I just saw some heavy equipment being unloaded on the rail trail. They didn't look Russian, so I'm guessing the work on the trail will begin.
Where I can I buy some locally made spandex?
Ward 4 Councillor Ed Cameron supplied this link on his blog. Check it out. The trail will offer a lot more than an asphalt pathway. I'll be able to bike to Haley's!
I'll be interested in seeing how some folks see this as a negative. Bring it on.
33 comments:
couldn't you bike to haley's before we spent money on this?
Well of course. I also bike to the train station on occassion.
But there's much, much more to the path.
Per my earlier post, I'm on board with anyone who wants to decry this as pork and ask the mayor to hand it back.
But until that day comes, I'l
I'll enjoy it.
I'd rather pay for this than $500K for the stadium.
i'd rather have the stadium, more people will use it.
I'm not against the rail trail, i'm just not sure paying to have it paved is the best use of money. a dirt path would be just as effective. i suppose though that this should decrease the amount of bike traffic on the streets and maybe we can finally get rid of the bike lanes, so that's a plus.
But X, no one goes to football games any more. You know that better than anyone.
I will never understand the opposition to the bike lanes.
One of these days we will agree on something.
the stadium is being funded privately anyway, so the point is moot.
not to mention it is a war memorial and should be preserved if for no other reason than that.
Private money?
Isn't going to get $500,000 from the state? Plus the CPA dought, which technically shouldn't be used for this purpose.
Far as I can tell, the rail trail project is being paid for state with state dollars. I know, these are our dollars as well. But you could argue the state is investing in our local tourism industry.
Maybe we should call it the War Memorial Bike Path, so we can build it for no other reason than that.
To X:
Why do we need a Harborwalk extension when we can walk from Cashman Park to Downtown via Merrimac Street RIGHT NOW!!!!..What a waste of money!!!!
Then again, why do we need a Boardwalk at all when we can walk from Merrimac Street to Water Street through Market Square without a boardwalk..What a waste of money!!!!
I don't why people like you are always complaining about everything. Life is too short to be complaining all of the time.
If I remember right, you were the one complaining about having to deal with YH.....It does not sound like you like the direction that this city has taken in the last 30 years and will take... Do you really want to live here?
why shouldn't CPA money be used to preserve a war memorial?
I admit I haven't been by there more a handful of times. Where is the memorial? I don't see it mentioned anywhere in the plans cited on the Restore our Stadium web site.
• Demolish the North (Visitors) side of the stadium
• Widen the playing field (for maximize use by soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, etc.)
• Replace natural grass with synthetic surface on the field (such as FieldTurf)
• Reconstruct the North stadium, pulled back closer to the school building (as a result,
the stands will be lower and narrower than the original stadium) ensuring that all ADA
requirements are met
• Repair, as needed, the South (Home) side of the stadium, ensuring that all ADA
requirements are met.
Seems like they're restoring an athletic field.
Yes, I know it was built by WPA money (another federally funded project.) Yes I know the name rightly honors those who sacrificed their lives in combat.
But to call this a memorial is a bit of a stretch. Was Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia a sports stadium or a memorial?
How many Veterans Day, Memorial Day events have been held their during the years?
It's primary function is an athletic field.
All that being said I withdraw my comment as I researched a bit more. CPA money can be used for recreational purposes, and I can't deny the stadium has historic value.
I've got no beef with the stadium project, just the suggestion that it was being paid for with private money. Half the money is coming from taxes.
Hi,
X, I agree.
We should support projects that honor our veterans.
Like Brown Square which has a monument to our local veterans.
So I'm assuming you agree with the CPA money going to the Brown Square renovations.
thanks,
sds
the memorial is in the corner, near the west endzone.
also, only 17% of the money is coming from taxes, the CPA is giving 250k over 2 years. the rest is private funds.
I'm not sure why you're excluding the $500,000 in state money.
I had a similar thought to SDS except that I really don't have a problem with the way Brown Square looks now.
there is no mention of the 500k on their website
i have no problem with the brown square renovations, that's what CPA money is for. in fact, the square looked great 100 years ago when it was lined with huge elm trees, so i hope they plan on planting more trees.
i feel like everyone isn't clear about something. i have no problem with the rail trail, in fact i think its a decent enough idea, a bit superfluous, but such is life in this city. my only question is why are they paving it? seems like a waste of money to me, and no one has bothered to answer the question, just get their dander up over something no one really has a problem with...
