The town has been hearing for years from town athletic leagues on the need for more playing fields; baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and even a football field. Residents have been advocating for a park and/or playgrounds in the south of Lancaster. The town had investigated buying land in several locations and when performing feasibility studies, no action was taken.

In facing the same pressure today, the town announces it will conduct a study to determine location availability, park size, project scope, and cost. This time with one unique change, a permissive referendum where the community will have a say whether this is a priority in today’s world and how the cost should be borne. It is the right thing to do, if it ever gets to the stage of voting where the community decides whether a park is a worthy cause based on cost and services provided.

It is the right thing to do especially if public hearings held to have residents weigh in on the pros and cons of the venture. This truly makes it a community project, taking it out of the hands of any minority who advocate its need and revenue expenditure based on only their perceived need, but at a cost to the entire community.

At this early stage to mischaracterize the scope of the project and turn it into a personal political blame game is senseless and unwarranted. All sides will have the opportunity to present their comments and concerns and then have the opportunity to support their position by referendum vote.

The only troubling thing about the park study announcement is that it came from the town attorney who commented he, the town engineer, and outside counsel were involved in the study while never mentioning who assigned them to manage the study. The town board owes to the public to provide that information, what precipitated its consideration now, and to ascertain that it will be nothing more than a basic park serving the entire community.