Latest On Yentile Farm Recreational Facility — Read Meeting Recap, Watch Video, See More Photos

WILMINGTON, MA — Earlier this month, the Yentile Farm Development Committee held a public presentation in the Wilmington Middle School Auditorium.  (The Wilmington Apple shared some initial photos from that meeting HERE.)

Chairwoman Judy O’Connell began the meeting by welcoming residents, explaining that the purpose of the session was to provide information on the proposed recreational facility at 9 Cross Street.  Voters will decide whether or not to construct the $4.5 million project at the Annual Town Meeting on May 2 at 10:30am in the Wilmington High School Auditorium.

“We’ve been working on this project for about two years.  We’re really, really excited about the work that’s been done,” notes O’Connell, before turning the meeting over to Town Manager Jeff Hull, who detailed the project’s history.

Looking backwards, Hull noted:

• At the Town Meeting of May 2012, the town raised and appropriated $1,182,500 to purchase former Yentile Farm property, which consists of 20.3 acres of land.  Due to environmental constraints, only 8-9 acres will be developed.
• In September 2012, the Board of Selectmen established the Yentile Farm Development Committee.  The Committee went through a process of soliciting input, including conducting online and print surveys resulting in over 1,000 responses. Hull believed the outreach efforts resulted in “a thorough assessment of people’s opinions” on the project.
• At the May 2013 Town Meeting, the Yentile Farm Development Committee requested and the Town Meeting granted $50,000 to hire a firm to conduct and develop the concept design, which was the first phase of the project.  After a competitive process, the town hired Waterfield Design, who assisted in developing a concept for the site.
• From January 2014 to October 2014, the Yentile Farm Development Committee held a series of three public forums, soliciting even further feedback from residents.
• At the May 2014 Town Meeting, the Yentile Farm Development Committee requested $250,000 to take the project to the next phase — to design design and development, where specifications for the construction of this facility have been created.  After a competitive process, the town hired the firm of Green International Affiliates.

Looking forward, Hull explained:

• At the May 2015 Town Meeting, the Yentile Farm Development Committee is looking for funding for the construction of the facility.
• If approved, the complete construction design documents would be ready by late 2015; bidding for the contractor would take place in early 2016; the project would get underway in the spring of 2016; and the project would see substantial completion by late 2016, with “wrap up” in the spring of 2017.

Danielle Spicer, of Green International Affiliates, along with her associates, then discussed the history of the site; design parameters; site constraints; and the proposed design.

History of the Site

“This site, since the early 1900s, has been used for agricultural purposes,” said Spicer.  “In 1934, the Yentile family purchased the property and continued to use it until the site was sold to a developer in 2005 for an over-55 housing development. In 2007, construction began, but was halted around 2007/2008, abandon and left as is until 2012 when the town purchased the property.”

Design Parameters 

Spicer noted three main design parameters that Green International needed to look at as they moved from concept design into construction design — (1) not deviating from the concept design; (2) environmental resources/permitting; and (3) cost.

Site Constraints 

“This site is surrounded by a lot of environmentally sensitive resources and [we’re aware of] all the permitting requirements that go along with that,” said Spicer, prior to pointing out the Maple Meadow Brook bordering the parcel to the east, plus the wetlands in the north. There’s a 15-foot no touch zone and a 25-foot no build zone relative to wetlands; and a 100-yard flood plane line associated with the Maple Meadow Brook.  “Everything we develop is outside the resource areas and will complement the natural resources that are adjacent to the site, not have a negative impact on them,” assured Spicer.

The project will need to file a Notice of Intent and get a Stormwater Permit from the Conversation Commission; an Earth Removal Permit from the Board of Selectmen; a Highway Access Permit from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT); and a Construction General Permit from the National pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

Proposed Design

Here are some highlights from the representatives of Green International and Stantec Sports Group relative to project design:

• The one turf field will not be used for football games, but rather soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.
• The turf field is a robust drainage system.
• There will be fencing around the field, plus small bleachers and strategically placed trees for shade.
• There will be two basketball courts, which — when combined — doubles as one street hockey court.  The court area will be fenced in.
• The concessions building will be separated from the pavilion.
• A central green will provide space for passive recreation and large gathering space for programmed events.
• There will be 93 spaces in the parking lot, with a convenient looped drop off area near the playground and field.
• There’s an additional 16 parallel parking spaces on Cross Street.
• The circulation of the walking paths were refined to “promote use of the site features and use of plantings.”  Most paths will be 8-feet wide; some are 12-feet wide.
• The paths will be linked up to the Textron site to potentially access their recreational facilities and eventually open up the area for a future exercise circuit.
• A rain garden was a new addition to the plan.  It will collect and filer the stormwater so the runoff from the parking area and paths goes into it.  It will consist of various attractive, low-maintenance plants.  The garden will also act as a screening and buffer area between the recreational areas and the parking areas.
• The playground will have a “nature” theme.
• The playground will be separated into different areas for each age group.  There’s currently two pieces of equipment for ages 5 to 12; one area for children 5 and under; and then some equipment specifically for toddlers.

After approximately 30 minutes of questions and answers (the basketball/street hockey courts WILL be lit; the police WILL patrol this park as they do every other park in town; the site is NOT currently being considered for any future Fun on the Fourth activities), Selectwoman O’Connell thanked residents for attending and again encouraged them to attend the Annual Town Meeting to vote however they see fit on the proposal.

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Watch the meeting, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television:

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View images from the presentation: