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10/11/2017 08:00 AMAfter the Board of Selectmen (BOS) decided not to spend an estimated $100,000 to repair the deteriorating Fiske Lane tennis courts, it voted instead to have the Department of Public Works remove them. The asphalt and fencing were removed, the site graded, and in late August, new grass seed had been planted. Now, the seed had sprouted and a new grass lawn is growing strong.
During 2016 and early 2017, the BOS held several public meetings to discuss the Fiske Lane tennis court site and what options townspeople favored for the site’s future. Several proposals were offered and members of the public, especially the Fiske Lane site’s neighbors, offered their views.
Neighbors in the area consistently spoke in opposition to a proposal to put a dog park on the site. Also opposed was another suggestion to put the new, larger youth playscape there, making a new town playground. In the end, the BOS decided instead to rework the existing firehouse playground to accommodate the new play equipment, and have the Department of Public Works at the same time complete work to fix drainage problems there. The playground was reopened for use in early summer 2017.
One last improvement will benefit the parents, guardians, and caregivers who accompany young children to the firehouse playground. Late last month, work to build a new patio and pavilion area within the fenced playground was underway. The materials costs’ were paid for with help from a Westbrook Foundation grant. The gazebo that was previously on the site was to be moved to a site adjacent to another youth playground area located behind the Mulvey Municipal Center.