By Mary Romaniec
Grafton News Reporter –
For a group that is relatively sedate, Grafton’s Planning Board sparred over the status of the Super Park, leading to a contentious exchange.
Planning Board member Bob Hassinger directed his concerns and comments to Super Park Committee Chair Jennifer Thomas. Hassinger took exception to rumors that the committee was blaming the Planning Board for project delays.
At the fall 2015 Town Meeting voters approved $290,000 from overlay surplus funds to begin the first phase of the Super Park, added to $100,000 of Community Preservation Committee funds which passed in the May Town Meeting.
The new park, to be built at 4-6 Upton Street, behind the public library and next to the rail line, will include a roadway, infrastructure, parking, a rubberized play surface and the initial play equipment.
Thomas, who is also chair for the Board of Selectmen, appeared Monday night at the request of Town Planner Joe Laydon. In her opening remarks, Thomas asked for a continuance since the committee was in the middle of modifications and plans to move the project forward. She said the committee was not able to comment further on the project until after that meeting.
However, Hassinger and fellow member Dave Robbins pressed the matter with Thomas to get at the source of the delay, suggesting the committee’s engineer had yet to submit revised plans which they deemed to be minor.
Thomas said that while the Planning Board saw them as minor, the Super Park Committee believed the modifications were more involved.
Laydon acknowledged the challenges the Super Park committee faced, telling the board the changes resulted in other concerns in the plans which the committee needed to address. “These are not minor details,” said Laydon.
As Thomas continued, blame for the delay took center stage. Robbins berated Thomas for the perception directed toward the Planning Board. “That is the implication of blaming this board,” said Robbins. But Chairman Michael Scully, who has been active over the years in the park’s development, shouted down Robbins saying Thomas was not blaming the board.
Thomas appeared bemused by the outburst, saying the Super Park Committee has not engaged in rumor or innuendo, nor insinuated any blame toward the Planning Board.
Hassinger continued by suggesting the Planning Board did the committee a favor by not granting a permit even as far back as the spring since the process would land them exactly where they were today. Changes to the plans were to be expected, Hassinger said, with an outline on how the process of projects worked.
“We need to approach this as we do any other project,” said Robbins as a way of signaling there would not be a perception of favoritism on the project.
The Super Park Committee will meet next with the conservation agent then report back to the Planning Board at the Sept. 26 meeting.
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