Residents press Westborough to protect Round Top Hill, Fay Mountain and expand recreation at Veterans Freedom Park

Several residents used the Town of Westborough’s Open Space and Recreation Plan outreach session to press for protection or improvement of specific local sites.

Dennis Fenton, who said he lives at 52 Ruggle Street, called attention to Round Top Hill, describing it as a locally cherished sledding hill that has narrowed “over the past 15 years” because trees and brush have encroached since the high school took over maintenance after 2004. “I'm here to try to save that hill,” Fenton said, asking the town to identify who could use heavy equipment or take responsibility for the site’s maintenance.

Other residents identified a cluster of roughly 60 acres off West Main Street near downtown and Fay Mountain off Adam Street as parcels they would like the town to consider for protection. A representative tied to the Westborough Community Land Trust said some trust parcels lack accurate state GIS metadata and urged the town to help correct those records so parcels can be prioritized accurately in the plan.

Suggestions for improved recreation at Veterans Freedom Park included expanded active uses, collaboration with an existing ice‑rink operator on Oak Street to operate a seasonal rink, and a skateboard facility; one resident also proposed boat rentals and a concession at Chauncey to support weekend use. An audience member working on regional river access urged consideration of a canoe launch on the Assabet River where flow and parking permit paddling, but cautioned that access to Cedar Swamp is ecologically sensitive.

No formal decisions were made; staff and consultants invited residents to mark parcels on project maps, participate in stakeholder meetings and respond to a forthcoming town survey so that specific sites and ideas can be reflected in the plan’s exhibit and future grant applications.