Hi,
I also do not have a problem with how Brown Sq looks at the moment.
My goal was to point out a project than people have referred to as "fixing up basically a dog litter box" is actually fixing up a war memorial and statue that honors a world famous newburyporter (one that the city didn't really care for when he was here).
I do not agree with CPA money to fix the stadium. That is direct city infrastructure that the city should maintain within its normal tax base (just like city hall).
Whats next? Do we just put the whole school athletic department under the CPA?
X, i've not been in the stadium for many years. Do you know if the memorial is specific for WWI or WWII, or both?
The restore website is rather confused. They call the WPA a "war-time" effort, which it was not, although it didn't end until mid-WWII.
They also refer to it as World War Memorial Stadium and World War II Memorial Stadium. Which is it?
It was built before WWII. I believe it was renamed after WWII with the World War Memorial name (this is from memory so i could be completely wrong). I seem to remember its a memorial of solders in both wars.
thanks,
sds
i have to agree with X and sds, the stadium should be more of a priority than the rail trail, not only is the stadium a memorial and historical landmark, but more people will use it. with out it, there is no where for the high school teams to play, with out a rail trail, people can still ride their bikes all over town. i'm not sure we need an artificial playing surface, which i hear is the bulk of the cost of the restoration, but its more of a necessity than the rail trail.
also, i'd prefer to have the state chip in 500k to fix the stadium than 2.5 million to build a bike path.
A few things
To X
X-here's the latest from teh Daily News
NEWBURYPORT — If a $500,000 earmark for repairs to World War Memorial Stadium is successfully distributed to Newburyport through the governor's office, the long-awaited restoration project would be at the brink of having enough money to get underway.
Former Mayor Mary Anne Clancy, who leads the RESTORE committee, said yesterday the group has about $750,000 of its goal of $1.5 million.
I agree, folks have been piling on you a bit too hard about the rail trail. You've been measured in your opposition.
I don't see the paving as a waste of money. It can be an attraction to bring more peopel to Newburyport and the downtown, particularly with the rail connection.
But is it a necessity? No. Neither is the other half of the football stadium in my opinion. One could make a similar argument against the senior center and the youth center.
In fact, it's fair to ask if we're being frugal enough in these tight times. Jim Roy made a similar point in the current Liberator.
But, if we're simply looking at dollars, I think the rail trail will provide the best return on investment.
To SDS
I got your point about Brown Square. I was just adding my own opinion.
Isn't it called the World War Memorial? It was built by WPA money in 1935, or at least the project was started and conceived at the time. It's likely WWII made the need for a memorial more acute.
But I'm a bit confused as well.
To Ben,
The state will chip in $500,000 to fix the stadium.
But is the problem of the stadium that dire? I know the school side fo the building is closed, but has there ever been a shortage of seats?
I hate to say it, but a lot of schools get by with metal and wooden bleachers. That's what I had in my hometown.
To all,
The comparisons between the stadium and downtown are interesting. Both were grand projects funded by massive federal projects (WPA and HUD.) But no mechanism or money was ever put in place (or kept in place) to maintain the projects.
I suspect we'll be facing similar problems in the downtown in a decade or so.
X,
One more point about the Elm Trees. I agree, it would be nice to plant some new ones.
However, the city currently has no professional arborist to oversee the care of our current tree stock.
This is a threat to the trees we currently have.
Seems like the city would benefit by having at least one person in place to make sure our current stock is property taken care of.
I'd love to add more trees but we also need to care for the ones we have.
A few people are suggesting sharing an arborist with one or two other towns. Would folks support such a thing?
sds- the stadium is a world war one memorial, however, the memorial on the field is for a wwII soldier (i believe the first Newburyporter to die in the war), i think after the second world war it became sort of a general war memorial.
as for the 500k tom, it would seem you are correct, perhaps they should update their site with that info.
as far as the trees go, i would be in favor of hiring a full time tree warden, this city is recognized as "tree city" but we have a bad habit of cutting down trees, with the promise of replanting them, only to cut down the newly planted trees before they get a chance to mature to the same size as the original. saplings just are the same as a full grown adult tree.
finally the stadium may not be a necessity to many of us, but it is to the the students at the high school, not only for the team athletics in the fall and the spring, but also for gym class during school. if you have children, someday i'm sure you'd like to watch them play at the high school, and you'll be happy to have a stadium that is up to date and well maintained.
