12 thoughts on “Town, BB&N School Seek Fields Partnership, Must Get Land from Cemetery, First

  1. Agreed. But the decision is largely Mount Auburn Cemetery’s and as Councilor Piccirilli suggests, their Trustees need to hear from Watertown residents. Letters can be sent to “Attn: David Barnett” by email togrovestreet@mountauburn.org or by mail to 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, MA 02138.

  2. I’m confused. In this agreement, is Watertown agreeing to let “BB&N would have use of the Filippello Park fields in the hours right after school, as well as, two weeks in August and during the school’s week-long March break.”

    Don’t we have a shortage of fields? It seems every year it is difficult to schedule Watertown Youth Soccer practices, etc etc. Why would we give up all that access to our own fields during the times when we most need/use them?

    • Be afraid… very afraid. The devil is in the details on this one.
      The folks making this offer wouldn’t be approaching it unless it was in
      their best interests.

  3. Can someone please explain how this is a win? The school teams constantly complain they don’t have enough fields to play on to get the kids home on time. Coaches constantly demand that all practices and games be a Victory Field and therefore the argument for more artificial turf. That argument was put to bed given all the other residents who use Victory Field.

    Filippello is getting new lighting and field upgrades. Apparently BB&N thinks these fields will be great for their students to play on. So the prime time after school hours will be used by BB&N during the school year and preseason? And Watertown taxpayers will essentially be paying for their upkeep?

    Meanwhile on weekends and during the summer Watertown will be allowed to use the BB&N fields? Will that be for free or do we pay rental fees? And will these fields be artificial turf? Are we are giving up use of our limited “green space” especially at a School Building crunch time for BB&N’s use and the addition of their private green space – not under our control – in perpetuity (?) for what?

    What happens to the historic Shick House? Is it going to be moved? Renovated with whose money for whose use? Many details are not on the table.

    The town has been remiss for years in not investing in various sites for open green space and recreation. Is this a shortsighted work around that looks attractive at face value but ultimately takes away resident use and control of our park? Too many unanswered questions unless the powers that be know something many of us do not.

    There too many unanswered questions and as others above have said – the devil Isin the details. We just had an election. Our representatives owe us a lot more information.

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