GUILFORD — Townspeople will decide whether to allow a space designated for children's interaction with the outdoors at the heart of their town.
A proposal to create a village green and natural play area on town land is on the agenda for Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m.
Andy Loughney, an enthusiastic young resident, has provided much of the brains and heart behind the project. In support are Michelle Frehsee of the planning commission, a handful of townspeople who filled out a survey, and the Anthony family, who donated the proposed parcel located in Guilford Center Village off Carpenter Hill Road.
A natural playscape is loosely defined as an area where kids can play outdoors amid low-maintenance structures that encourage fun, according to a website created to advocate for the project.
“[The Playscape] would be a place that would not distract your line of sight, but rather gently catch your eye and invite you in,” Loughney writes.
The inspiration for the project, which would rely on volunteers and donations, comes from the perceived need of a community gathering space in the heart of Guilford and a place for younger kids to play and interact away from the bright synthetics of a packaged playground.
Residents identified the creation of such a public space on an initial list of “opportunities and challenges” in a 2013 Community Visit Day organized by the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
According to the VCRD's Report and Action Plan from the Guilford community visit, “A task force of Guilford residents could develop a Guilford park across the brook behind the Grange with pathways linking to the town offices, library, and school. Young families are looking for a central place to go, a picnic park that could also feature a gazebo and children's playground.”
Forum participants ranked it second on the list of almost 20 “opportunities and challenges” for the town.
Is Guilford ready for such a project? Questions have been raised about the shared use of land with neighboring cows, who drink from the brook and graze there.
There is also the issue of liability, which according to lawyers from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, is adequately covered by town insurance.
Others have raised concerns about parking.
To watch or read Andy Loughney and Michelle Fressee's presentation to the Selectboard on Sept. 8, 2014, visit Brattleborotv.org. (Presentation is from 16:07 to 40:47 minutes.)
For further details on the proposed playscape, visit helloguilford.com.