Above: Rec is pursuing a park upgrade that would add two public amenities the Town is currently lacking. (image cropped from concept plan)
Southborough Recreation plans to ask voters to support upgrades to Fayville playground. But first, they are looking for public feedback on the project through a survey.
In addition to the survey, I’m sharing details on Rec’s plans for the park, including a splash pad. Plus, I’m including a look at why Rec is now pursuing a dog park in Fayville instead of the Lundblad Dog Park that voters previously approved partial funding for.
Fayville Park Survey
On Facebook, Rec posted:
We need your input! We are currently evaluating opportunities to enhance Fayville Park and your perspective is especially important to us!
We would like to hear your thoughts on how the proposed project might affect you, as well as any ideas or suggestions you have for making the park a better community space!
Complete our short feedback form [here.] . . .If you would like to reach out to us directly please email tfarley@southboroughma.gov
The survey asks about participants’ usage of the park, improvements they care about and activities they’d like to see there.
[Note: The survey deadline was specified as Monday, December 6th – but that’s actually a Saturday. I’ll double check on the correct date and update this post when I have it!]
Planned Project
The current proposal is for a project replaces the baseball diamond and field with a 1⁄3 acre dog park, an 8,000 sq ft splash pad, and a picnic area. The walking path would be replaced with a new, handicap accessible version. The existing playground, pavilion, and basketball court would be untouched. (You can see the existing park layout in the image right.)
A rendering posted with the survey is a just rough concept. Based on the discussion at a Community Preservation Commission Meeting last month, Rec already intends to make at least one significant change.
For safety, the dog park would be fenced and screened, with the entrance relocated to the northeast (top left) corner. That would put the egress away from the splash pad and other open spaces. It would also be near a crosswalk that doesn’t require use of stairs. (I made edits to the image right to reflect those changes.)
During the meeting, the Commission acknowledged the limited amount of parking available at the park, given the number of uses being added. Farley said that they had initially planned to add a small lot, rather than the picnic area. But, the space didn’t allow adding much to the parking. And they weren’t sure that driving right up to the splash pad was a good idea.
Dog Park History and Project Genesis
A few years ago, the Commission began efforts to study and design a dog park to be constructed at Lundblad Field on Parkerville Road (by Neary School). At the time, the Commission highlighted that the amenity had been a longtime frequent request made by community members.
In 2024, Annual Town Meeting approved spending $46K for the engineering stage (also capitalizing on a grant from the Stanton Foundation). The hope had been to receive a follow up grant for up to $250K for the construction portion of the project.
This fall, Rec Director Travis Farley told CPC members that a “paperwork” issue with MassDEP had ended up derailing the project.
Looking back at past meetings, it’s a bit more complicated than just paperwork. In August and September 2024, Commissioners were informed about a complication related to the underlying old landfill.
The state considered adding a dog park to the athletic field area to be a “change of use”. That meant the Town would now need to show proof that the landfill was properly closed. Standards have changed since Lundblad was capped in the late 1990s. Purportedly, the bore testing that would be needed to provide the data to DEP would ruin the cap layer. The testing and restoration would were estimated to cost about $100K. Plus, if issues were discovered, Town officials worried that would trigger the need to spend millions to fix it.
After learning about the issue, the Commission sought a solution that would allow them to still make use of the grant. That included an “exhaustive” search for other locations. They weren’t able to find a solution before the foundation grant program “sunsetted”.
In their research, the Commission determined that the only available property that worked for a new dog park would be Fayville. The project concept for the dog park and a splash pad upgrade were added to their Capital Plan.
Initially, it was something Rec planned to pursue further down the road. But when the New Neary School Project was voted down in May, that put school properties in limbo.
The Commission decided to put on hold projects related to fields at Neary. Farley recommended that it was a good time to pursue the Fayville project. The Commission agreed, and applied for a 2026 CPA project.
Splash Pad Concept & History
In 2010, Rec researched building a splash pad at their property at 21 Highland Street. Due to funding issues, they ultimately replaced the concept with a playground.
Last month, Farley told CPC that when the Commission surveyed the public for its 2019 Recreation and Open Space Plan, there were 20+ mentions of a pool or splash pad. He explained that people really wanted a pool but, like him, understood that a splash pad would be a good compromise.
Some of the benefits touted:
- Avoids the lifeguard staffing shortage
- A closed loop system would use less water than a pool
- Because it isn’t staffed, it can open earlier in the spring and close later in the fall
The main benefit is “safe, affordable heat relief” for parents seeking an option that lets their kids be active outdoors in the summer. Most of the Towns around Southborough have public splash pads. (Hopkinton doesn’t appear to, but there’s a lake in Hopkinton State Park.)
The life expectancy of the splash pad was estimated at about 20-25 years. Farley clarified that afterwards, he believed that “weathered” elements could be replaced in bits and pieces.
ADA Accessibility
In 2021, the Town created a Transition Plan for dealing with Town properties that aren’t in full compliance with the (ADA) Americans with Disabilities Act regulations for handicap accessibility. The plan recognized the need to address issues at Fayville Park and Playground. (You can read the final plan here.)
According to Farley, the project would follow up on that to make the park fully accessible. That includes improvements to the walking path.
During last month’s meeting, Farley spoke about it as an amenity that seniors can enjoy. CPC Chair Lisa Braccio enthused that they could follow their walk by sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee with a beautiful view.
Eliminating the T-Ball Field
The project requires getting rid of a field that is currently used for T-Ball by youth baseball (Algonquin Baseball & Softball Association). Farley told the CPC that he had reached out to the ABSA before pursuing the application. He found the president receptive to the idea.
According to Farley, the field is lower on ABSA’s use and priority list. And the association had liked the idea of Rec potentially investing in improvements to the T-Ball field at Finn School. The Rec Director said he believed that he could work with DPW and ABSA on the work needed to make that field playable.
Rec would lose use of the field for their own mini-sports programs. But Farley felt that would be offset by the opportunities opened up for other programs in the upgraded park.
The CPC Article & Project Costs
The survey and public communications are a piece of Rec’s process in preparing for a Town Meeting. It’s possible that what the Commission hears back from he community could lead to more project changes.
For the current version, a rough estimate showed a total up front cost at $1,072,200 (including a 20% construction contingency). That includes the $67K design cost that the Commission plans to cover using their Revolving Fund. (That’s the account funded by program and user fees rather than taxes.)
As for annual operating costs for a Splash Pad, Farley said he’d seen them range from about $4K – $9K. He planned to use the Revolving Fund, or other revenue sources, rather than adding to taxes to cover that.
Rec is also pursuing grant opportunities. But Farley noted that he learned the federal grant for dog parks has had a longer approval period recently. If a grant applied for in January is preliminarily approved in March, they would still need to wait for a final approval of the available federal funds before they can start any work. That could result in construction having to wait until the following spring.
Even a grant is approved, the Town would need to approve funding a portion of the project. Either way, Rec will be working towards a CPC Article to present at the April 11th Annual Town Meeting.
Between now and Town Meeting, Rec will continue vetting project costs and details that the CPC advised voters are likely to ask about. That includes considerations like the annual replacement and disposal costs for wood chips in the dog park.
