107. The area west of
Otis Street and north of Smith Parkway (near the existing Little League fields)
garnered an additional 24 votes.
In terms of open space,
a large number of votes centered around the SuAsCo Reservoir (42 votes out of
108), especially the Town-owned parcels south of the reservoir (22 votes).
Other high-priority areas identified by residents include several parcels on
the south side of Town (28 votes total) and the State Hospital area (19 votes).
Fewer votes were cast for either open space or recreation in the eastern
section of the Town, although this might have to do with the relatively small
amount of available land here.
What Residents Said About a
Community Park:
“I
am a parent with young children, and live in the downtown area. There is no
place to walk to and let them play. We typically have to get in the car and
drive to a neighboring town if we want to use a playground facility.”
“The
other playgrounds at the ball fields in town are OK, but they are each a little
remote, and we tend to use them only when there for games, for short periods of
time. They are not ‘destination parks.’ . . . I would much prefer to walk or
drive in town, visit the playground with my children, meet others there, do
other errands in-town, maybe have lunch or a snack at a local restaurant and
enjoy my community.”
“Our
community is made up of all types of families, young and old. A space that
contains a variety of activities invites all family members to participate,
together and separately.”
“My
husband and I love the fact that Westborough has a nice town center with a nice
mix of businesses, but there’s not really a place to stop and meet other
residents or socialize.”
From
the public hearing on the Open Space and Recreation Plan:
There was a desire to create a culture in town for
regular acquistion of open space.