Three Named To Athletic Fields Committee

In several weeks, Lynnfield voters at town meeting will be asked to approve a warrant article that would use $100,000 in existing town funds to begin early design and engineering work for a proposed athletic fields complex. The complex would be located off Main Street near the Middleton line and the Bostik plant.

This week however, selectmen took another small step toward making the long-envisioned fields complex a reality. At Monday's meeting, they announced the addition of three members to a new fields planning committee aimed at helping to facilitate the project.

Arthur Bourque, who declined to seek re-election this year after 12 years on the board of selectmen, is a member of the committee. Bourque has been instrumental for years in trying to bring an athletic fields complex to Lynnfield. On Monday night, he also happened to be elected as the new town moderator for Lynnfield.

"It's been a personal project for me for a while, so I look forward to being able to continue it," said Bourque.

Phil Crawford, the current vice chair of the town's finance committee, is also on the Fields Planning Committee, as is Kyle Shinnick. Shinnick is a former Lynnfield Rotary president and a manager with a landscaping firm, Lawn Pros - experience that could be particularly useful in planning the project, noted the selectmen.

Selectman Al Merritt will serve as liaison between the new committee and the select board. Merritt said that the other two members of the committee are likely to be named at the next selectmen's meeting later in the month.

"This will be a very busy committee. They will have to do quite a number of things," said Merritt.

A plan laid out by the selectmen at a previous meeting envisions construction starting at the fields complex in March, 2014 with a goal of finishing by April, 2015. .