WESTFORD — The Parks and Recreation Commission has voted to move forward with a project to renovate the American Legion Field.
The Parks and Recreations Commission voted unanimously on Monday to move forward with an updated project plan and request funding for renovations to the American Legion Field Ball Field.
Renovations could include four new baseball fields and a new parking lot, among other changes.
What is in the redesign project?
Weston and Sampson has been selected to lead the design and construction on 15 acres of parkland purchased by the town of Westford in 2010, as well as design for renovations for the existing field.
It aims to “not only expand the use of the fields for residents but [to] enable regional games and tournaments to take place there, increasing its regional use exponentially,” according to its proposal.
After initial feedback regarding the cost, Chair of the Parks and Recreations Committee Chris Barrett worked with Weston and Sampson to bring the total request to $5.2 million.
As the process moves forward, the Commission is also budgeting between $600,000 to $700,000 for design work and additional amenities. “It’s still a lot of money, but [it’s] better than where we were before,” Barrett said.
However, he acknowledged that “this is a big ask, and there were several projects that came forward this year … we have talked to the Director of Finance several times to make sure the Community Preservation funds are available to cover this if it was moved forward to Town Meeting for a vote.”
Updates, potential changes
Currently, the facility has “a parking lot not large enough to accommodate traffic in the complex,” which “does not accommodate Westford’s baseball and softball needs.”
Additional design elements have been added to the plan to compensate for traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility, including:
- The removal of a proposed roadway behind section G4 due to the amount of slope
- Widening the central corridor to 24 ft., which could shift section G3 farther south
- Adding a parking area to provide more accessible parking for lower fields
- Adding additional handicap-accessible parking spaces, raised pedestrian crossings, and speed control bumps
- Adding lighting to fields G5 and G7, both of which are primary baseball fields for the complex
These changes would create “more formalized parking” and better accessibility for cars, while allowing the Commission to expand the field in the future if needed.
“We have no way of knowing when that might happen, but we want to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up for success,” Barrett said.
The Commission must now seek Community Preservation Act funding and approval at a future town meeting.
