We received the following email from the Friends of Brodie Park South attaching a copy of the letter they sent to all the participants in Tuesday evening’s meeting and to members of the press:
Dear Editor:
We are submitting the following letter which we ask you to publish in your newspaper/news website in order to inform New Hartford residents of an issue regarding the use of town parks in New Hartford.
A meeting has been scheduled on Tuesday, May 15th, by the Rec Department with various representatives of different interest groups to “negotiate” the expanded and intensified use of Brodie Park South, one of the town’s parks. At that meeting there will be two representatives of the Friends of Brodie Park South, a residents’ group with concerns about allowing a New Hartford Rec Department active sports program with 125+ participants to use a town park until well after dark, with lights and generators, on a daily basis in August and three nights a week from September through mid-November. The park lacks the infrastructure to allow such intensified and expanded use since it has parking for 12 vehicles, while other available areas in town have adequate infrastructure to support such a large group of participants in this particular sports program. The after-dark use of the park made possible by bringing in lights run by generators is something that has never been allowed in town parks before since the parks are all in residential neighborhoods and the Friends of Brodie Park South feel this will be an unwelcome expansion of use of all our town parks.
The Friends of Brodie Park South representatives have been invited by Rec to “negotiate” this expanded and intensified use of the park with two members of the Rec Commission, two members of Rec’s Football program that is seeking approval of the intensified use of the park, and a moderator/facilitator. The Rec Commission as a whole has already said that they see no problem with this intensified use by their active sports program of the park and every other individual participating in this meeting – except for the two Friends of Brodie Park South – has already publicly stated their strong support of the expanded and intensified use of the town park by the active sports group in question.
The following letter was sent by our residents’ group to the Rec Commission, other participants in the meeting and other interested parties in town.
We ask New Hartford residents who have concerns about the use of town parks after dark and with lights and generators to facilitate that use – something that has never been allowed before in our parks – and who have concerns about residents being asked to “negotiate” such use of town parks in a stacked meeting like the one scheduled for Tuesday evening, to contact the Rec Commission representatives at that meeting to express their views on this issue. The Rec Commission representatives are John Maschi jtmaschi1@gmail.com and Dan Eddy danieljeddy@gmail.com.
If possible, we are also asking residents to please attend the meeting on Tuesday evening, May 15, at Berkshire Hall, Brodie Park, at 7:30 p.m. to show your concern at the disregard for residents’ input regarding the use of our town parks that is being shown by the Rec Commission. The residents’ petition, which has already been signed by 137 residents will be available for signature beginning at 7 p.m. prior to the Tuesday evening meeting. For more information please email friendsofbrodieparksouth@gmail.com.
The Friends of Brodie Park South
The Friends of Brodie Park South’s petition urges the Rec Commission to:
- Schedule sports practice at other parks/play fields in New Hartford; those areas being more appropriate, provide safer access and parking than Brodie Park South. Only utilize Brodie Park South after other playing fields are fully utilized.
- Consistently enforce the hours of access from sunrise to sunset. No night activities. No lights.
- Adhere to Conservation Commission field mowing schedule and maintenance guidelines.
Download a copy of the Friends of Brodie Park South petition: Petition Concerning The Use Of Brodie Park South (82).
Damage caused last November to the field area at Brodie Park South by a truck which got stuck in the mud while trying to remove Football's POD from the park. The plan for the upcoming year to handle the approx. 75 vehicles at the daily practices during August and three times per week from September through mid-November is to allow the vehicles to park inside the park on the grass. Brodie Park South has a parking lot for 12 cars.
