ACCESS AND CIRCULATION ANALYSIS

Center Elementary School’s one-way driveway connects to the entrance to B. Everett Field off of Route 139. On a school day, there is heavy vehicle circulation from Silver Street to Route 139 in the morning and afternoon for dropoff and pickup for buses and parents. This driveway is a major feature on the site, bisecting the open spaces and making the bandstand lawn feel like an island.

There are some paved or gravel paths for pedestrian circulation, but they dead end at individual elements rather than connecting elements together.

Where there aren’t existing paths, people cross over the lawn or walk on the street to get between the parking lot and playgrounds. Dog walkers walk on grass around the perimeter or the edge of the plateau for their route, though there is no marked path. An ADA Self-Evaluation in the 2018 OSRP noted that a lack of appropriately surfaced pathways was the biggest factor prohibiting accessibility at B. Everett Hall Field.¹

Unplanned paths through the wooded edges of the site connect to private properties, indicating a desire for walking access from adjacent neighbors. Town and Center School representatives are not concerned about proximity to neighbors or the public park.²

There are a few benches on site associated with the sports fields, but benches with backrests for spectators and other park visitors are fewer and further between. There are two picnic areas–one a covered pavilion at Center Elementary and one between the parking lot and basketball court beneath tall pines. The latter has several picnic tables designed to accommodate people using assisted mobility devices. There are six benches within the fenced playground. The new benches by the Veterans Memorial do not have backrests or armrests.

The Department of Public Works shut off water spigots and fountains on site due to lead in the pipes. Because of their sporadic use, lead from the pipes is able to leach into the water.³ Bringing potable water to the site would be a huge boost for all-day comfort, especially for those engaged in active recreation.

There is a bathroom building that is padlocked. In its stead, visitors can use an ADA-compliant portable toilet on the asphalt surface next to the picnic tables.

These “basic needs” amenities–benches, water, and bathrooms–were mentioned regularly by people through the engagement process as much needed upgrades.