Good news!
Town Hall has decided to begin a conversation with resident taxpayers about recreation space, fields and Sandwich Hollows. Most folks in town consider this a dialog that’s long overdue.
At least 10 and perhaps 15 years ago, the Sandwich Hollows Golf Advisory Board, of which I was a member, brought a detailed plan to the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager that showed exactly how 25 to 30 acres of Hollows’ land could be cleared, leveled and used for recreational fields. Our plan included detailed parcel maps and identified resources willing to clear and level the land at no charge. We had imagined that Little League, Sandwich Youth Soccer, Sandwich Lacrosse and Pop Warner would use and maintain the lands at little to no cost to the town, just as they do other fields today.
Amazingly, this is almost exactly the same Hollows’ land use idea that Town Hall has just announced that it is now willing to explore with the help of a paid consultant.
When I recently asked a Selectman why it’s taken almost 15 years for the Board of Selectmen and our Town Manager to act on what was once a no cost proposal I was told: “we had other priorities.”
Knowing that the Sandwich Hollows’ land use project was once a no cost / low cost project, I am eagerly awaiting the cost estimates for this new recreation proposal. I’ll bet it’s not going to be cheap.
I hope the new recreation project is at least as good as the free 30 acres of recreational fields that the Sandwich Hollows Golf Committee proposed building almost 15 years ago.
Town Hall has decided to begin a conversation with resident taxpayers about recreation space, fields and Sandwich Hollows. Most folks in town consider this a dialog that’s long overdue.
At least 10 and perhaps 15 years ago, the Sandwich Hollows Golf Advisory Board, of which I was a member, brought a detailed plan to the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager that showed exactly how 25 to 30 acres of Hollows’ land could be cleared, leveled and used for recreational fields. Our plan included detailed parcel maps and identified resources willing to clear and level the land at no charge. We had imagined that Little League, Sandwich Youth Soccer, Sandwich Lacrosse and Pop Warner would use and maintain the lands at little to no cost to the town, just as they do other fields today.
Amazingly, this is almost exactly the same Hollows’ land use idea that Town Hall has just announced that it is now willing to explore with the help of a paid consultant.
When I recently asked a Selectman why it’s taken almost 15 years for the Board of Selectmen and our Town Manager to act on what was once a no cost proposal I was told: “we had other priorities.”
Knowing that the Sandwich Hollows’ land use project was once a no cost / low cost project, I am eagerly awaiting the cost estimates for this new recreation proposal. I’ll bet it’s not going to be cheap.
I hope the new recreation project is at least as good as the free 30 acres of recreational fields that the Sandwich Hollows Golf Committee proposed building almost 15 years ago.
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Could it be a coincidence that there were reports of an odd-looking
DeLorean tooling around Sandwich Hollows recently?
It was obviously one of the Consultants trying to go back in time
to find a way to charge for the same answer that was obtained
free in a dozen years ago!!
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2 comments:
5/23 – Today the Sandwich Empty-rise reports that, after weeks of study, the paid Consultants are suggesting the same parcel for recreational development that the Golf Board identified and recommended for development almost 15 years ago. Give the Consultants another few weeks and a lot more money and I’ll bet that they replicate the entire plan the Golf Board created for free. Is advice and counsel only worthwhile if you pay for it? Seems so.
So.....the consultants have produced their report and the project price tag is $9+ million dollars. One can only wonder about the guidance and direction provided by Town Hall to these consultants; Did we really pay for this report? Does anyone in Town hall seriously believe a $9 million dollar field project is feasible? I’m thinking that this was a purposeful effort to ensure that NO field or recreation work gets done in town over the next 20 years!
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