There is a Reason We Called it the Cabbage Patch: I’m Voting Yes

Momentum is a funny thing, it’s fickle. At a glance, it’s as if it came from nothing. Momentum is also like Keyser Söze, “poof” out of nowhere it could be gone. Of course, we all know that is not true. Momentum doesn’t happen by accident, nor does it disappear out of the blue. Momentum gathers steam and through perseverance it builds, little by little. Like a tea kettle, momentum bursts with a whistle to announce its arrival! Turn off the stove and the whistling will subside.

This is a long way of saying momentum is the reason I am publicly supporting the override. This time it just makes sense to me.

There is one specific topic that could really be impacted with a “No” vote that I would like to focus on. It is not the value of my property; I’m not selling either way. I will admit, this may be minor or trivial to some of the folks that have been working tirelessly to pass a “Yes” or “No” vote come April 2nd but here goes . . . I absolutely love what our city has done with our sports programs and fields. I feel the community pride that comes alive with the success of our city’s sports teams. Yes, education is important to the Buggy family, as is community service. At the same time, the local sports programs are my passion. I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that has spent more than five minutes with me. I can assure you, sports are not the “substance” of our family dinner but they certainly are a must-have seasoning. Therefore, I think it is important that everyone thinks about the impact a “No” vote has on our local sports.

The more I read through the proposed options for reductions if the override does not pass, the more concerned I become for the future of our playing surfaces and the children that play on them. Field safety problems can come about when fields are overused, grass cover is reduced, and soil is exposed. That stated, proposed cuts to the city’s budget include:

• Mowing & Maintaining fields budget can be cut by 40%
• Reduce actual mowing of the fields by 50%
• Reduce Landscape Supply Budget by 30%
• Eliminate the upkeep of the Baseball and Softball infields all together
• Suspend Playground Repairs & Equipment Replacement

I’m concerned that in less than a year, all the great work we, as a community, have put into our practice and playing fields will be reduced to an afterthought. The long-term costs will be steep if we do not continue to regularly maintain our lawns and playing surfaces. I believe that the Common Park, the Knoll, Lewis Monk, Franklin Field and yes, even the Cabbage Patch are our best treasures; they are the fields our kids play on daily. I could envision a social media post going something like this, “I remember when they used to cut the grass once a week at Lewis Monk, why did they stop doing that?” Heck, in a few short years only a handful of folks will remember the reason. The kids that play on those fields will be the ones to truly feel the sting.

The fields and parks in our community have come a long way in a short period of time, no one can deny that. Those of us who grew up here, like myself, know that better than most. The memories of my playing days to those of my children will be very similar with one caveat, our children are playing on well groomed, grass fields. I can’t tell you how proud I am to play a small role in coaching my kids and their friends in soccer, baseball and flag football on the same fields that I played on. I’m even more proud of the surfaces they enjoy that we only dreamed about.

There is a lot of history to Melrose; cool names and historical tidbits abound. The field we use more than most for our sports programs, “The Cabbage Patch” is not one of those cool stories. We called it the cabbage patch not because it was an old cabbage farm that became land used to build our high school. We called it the cabbage patch because it was a neglected dirt patch (an eye-sore to say the least) that doubled as a practice field and location for the annual powder puff game. When I read about reductions to field maintenance, I can’t help but think of the cabbage patch of my past turning into the cabbage patch of our tomorrow.

As I say to my children, the trash does not take itself out and the yard does not know how to hold a rake. The names of the parks and fields of my youth are the same, but the playing surfaces are night and day. From an appearance perspective, they’ve never looked better and I’d like to keep it that way, which is one of the many reasons I’ll be voting YES.