Parks director seeks conservation guidance for Memorial Park courts, bridge and shade structures

The Parks and Recreation director (unnamed in the transcript) told the Town of Hampden Conservation Commission on Aug. 12 that Parks & Rec is exploring multiple projects at Memorial Park and wanted guidance before spending on engineering or design.

The projects under consideration include expanding an existing blacktop pad near Ballard Brook into a dual-use pickleball and half-basketball court; locating one or two full pickleball courts in other park spots farther from the brook; repairing a small pedestrian footbridge over the brook; and installing single-post shade structures near the splash pad.

The director said the existing pad “is about 15 feet from the brook” and that the current slab would need roughly nine feet of additional space to host a full pickleball setup. He framed his visit as a fact-finding trip: “I need to figure out feasibility of projects there…what I need to do in order to take the next step.”

Why it matters: the park sits adjacent to regulated wetlands and riverfront…