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Commission discusses field closures for May 10, signage and safety after on-field incident; AED cases need replacements
Summary
Ahead of the May 10 special town meeting, the Recreation Commission and youth groups agreed on a compromise to shift in-town games; commissioners also discussed signage improvements for Trottier track, an on-field incident involving two people on the turf and a request for police drive-throughs, and weather damage to outdoor AED cases.
The Recreation Commission on April 1 discussed several field-safety and operations issues ahead of the May 10 special town meeting. Town staff said officials asked the commission to close fields for the meeting; staff and youth-sports groups negotiated a compromise that shifts in-town morning games later in the day while allowing travel/league games to remain at their scheduled times.
"We've been asked to possibly close the fields for that May 10 town meeting. ... they gave us the option to work with youth groups to come up with a compromise," a staff member said. The commission said the hoped-for result is that players and families will attend the meeting if fields are unused in the morning.
Commissioners also raised problems with signage and inappropriate use of track surfaces. Members discussed clearer visual signs (for example, large pictograms showing "no dogs," "no strollers," and "no lawn chairs on turf") to reduce misuse. Commissioners noted that lawn chairs on turf are commonly used at the 9/11 memorial-area field and that some fields (notably Woodward) are higher priority to prohibit chairs to avoid damage.
The commission heard from a youth coach who described an early-morning incident when two people were found on the turf and appeared intoxicated: "There was 2 people just on top of each other, obviously under the influence of something ..." The coach asked whether the commission could ask the Southborough Police Department to include a drive-through around 5:30 a.m. during the season to deter that activity. Commissioners advised staff to coordinate with the police department and reiterated that coaches should call police immediately if they encounter unsafe persons on fields.
Finally, staff reported that outdoor AED cases installed last year were not rated for outdoor exposure and that at least one device was damaged by water; staff ordered weatherproof cases and expect to replace or consolidate units at outdoor facilities (Woodward, Neary) in the coming weeks. Staff said more durable, networked AED units are available but cost more and can provide remote alerts when offline.
No formal vote was taken on these operational items; commissioners asked staff to draft updated signage language, coordinate with the ADA committee and police department, and post updates to the public when AED cases are replaced.
