Ashland committee presses for fixes to draft Open Space and Recreation Plan before state submission

Roberta Soolman, chairperson of the Ashland Open Space and Recreation Committee, opened the May 12 meeting and led a discussion about final edits to the town’s draft Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP).

Committee members pressed staff to finalize several outstanding items before the town submits the plan to the state. Members objected to a proposed cover photograph that shows alcohol at the Corner Spot and asked that the cover instead highlight an open-space amenity. They also questioned whether the draft’s demographics and land-inventory sections satisfy the OSRP Workbook (2008), which the committee identified as the guiding framework for this plan, and said some maps — specifically the Regional Context and the Action Plan maps — appear to be missing.

Jeanne Walker said the plan’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) section remains incomplete because the committee has been unable to find local residents with disabilities willing to speak about access needs; Walker said collecting those interviews is necessary to improve how the town addresses accessibility. The committee reiterated that it wants to review the near-final draft before the town forwards it to the state and to decide whether to include the Open Space and Recreation logo and committee members’ names on the submitted document.

The committee did not take a formal vote on any OSRP changes at the meeting; members agreed to continue editing and to hold the draft for a final review. The next committee meeting is scheduled for June 9.