No Fun For You!

Groff Park Wading Pool is closed due to technical difficulties

I knew something was wrong this afternoon as I approached the pool and three families were heading back towards their car with the children looking bone dry. And they looked pretty disappointed.

No wonder.

The Groff Park Wading Pool -- one of only two in town -- only opened last week and was getting plenty of usage from both parents and young children.  Plus this weekend will probably be the hottest one so far this summer.

Maybe it's time to break out the sprinklers on the town common.

UPDATE:  Pool reopened on Sunday morning.  Yea!

Almost There

Groff Park Wading Pool is filled with water

One of only two remaining wading pools in Amherst remains closed this hot afternoon but this morning it was being filled with cool clean water and life guard accessories were at the ready.

Unfortunately the best I could get out of town officials when I asked if it would be open for families this coming weekend was a not so concrete, "Maybe."

One h-u-g-e advantage of the spray park that will replace this 50+ year old wading pool is it does not require a lifeguard so it will save substantially on overhead costs.  

South Amherst Spray Park

Ancient wading pool will become a new spray park

The Groff Park $1 million renovation project -- including the first spray park in town, an additional handicapped accessible pavilion and new playground equipment -- is half way home after last night's Community Preservation Act Committee voted to recommend to Town Meeting the $550,000 in funding after they whittled it down a bit from $600,000.

 New playground equipment will be part of phase 2

CPAC Member Jim Brissette gave an impassioned defense of the proposal pointing out how it was really a Social Justice issue.  The town does more than any other surrounding town to encourage and attract low income housing but doesn't do nearly as much for the children who inevitably result from that type of housing.

For many residents of the apartment complexes along East Hadley Road, Groff Park is one of their very few -- possibly only -- options to cool off in the summer.

 Assistant Town Mgr Dave Ziomek presenting to CPAC.  Chair Mary Streeter (left)

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek said that amount ($550K) would guarantee construction/renovation of the new spray park to replace the 60 year old wading pool, improved handicapped accessible walkways and a new roof on the old pavilion.

Roof probably should have been replaced a long time ago

 Old but still functional equipment near river will remain

The town will apply for a PARC grant to try to secure the second half of the financing although the CPA vote for the $550,000 was not contingent on grant approval.

So either way, BIG improvements coming to our little park.  

Splash Park For Groff Park

Groff Park on a drizzly day

The town has submitted a $600,000 request of the Community Preservation Act Committee for a major overhaul of Groff Park that will include the town's first splash park, a new additional pavilion, and badly needed new ADA compliant playground equipment set on a safer surface.

The overall cost is projected to be $1.2 million so the town will also be submitting a PARC grant (Parkland Acquisitions & Renovations for Communities) in July, 2016 to help cover the other half of the costs.

But if the state grant is not approved, like our last one for the historic North Town Common renovations, the amount requested from CPA will still be enough for the splash park since the 60+ year old wading pool is ABD (All But Dead).

If the CPA Committee recommends the funding it will still require Town Meeting approval this spring.  The design work is being done by Berkshire Design Group who also recently designed the $240,000 ADA compliant make over of a preK playground at Crocker Farm School.

Now if we could just do something regarding the sorry state of War Memorial Playground ...

Wading pool was demolished last year at War Memorial Playground

A Tree Grows in South Amherst

 Viridian Energy also helped organize the tree planting

Yesterday the Amherst Public Shade Tree Committee, Tree Warden Alan Snow and friends and family of Michael Cann gathered to plant a maple tree in his honor at Groff Park not far from his long time home on Mill Lane.

We are losing an entire generation of solid citizens like Mr. Cann, so adequately dubbed "The Greatest Generation".  In a transient town like Amherst all the more irreplaceable.

After 20 years in Amherst Town Meeting -- nowhere near Michael Cann's 37 year tenure -- very few people attracted my undivided attention when they rose to speak.

Stephen Puffer, Homer Cowles, Howard Ziff and Michael Cann were all on my shortlist.  And now they're all gone.  His strong spirit survived the rise of Hitler in his native land.  He became an American, and then volunteered to fight the monstrous evil that nearly conquered the world.

And Mr Cann never forgot, that freedom is not to be taken for granted.

I will think of him -- and all the good he represents -- whenever we visit Groff Park and look upon his living monument.

As should we all. 

Alan Snow hugs root ball

Triple Crown of losses

Groff Park pavilion: $150. Picnic table in foreground: free

After shanking Cherry Hill golf revenue projections by $46,463 and recreation/education programs by $76,014, Amherst's Leisure Services and Supplemental Education empire also flailed on pavilion rentals at Mill River and Groff Park, missing projections by $35,938.

Three years ago the recreation department started charging a $150 fee for using the formerly free park pavilions, and LSSE Director Linda Chalfant told the Select Board she was confident this new paradigm would generate $44,880 annually. This past year pavilion rentals totaled a paltry $8,862.

The main problem is people have a hard time paying (a lot) for something they used to get for free, and LSSE relies entirely on the honor method as no employee is charged with permit compliance checks.

Should people appear who do have a valid permit, you can simply move to any nearby picnic table, which is still free. Out of the six party groups I ran into over the summer using the Groff Park pavilion only one said they had taken out a permit and paid the fee.

Either the town needs to get as aggressive as they are with downtown parking enforcement, or return to the good old days--when some basic feel good services were free for the asking.

Guppies unite

Groff Park wading pool opened this weekend, just in time to keep the little ones off the streets. Kudos to the DPW.

Rainbow over the land

Winter morn

UPDATE: 2/18 Off to Disney for a few days

Have tree will travel

Groff Park 10:00 AM (two more are comin)