Courtesy: Waltham News Tribune


Proposal to remove courts at Waltham playground criticized

by Eli Sherman

Mar. 5, 2014

South side residents and "futsal" advocates are shocked with the city’s pending, but likely, decision to remove three basketball courts at Gilmore Playground.

Futsal, a five-a-side version of soccer usually played on basketball-sized hard floor courts, is a tremendously popular sport on the city’s south side and residents can often be found playing on the courts at the playground.

During a Feb. 11 meeting, playground neighbors expressed discontent over the overuse, noise and sometimes crime produced by people at the basketball courts. Much to the chagrin of fustal players and supporters, neighbors and city officials have shown overwhelming support for a new design that would eliminate the courts at Lowell and High streets altogether.

Dan Reedy, a Waltham resident, after the meeting wrote a letter to Ward 9 Councilor Robert Logan – who represents the area – and Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, saying he was originally concerned about soccer facilities on the south side, but left the meeting feeling taken aback.

"A recreational facility that will be taken down because it is over utilized – I just never considered it possible," Reedy wrote, adding he had no personal stake in the decision and that his children played basketball at Nipper Maher Park on the west side of the city.

Three designs were presented for the park. Two included one basketball court and the third – and most popular, according to McCarthy and Recreation Department Director Sandra Tomasello – had no basketball court.

"The consensus of those present at the February 11 meeting, was to have a final plan which included a large playground area (with traditional and newer product lines for all ages; toddlers through young teens), the creation of a neighborhood park environment with more green space, perimeter walking path, security lighting, water fountain, and memorial plaque recognizing Mr. Peter Gilmore," according to the Recreation Department website.

Detective Sgt. Joseph Guigno, who says he goes down to the park from time to time for cases, wasn’t convinced getting rid of the basketball courts was the best idea for the community.

"It’s a gathering place where you know the kids are," Guigno said last week. "Kids are playing, for the most part, and it allows us to do some community policing and speak with kids about what’s going on."
A number of futsal supporters were also troubled by the plan and spoke up during the meeting, expressing how this would create a void for their sport. In response to their concerns, a second meeting was called and held on Feb. 24 to explore the possibility of setting up a fustal – or multi-purpose – court at "Jack" Koutoujian Playground.

During the meeting, Mario Tellez Jr., 19, of Chestnut Street, stood up and criticized the city’s effort on getting the word out about the Gilmore meeting, saying he and his brother Fernando, 18, had no problem walking around the neighborhood spreading the word, after people realized they weren’t selling chocolate.

"People would say ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me what’s going on?’ and ‘Geez, I’m pissed,’" Tellez said. "The point is, is that we asked them if they realized what futsal was and if they could support it, and they’d ask, ‘Why are they even taking the courts out of Gilmore?’"
Ward 8 Councilor Stephen Rourke and Tomasello came to the defense of Logan, saying the Ward 9 councilor handed out more than 100 flyers and the information was posted online in various places. It was also put up on Facebook, Tomasello said.

About 25 people showed up for the Koutoujian Playground meeting and all but one were there to support futsal. The outlier was interested in creating a dog park.

Mario and Fernando Tellez gathered about 100 signatures from the community – as of last Thursday – all in support of futsal.
Koutoujian Playground, at 901 Moody St., is actually a landfill turned into a park. The front end includes a youth softball field, which Tomasello says is underutilized, a play structure and a skate park. McCarthy and Rourke think at least one fustal court and maybe a soccer field could be constructed there.

The back-end, and larger, section of the park would need to be capped and thoroughly tested for chemicals before any construction is allowed. McCarthy said the earliest any construction on the front end could start would be by 2015.

Reedy later expressed concerns that echoed Guigno’s, saying he thought the city would be dealing with the fallout from taking the basketball courts away from Gilmore for a long time.

"I don’t know if the current users will still hang out at the park and pass the time in other ways, [or] if they’ll spend more time elsewhere, time will tell," Reedy said. "You know there was kind of a beauty to Gilmore. You had a bunch of at-risk youth in one place with exercising. You couldn’t do much there that wouldn’t be seen from three of the streets that encompass it. If the problems there were crimes and not just ordinary youthful behavior, perhaps a police officer on a bike could have kept a closer watch on it. I just hate to see Waltham kids lose it."






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com