It’s been 69 days since voters approved Thomaston Green Park. 

Has anything changed at the Thomaston “Green” since then?

No.

On June 14, voters approved that the land south of William King Street including the 100-foot tree-lined esplanade from Main Street to be known as Thomaston Green Park. It is “public open space for recreational use in perpetuity.”

The Town sent out a request for volunteers to join a committee to decide the future not only of the new park, but to offer input on the north side of the Green, as well. The deadline was August 1. On August 14, the Select Board announced that 18 people expressed interest, yet they were only accepting seven plus the two co-chairs: Jonathan Eaton and Zel Bowman-Laberge.

Before the meeting, I sent an email to the Select Board with questions about the park. The Chair, Diane Giese, said, “We will not be addressing any detailed ideas yet as they have not been submitted by a committee that has yet to meet.”  

At the August 14 Select Board meeting, Giese would not permit questions about the park that went beyond the committee and told me to sit down. I continued anyway.

When it was revealed that only seven lucky residents would be selected (via a vetting survey) to be on the committee, I voiced dissent advocating for a broader range of representation.

Additionally, I asked the Select Board why anyone would have faith that their work would be considered or even acted upon given the board’s history of ignoring recommendations from previous committees, like the Fall 2022 Green Workshops, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Committee, and the Comprehensive Plan Committee. Giese replied that there are no guarantees.

Why is the Select Board and the Town in general so controlling and closed about anything to do with Thomaston Green Park?

When asked how the decision was made to funnel everything to do with the new park through a temporary committee originated, Giese wasn’t specific. I knew already. It was initiated at the June Economic Development Committee Meeting. I believe this is how they will control, delay, and ultimately stymy any improvements of the voter-approved park.

There are immediate improvements that can be made now that do not need a committee. Things like revising the current rental use fee schedule and the requirement for Select Board approval for any park use. Or being able to have a place to sit. Or being able to have lawn games like cornhole, badminton, and croquet. Or planting gardens (and installing bird feeders). And planning for a park loop. Each of these are recommendations from earlier committees.

It makes sense that long-term, capital improvements require thought, research, funding, and input from residents and ultimately voter approval. However, immediate short-term improvements should not be lumped in with these larger improvements. In “How to Turn a Place Around” written by the Project for Public Spaces, they said “start with the petunias.” In other words, start small. Make a visually impactful statement that people will notice right away.

In spite of the stasis the Select Board wants, I was so happy to see a group of young people who got together after work on a beautiful evening this past week to play soccer and have a picnic near the gazebo. I asked if they contacted the office and applied to use the space. They were shocked that they would even have to do that.

And, I also noticed that someone hung a bird feeder on one of the elm trees.

So, people are trying to use the space, personalize it, and make it their own. This park belongs to residents, not the Select Board. We don’t need a committee to decide what a park is, to approve or disapprove what can and can’t be done on it, and we shouldn’t have to go to the voters again just to put park benches, lawn games, and gardens there.

Stay tuned.

Kathleen Norton lives in Thomaston