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Health & Fitness

Support for Legacy Playground @ Greeley Park, by the Numbers

I have been following the progress of the LGN 2012 Legacy Playground project for over a year now, and have attended a good number of public meetings throughout its development. After attending the special BPW meeting, where the LGN group broke down the attributes that they considered at many possible locations throughout the city, I have no doubt that Greeley is the best site for this exciting gift.

There was a large group of people who came out to speak in favor of the endeavor that evening, and a smaller number of folks came out to speak not in favor of the location. This is a reflection of how Nashuans feel about Greeley as a location for the Legacy Playground. However, a trend has emerged, as the conversation has continued.  The vast majority of folks who have spoken not in support of the location live next to the park, and many of those folks have attended multiple meetings and spoken throughout the process. 

I combed through the minutes so that I could demonstrate this, because I believe there may be a misperception among some of our BOA members regarding the level of community support this project has. Though the sentiment has been discussed by some in public comment, without the hard data, it is a trend that could be brushed to the side, or attributed to bias of supporters.

I found that a total of 58 individuals spoke regarding the matter. City wide, 33 (57%) have spoken in favor, and 25 (43%) spoke against.
Of the 25 who spoke against Greeley as a location, those individuals have testified a total of 41 times at BOA, BPW, and Committee meetings. This does not include the work sessions with neighbors of the park. 78% of those 41 pieces of public comment have been from direct neighbors of Greeley. Out of 32 individuals who do not live directly next to the park, come from all of our city's wards, and have commented, over 70% have spoken in favor. 

Here is a google map that I have produced to reflect the data points. I have also shared an image of the map above.  

I believe that the vast majority of people who have given this any thought do support the replacement of the equipment at Greeley Park. As things move forward, I hope that the BOA will consider these figures. I hope that these figures inspire folks who support Legacy Playground at Greeley Park, and have remained silent, to voice their feelings on the matter to their Aldermen. I also hope that this project will be delayed no further, and that volunteers can break ground in the months ahead.

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