The Community Preservation Committee continued hearing from grant applicants at their meeting on Monday night.
The first proposal heard was from Johnson Elementary School Principal Kevin Andrews, with a value of $15,606, as he seeks to install a “boulder scramble” at the school’s Forest Playground. The project described an eroding incline that students climb up consistently at the playground. Andrews aims to create a safer and more stabilized way for his students to climb by adding strategically placed rocks.
“Folks install large rocks,” Andrews said. “They have another opportunity to exercise, move up the hill, reduce erosion, and make a fun, natural feature. It’s essentially a playground feature but in a natural way.”
Andrews said that he and his peers originally planned to put in a “stone staircase.” However, he explained that he feels a boulder scramble would be safer and more unique.
Committee member Paul Spirn encouraged Andrews to implement consistent supervision over the site.
“In terms of general oversight, I think it should be on somebody’s brief,” Spirn said. “Whether you want to rotate it from one faculty to another or have it looked after by one of the custodial staff or yourself, something.”
Andrews responded that the playground structures in place are already periodically checked for safety and maintenance, and the boulder scramble will be no different.
The other component of Andrews’s proposal was the purchase and installation of a sign kiosk that would identify plants in the hillside, wetland, and shade garden along the heritage trail.
“Folks walking on the heritage trail would have the opportunity to see the plants that would naturally occur in these spaces,” Andrews said.
The committee expressed general support for the proposal throughout Andrews’s presentation. Committee member Barbara Beatty emphasized that selecting rocks will be crucial to maximizing safety.
The committee next reviewed a proposal from the town for the amount of $20,000 that would add necessary signage, fencing, and surfacing to help navigate and discern the Goddard Drive portion of the Heritage Trail. Town Administrator Tony Barletta was slated to lead this application’s presentation but was unable to attend the meeting.
“As somebody who has been on that trail recently, I would agree that there is a need for signage and fencing and surfacing that would make this easier to navigate,” Committee Chair Lynne Spencer said.
Before the Jan. 23 deadline, the committee received a total of 12 applications. The Commonwealth’s Community Preservation Act allows the Town of Nahant to invest in projects related to open space, historic preservation, affordable housing, and recreation. The town’s 3% property tax surcharge is matched annually with state funding to finance potential projects. The CPC will need to have their recommendations prepared by April 19 before going to the Financial Committee and, ultimately, the Town Meeting in May.
