Members of Northfield’s Accessibility, Walkability and Pedestrian Safety Task Force asked the Select Board to study creating a limited parking area at Cheney Field during the current construction window to improve access for people with limited mobility and reduce neighborhood street parking.

The request, presented during public participation, sought to use a parking area already constructed for construction vehicles as a short-term public access point. Task force members said the option would make the field reachable for older residents, families with small children and people using strollers, and could reduce cars parking on nearby residential streets.

The task force framed the proposal as a temporary, negotiated use of the construction-area parking pad. They suggested measures to reduce risks: a seasonal or daily gate (for example, open until dusk), signage prohibiting trash, and optional solar-powered cameras to support monitoring. The task force also said locating parking closer to the road could make fire pits and emergency access easier if a problem occurred.

Residents who spoke described differing perspectives. Janan Ham, a resident who hikes with a local group, said limited parking would broaden access for older participants and parents with young children and would reduce pressure on neighborhood street parking. Gerard Barnway, a Hill Street resident, warned that the Hill Street/Vine intersection has limited sight lines and narrow roadways and that “with more traffic up there, I think the town’s gonna have to think about safety issues,” including guardrails and possible road widening.

Select Board members cautioned that the idea is complicated. Board members said earlier community meetings had shown neighborhood resistance to permanent park development on the field. The Conservation Commission has not recommended the parking plan; several board members urged the task force to meet with the Conservation Commission and the Town Forest Stewardship Committee before the Select Board schedules a formal hearing.

Board members and residents also flagged practical constraints: engineering questions about the hairpin turn on the access road, maintenance responsibilities (plowing, seasonal closures), liability for illegal fires (town forest fires are not permitted without permission), and costs for road improvements or retaining walls on private property. Task force members and residents noted a prior feasibility study did not fully evaluate Cheney Field because of anticipated engineering expense.

Select Board members told the task force to coordinate meetings with the Conservation Commission and the Town Forest Stewardship Committee, then bring a compromise proposal back to the board. The board set an internal expectation that work on this item should be completed before the town’s stated internal deadline of Sept. 1; members said if no plan comes forward by then, the item will be dropped for the season.

The Select Board did not take a formal vote on the parking proposal. Instead the board directed task force members and staff to meet with the Conservation Commission and town forest representatives, to discuss traffic and safety mitigations, and to return with a recommended approach and any cost or maintenance estimates for further Select Board consideration.

The Select Board and members of the task force also discussed related access points: previously available parking at Norwich/Shaw Center and trail connections that have been altered or lost, and the constraints imposed by adjacent land owned by Norwich University.

Next steps: task force members were encouraged to schedule meetings with the Conservation Commission and the Town Forest Stewardship Committee, and staff was asked to help facilitate those meetings and to gather information on potential maintenance costs and seasonal restrictions. The board said neighbors must be included in follow-up discussions before any formal action or hearing is scheduled.