Field Committee: Walking Trails, Lighted Fields Most Commonly Requested

More than a year after they set out to create a new athletic fields complex in Lynnfield, members of the town's field committee appeared before the selectmen this week to present their recommendations. 

The original plan envisioned in the spring of 2014 called for developing a parcel of land off Main Street near the Bostik plant in Middleton. That land turned out to be unsuitable, and the focus soon shifted toward a complete overhaul of the athletic fields at Lynnfield High School and Lynnfield Middle School, linked together by the rail trail project and possibly with a skate park. 

Fields Committee Chairman Arthur Bourque, himself a former Lynnfield selectman, laid out the committee's recommendations. All of that information can be read in the committee's six-volume report, available at this link on the town website. 

Earlier in the process, town residents were surveyed on what they would most like to see during the coming project, which will emphasize passive recreation opportunities for town residents as well as athletic fields for its sport programs. 

According to Bourque, more walking trails were the most commonly cited need by residents. This would include the Rail Trail envisioned to eventually run from downtown Wakefield via Reedy Meadow in Lynnfield into Peabody. The former railbed runs behind both LMS and LHS, and one option the town could consider if the rail trail stalls is to simply pursue a trail linking the two schools together, along with separate trails planned to be built near the new fields. This would reportedly result in a network of five or six miles of trail. 

The next most commonly requested recreation item was new fields with lighting, reported Bourque. 

Third, residents were most likely to request an ice skating rink. This item was not included among the field committee's recommendations, and if one was ever built in Lynnfield, it would need private funding to go forward, said Bourque. 

Fourth on the list, Lynnfielders asked for upkeep to simply be performed on the fields they currently have in town. Bourque reported that it will cost about $780,352 in immediate repairs to bring the fields back to good condition, and up to $381,000 per year to maintain those repairs moving forward. 

The fifth most commonly requested recreational priority among those surveyed in town was an indoor recreational facility. With no location for a facility immediately available in town, this one is also not currently part of the field committee's recommendations. 

Finally, town residents also tended to request a dog park. Bourque indicated that an area near Northrup Associates by 128 and the Wakefield line called Freeman Park could potentially emerge as the future dog park, with a couple of parking spaces to be added there as well. 

Regarding the town's need for trails, Bourque also reported that the proposed improvements would not just focus on the former rail bed and the five or six miles of trail between the two schools. Town residents also reportedly made clear that they would like greater access to existing town conservation areas, which currently tend to have little parking and inconsistently maintained trails. 

Also, two Lynnfield Middle School students laid out the case before committee members on the usefulness of including a skate park in the plan - and Bourque reported that the committee was sold on the idea. More information can be viewed at this previous article on Lynnfield Patch.