Board Votes Down Halloween Block Party

That Natick Board of Selectmen on Monday night struck down a resident’s efforts to coordinate a block party this Halloween in the town.

Board members voted 3-0-2 to deny the request of Tasker Smith to hold a block party on Rockland Street on Oct. 31 that would included tents and tables, kids rides, food and a parade.

Smith and his family have lived in Natick for seven years, and hoped to host the party as an “effective way to get people together.”

Smith said he was met with resistance from the town about hosting the party.

“I think the primary concern was the effect of a detour on Farwell Street, which, like Rockland, has no sidewalks and is fairly hazardous,” said Selectman Josh Ostroff. “I think the board was supportive of the resident’s goals of connecting neighbors, but the majority felt this was outweighed by potential safety concerns.”

“I am disappointed, but not disheartened,” said Smith. “I thought most people would agree that a two-hour road closure on a weekend during daylight hours is reasonable; particularly when accompanied by safety plan designed for our neighborhood by the chief of police.”

Ostraff abstained from voting on the issue, saying, “My personal view is that we should applaud efforts to connect neighbors, that we should aggressively pursue ways to make streets safer and slow down traffic, particularly on older roads with limited width and sight lines. But I saw that there was not support for an alternative to simple denial so I abstained from the vote.”

“We reached out to request an act of generosity on the part of our neighbors and the town to allow us to pause the flow of traffic on a scenic road for two hours,” added Smith. “We sought – if only for a couple of hours – to make Rockland Street a destination rather than a cut-through. This, it seems, was too divisive and too complicated.

“The Board of Selectmen bears the burden of balancing the wills of opposing voices to achieve the greatest good for Natick. In this particular case, I think they got it wrong.”

Smith said he is redirecting his energies to organize a “super fun block party that will not require a road closure. If you are inspired by the idea of meeting neighbors in our neighborhood on Oct. 31 between 3 and 6 p.m., I hope you will join us!”