X, we have found common ground.
also, the stadium will eventually make back that 500k, since the ticket sales go to fund the athletic programs. being able to hold more people (whether or not they'll fill the stadium is a different issue) will allow them to bring in more money, taking the burden off of the school's budget to fund the sports programs, so in the long run, it should benefit taxpayers.
ari- any bike can ride on a dirt path if its pounded down and hardened. walkers, joggers, etc. can use the sidewalks, as that is what they are there for. paying 3.2 million (received and email with that figure from the planning dept.) for another path for joggers seems a bit of a stretch to me.
POP QUIZ:anyone know the name of the soldier the field is dedicated to?
I'll post the answer at 6
sorry Howard Zabriskie
The field is dedicated to Howard "Flash" Zabriskie, who was an NHS player killed in WWII.
As I recall, the CPA portion of the money for the stadium was later found to be inconsistent with state regulations. But the City Council, which was heavily lobbied by NHS athletes and parents and at least one former mayor to provide the funds, let the vote stand, saying it was up to someone else to question the use of CPA funds with the state. So the way I look at it, plenty of public money has already been used for the stadium -- whatever it's named.
Several years ago, the CPC turned down the first request for funds from the stadium boosters, saying that the "stadium" was not historically or architecturally signficant (let's be honest, it's not an actual structure, it's just concrete bleachers around a field). Plus, the plan for the "restoration" (a misnomer) was to demolish and rebuild - and therefore was was not an appropriate use of CPA funds, since demolition can hardly be called historic preservation! So why did the current CPC (all volunteers) approve the money this time around? Pressure and guilt from stadium boosters - and our elected officals, who are supposed to be guarding the coffers, are too wimpy to stand up for what's right.
The CPA money should be used for actual preservation, open space, and affordable housing projects - not to help a select few recall their "Glory Days."
But doesn't the football stadium fall under here...
4. Public Recreation
Once a community has expended or reserved at least 10% of the annual funds generated by the CPA on each required use category (open space, historic preservation and community housing), the City or Town may use all or a portion of the remaining 70% for recreational purposes.
Recreational use is defined to include active or passive recreational use, including, but not limited to, the following:
Community gardens
Trails
Noncommercial youth and adult sports
Parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields
The Act provides that CPA funds may be expended on "… the acquisition, creation, and preservation of land for recreation use … and for rehabilitation or restoration of … land for recreational use …that is acquired or created" under the CPA. The following are examples of the types of recreational use projects that may be carried out under the CPA:
Acquisition
Purchase of land to create new athletic fields for noncommercial youth and adult sports
Purchase of existing, privately owned recreational facilities for municipal use, such as a tennis court
Creation
Convert existing structures such as a railroad bed to a recreational use such as walking, biking, or inline skating trails
Convert underutilized municipal lot to community gardens
Clean up contaminated industrial site or cap landfills to create new soccer or baseball fields or playgrounds
Preservation
Install an irrigation system at a public park to prevent the grass from dying or otherwise being harmed
Install new drainage at an existing athletic field to prevent flooding and water damage
Provide new drainage at an existing athletic field that has severely deteriorated; however, monies cannot be used for routine maintenance or capital improvement for which municipal funding has been already been committed
All I know is (and the Daily News reported it at the time) the CPC committee said the stadium did not fall under the regulations (maybe because of the artificial surface?), and that was confirmed by the state. But the council, if you'll pardon the expression, punted. The stories about the "glory days" of a packed stadium (still repeated in Daily News stories boosting the project) and the emotional lobbying swayed them. (I've been to several games in recent years, and I have yet to see the stadium "packed.")
The project is not "preservation," despite the "Restore" slogan of the backers. It's primarily a plan to put down an artificial surface, with upgraded stands.
Hey, if Newburyporters want to support this project, fine, but as another poster said, at least some of the money that came from the city was improperly spent. The Restore people should be grateful they got the cash and no one ratted them out to the state.
If you Anonymous folks continue to monopolize CPA funds for your preferred uses rather than share them across their intended uses, then it might be time to repeal it.
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