The New London day article from 06/12/2013 Site for New London community center proposed does not tell the whole story. When the city sold the Edgerton School property to Peter Levine, the residents in the surrounding neighborhood rallied support to ensure that the property was not used for institutional purposes. The neighbors’ concerns were based upon the quality of life in the area and the fact that VETERANS FIELD was where our children played and where sporting games and practice sessions took place. VETERANS FIELD is part of our neighborhood life.
VETERAN'S FIELD became the site for portable classrooms to house students while our city began the task of rebuilding our school infrastructure. The commitment from the City of New London to the neighbors and to all of New London was that the recreation fields would be restored once the portable class rooms were removed. This was the promise to the community and to the people of the neighborhood.The surrounding neighborhood has done without the fields for over 8 years now and with the portable class rooms in the process of being removed there is a movement afoot to again take our VETERANS FIELD open space athletic fields away, only this time the plan is to take away our fields and open space forever. We cannot allow this to happen.
How many on this committee are from the neighborhood that surrounds the fields and open space that the committee wants to take away from us? How many if any in the surrounding area has this committee spoken with. This proposal is flawed from every aspect. I spoke at the city council meetings when the Edgerton School property was put out for sale. I suggested a municipal campus and or a community center on that parcel of city land that abutted the VETERANS’ FIELD. These suggestions were tossed aside and the Edgerton School property was sold for approximately $335,000. Nothing has been done with that property since. Eight Short years ago the adjoining property to the current proposed site was not good enough for a community center and today the plan is to take away even more open space and sports fields from the youth of New London and my neighborhood. I wonder what the true motivation is. New London once had a YMCA and that went away, what makes them think that it can be a success today?
I ask myself why it is that the membership of this committee was not interested in a community center on the Edgerton site eight years ago when the city owned the property. Why is it that field space is again on the table to be taken away from the children in neighborhoods north of the hospital?
City Council president Passero has been leading the group and the mayor supports a community center but says there is no funding. This is not the time and VETERANS FIELD is not the place. Where will the city find replacement open space and money to purchase that required replacement open space?
While a realistic location needs to be identified and funding secured, the immediate need could be addressed with SEAT transportation to the nearest YMCA location combined with sliding fee scales and then the committee can accurately assess if there is a real desire by the target population to even utilize a YMCA. That step would make sense before building something that becomes another underutilized space in the city.
I am not opposed to a community center at all. I am opposed to the proposed site and the loss of VETERANS FIELD as athletic fields for my neighborhood and for all of the youth of New London.
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