Board Recommends Greeley Park for Legacy Playground

After more than four hours of public comment the Board of Public Works voted to recommend Greeley Park to the Board of Aldermen as the best location for a proposed Legacy Playground, by a vote of 4 to 1.

Voting in favor were Commissioners Timothy Lavoie, Kevin Moriarty, Daniel Gagnon, and Mayor Donnalee Lozeau. Opposed was Commissioner Tracy Pappas.

The vote came after much discussion and a presentation, followed by a brief review by board members of their individual positions on the proposal, which was brought forward by a group from Leadership Greater Nashua. The ADA-compliant playground would be a gift to the city.

Over several months of discussion by the Public Works Board, the location has been the sticking point. But after a thorough presentation and exhaustive Q&A, the board said it was ready to vote on how to move forward.

Pappas said she favored the park, referred to as "Sargent's Park" for its location on Sargent Avenue, actually listed as North Common Park, because it is "flatter and has more suitable parking."

"I still feel the same way, Sargent's is a better site," Pappas said. "For folks in wheelchairs, parking at Sargent's is more accessible."

Prior to the vote, Moriarty suggested that Pappas recuse herself from the vote because her property abuts Greeley Park.

Pappas said she did not see a conflict, and Lozeau said it was up to each individual board member to decide whether they feel they should vote when there is a perceived conflict of interest.

In his opening statement Brand said the mission of the group was simply to raise enough money to fund an accessible and inclusive playground project that would enable children to come together "in a relaxing outdoor setting," whether able bodied or disabled.

"We looked at 55 parks, visited two-dozen sites, completed a survey with 250 respondents with criteria we used to determine which would be best park," Brand said, before settling on three potential sites – Greeley, Sargent's Park and Labine Park. However, based on a complete analysis of all three sites, the group settled on Greeley, Brand said.

The first person invited to speak was Patience Kanarian, 14, who is credited with contacting the city while still a middle-schooler, and requesting a playground where all children can play together. 

She prepared a brief statement which was read by Patricia Casey on her behalf, in which she explained that she didn't think it was fair some of her friends were not able to play with others just because they were autistic or in a wheelchair.

Among those who spoke against Greeley Park as the right place for the new playground was Francis Murphy, who said he brought forth the "argument of the purists."

"In my 32 years there's been a continued degradation creep, as more and more stuff is located in the park. Things that have degraded the beauty of the original design," Murphy said. 

Among more than two dozen people who spoke in favor of Greeley was Nashua native John Darah, who said he grew up in Nashua, did his prom and wedding pictures in Greeley Park, and has been to Fairy Tale Fest, in costume, with his kids. 

"I, too, have climbed up on the play structures to help my kids slide down, out of fear they'd fall. I found it hard to do so – I'm not a small person. So for me, having a new park that is more accessible is a benefit to me and my children to use the park," Darah said. "It may not be the best parking situation, but by far it's not the worst – and it's the best location for the playground."

Also speaking in favor of Greeley Park was Jan Martin, Nashua's Director of Special Education.

"What makes this special is that it's for all people. I cannot imagine a better use for Greeley Park, and it's just the right thing to do," Martin said.

Other arguments against Greeley included the lack of parking in general, and handicap-accessible parking in particular, and lack of a formal plan on paper.

Brand made the point that a specific design will be made to fit the approved space. He also said that if Greeley Park is not approved by the city, the group will consider its options, including sites outside of Nashua.

"Our class would really like for this playground to go in Nashua, and we have only looked thus far at sites in Nashua, and feel Greeley is the best. If it can't be in Greeley Park, we will have to look closely at surrounding towns before taking it to a site we don't think is best," Brand said.