CPC to Receive Pool Update from Hamilton Wenham Recreation Committee

The Hamilton Community Preservation Committee will meet on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm at the Hamilton Town Hall at 577 Bay Road.

During their meeting they will get an update on the progress on the pool at Patton Park.

Recently, the Joint Hamilton Wenham Recreation Committee voted to site the pool at Patton Park and provided a timeline of next steps to be ready for the community to vote on this important assets at the Town meetings in April.

In advance of the meeting, the Joint Hamilton Wenham Recreation Committee sent the following letter.

The pool has played an instrumental role in the recreational offerings and quality of life of our communities for decades. It is also one of several key priorities being pursued by the Joint Recreation Board as part of our comprehensive Recreation Master Plan. Other initiatives of the Recreation Master Plan include the installation of a turf field at the High School as well as improving the overall condition of all existing fields, recreation areas, and other facilities. The question has been raised as to how our communities can support both a new pool and turf field. The answer is that the majority of funding for these projects will come from separate and distinct sources. The proposal is to fund the pool facility from Hamilton and Wenham Community Preservation funds. A significant portion of the turf field funding will originate from a large portion of the proceeds generated by the sale of an area of the Patton Homestead Property to build homes on land originally earmarked for playing fields by the Patton Advisory Committee.

Both projects can be accomplished for the benefit and enhancement of our communities’ recreational offerings.

The Hamilton-Wenham Joint Recreation Board has taken meaningful steps in recent months to advance a more cost effective solution to the pool desires of the Hamilton and Wenham Community. At the September 2014 meeting, the H/W Rec Board unanimously voted to approve a new pool project with a reduced size and scope at a cost not to exceed $2,000,000. This approval recognizes concerns relative to the cost of previous proposals by placing a spending cap on the project, which will facilitate a discussion within our communities and will lead to a final and informed decision.

The H/W Rec Board also recommends that the majority of the funds for this pool facility be drawn from the Hamilton and Wenham Community Preservation Funds. Using these available funds ensures that the cost of this project will not increase the property taxes paid by homeowners in either town.

The H/W Rec Board, at the November 18, 2014 meeting, voted unanimously that the location of the facility remain at Patton Park. Construction of the pool facility at the alternative site proposed, Fairhaven Field (located at the rear of the library and gym), would have resulted in the loss of one of the most utilized fields in our community, and would have necessitated finding alternative fields for use by the High School Girls Field Hockey, High School Girls Lacrosse Team, Hamilton-Wenham Youth Soccer Association and the Hamilton Wenham Youth Girls Lacrosse Association. In addition, concerns were voiced by the H/W Library administration relative to parking and safety, the impact on abutters, and the additional funds that would have been required to provide more parking.

Looking ahead, the H/W Rec Board’s timeline for advancing the project to a vote at the April 2015 Town Meetings in Hamilton and Wenham includes:

• Completion by January 1st of conceptual designs for the new pool by Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype (BHA), the pool consulting firm hired by the Joint Recreation Board

• A revenue and expense projection for the new pool by January 1st

• An updated Joint Recreation Agreement by January 1st to determine how the towns will 
share the cost for joint projects and activities such as the pool

• Public Forums on this project to begin in January 2015 
Throughout the pool process, the H/W Rec Board has received input from many members of the community and town officials about generating public and private fundraising to assist in paying for the new pool facility. The Board welcomes this support and will provide any assistance we can toward this end. 
We encourage your involvement in the process and welcome your input, questions and support for the proposed pool facility to be constructed at Patton Park. Information about the project and upcoming meetings can be found on the Town’s website www.hamiltonma.gov or by contacting the Recreation Department at 978-468-2178. 


Sincerely,


The Hamilton Wenham Joint Recreation Board