Almy’s Comments About “Ball Fields” Are Out Of Left Field
I appreciate Ms. Almy’s clarification in her January 2nd, 2020 letter to the editor “Urban parks and conservation land are different” in the Valley News that she was speaking only for herself, not on behalf of the Lebanon Conservation Commission, when she voiced her concerns about the plans for publicly accessible waterfront at River Park West Lebanon.
Ms. Almy is entitled to enjoy an opinion, like any other Lebanon resident, but as a member of the Lebanon Conservation Commission it is incumbent on her to be informed. Commission Member Almy was not present at the November 14, 2019 Conservation Commission hearing when Lyme presented an update on our plans for the Friends of River Park. However, our presentation and a press release outlining our proposal to the Conservation Commission have been available to all at www.riverparkwestlebanon.com and the newly launched www.friendsofriverpark.org since November 15, 2019.
Unfortunately, her January 2nd letter further compounds her inaccurate statements to the Valley News about what we are seeking to accomplish with the Friends of River Park. I was willing to move past her initial comments in the December 5, 2019 article, but this latest letter includes a number of false statements that need to be corrected.
First, River Park is gifting the 6-acre riverfront parcel known as “Lot 6” for public use in keeping with our long-standing commitment to the community. We are not “[donating] the river edge to the City of Lebanon,“ as she writes. Instead, ownership of “Lot 6” will be transferred to the Friends of River Park a New Hampshire not-for-profit entity that was formed in April 27, 2015 with the explicit mission:
“to improve and maintain a park for the enjoyment of the general public along the easterly bank of the Connecticut River in the City of Lebanon, Grafton County, New Hampshire”
An independent, not-for-profit organization has certain advantages to achieve this vision which I will expand upon in further detail below.
Second, in her letter Ms. Almy establishes her own definitions of “Conservation Lands” and “Urban Parks.” What’s being proposed for River Park, however, is neither an Urban Park nor Conservation Land at all, at least not by her definition. On January 2, 2018 River Park proactively placed Deed Restrictions on Lot 6. The “Declaration of Covenants, Restrictions and Easements for River Park, Lot 6, Open Space” recorded in Grafton County define the intended uses to include:
2.1 Recreational uses by the public and others, including, without limitation, walking, hiking, running, cycling, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, fishing, swimming, and boating; provided, however, that no motorized or mechanized vehicles or boats are permitted (except service and emergency vehicles· and vehicles and other equipment used in connection with the construction of any structure or improvement permitted under this Section 2).
2.2 The planting of trees, shrubs and other landscaping and vegetation, the mowing and trimming of grass and fields, and the alteration of terrain and installation of rip-rap and other drainage and erosion control devices necessary for the protection of the shoreland.
2.3 Pruning, cutting and removal of trees, brush and other vegetation consistent with sound forestry conservation practices or to implement disease prevention measures or to enhance or protect wildlife habitat.
2.4 Accessory uses to, or accessory structures or other improvements in connection with, any of the foregoing permitted uses. Such accessory structures and improvements may include, without limitation, paved or unpaved pedestrian and bicycle paths and trails, signs, trail markers, pavilions, gazebos, concessions, restrooms, temporary shelters and other structures, picnic tables, boat launches and ramps, docks, boat houses, fishing platforms, and any other structure the use of which is not materially inconsistent with the outdoor recreational use of Lot 6.
These restrictions reflect the input of the community during the Neighborhood Planning Process that Lyme conducted between 2007-2009 to proactively solicit community input ahead of what became the River Park Master Plan. Had Ms. Almy attended any of those open-to-the-public meetings (to which Lyme specifically invited her and all City officials at the time), or reviewed the outcome of the electronic polling software that allows all participants to have an equal voice, she would have seen that providing public access to the Connecticut River was the number one priority of the community. These Deed Restrictions were reviewed and approved by the City of Lebanon prior to their recording in Grafton County.
This desire was further confirmed during the recent October, 2019 West Lebanon Village Visioning process conducted by the City of Lebanon Planning Department, in which 96% of 255 respondents to their online poll answered "Yes" -or- "Maybe - need to know more" to "Would you support creating walks or trails along and/or across the Connecticut River, to celebrate and experience the river as a special part of West Lebanon?"
As such, I’m not sure where she’s getting her information from about “ball fields” or “asphalt along the river” because those have never been part of any proposal related to the publicly accessible open space at River Park. Paved trails are included as an allowed use so as to provide ADA-accessibility. As for what does– or doesn’t– make a gazebo “too urban,” well quite frankly I’m at a loss on that one.
In fact, no final design has been determined for the waterfront parcel, only conceptual ideas from 5 leading landscape architecture firms. In 2015 we facilitated the River Park Landscape Design Competition, encouraging these firms to develop proposals for the landscape at River Park which “reflected the area’s rich history, revealed the inherent characteristics of the location, and incorporated themes of ecology, sustainability and connectivity to the West Lebanon community.” Those submissions have been readily available at www.riverparkwestlebanon.com since they were made open to the public for review and comment in September of 2015, and are also now available at www.friendsofriverpark.org. These are all ideas that the Friends of River Park will have available moving forwards, and it should go without saying that all improvements at River Park will continue to abide by all applicable local and state regulations.
At Lyme Properties we have taken the December 21, 2019 Valley News editorial “Details must be worked out, but the proposed Connecticut River park would be a real community asset” to heart and have made it our New Year’s Resolution to “move expeditiously to close the deal” on the riverfront open space at River Park. For over a decade now it has been our hope that River Park can be a key piece of the larger puzzle of recreational connectivity in the Upper Valley, and this is the year that we can take the next big step. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us as private real estate developers to contribute to the larger vision of improved access and open space for all citizens, and we take seriously our responsibility to do it well.
It is my hope that the Friends of River Park can create a coalition of stakeholders to bring unparalleled public access to the Connecticut River, which is why Lyme has suggested a unique model to achieve our longstanding goal of public access. We have proposed a way for the Lebanon Conservation Commission to take a proactive role in partnership, by allocating the fees that River Park will pay to the Open Space Trust “LOST Fund.”
This decision rests with all members of the Conservation Commission, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with them this year. If the Conservation Commission does not feel that this is a suitable use of LOST funds, then it is their prerogative to vote against allocating funds to this project. But we hope they will join Lyme Properties in helping achieve this shared vision at River Park. As announced on November 14, 2019, Lyme Properties has committed to matching their contribution dollar-for-dollar. We also invite any and all interested individuals and organizations to come be a part of this project by joining the Friends of River Park.
River Park will complete the transfer of Lot 6 to the Friends of River Park in 2020, as soon as the Conservation Commission acts on our proposal. We are also re-engaged with the Upper Valley Land Trust to finalize the stewardship easement to assist in protecting the publicly accessible open space as has been our publicly stated intent since we first announced the plan in 2015.
Now, why did we elect to proceed with putting Lot 6 under the control of a not-for-profit organization? In part, because during the River Park planning and approvals process, the City of Lebanon repeatedly opted not to assume any responsibility for the public uses at River Park. For example, the City Manager at the time recommended that the Lebanon City Council not accept River Park Drive and Lyman Street as public roads facilitating public access to the riverfront. River Park is responsible for the cost and care of these even though they we were required to design and build them to City standards.
But most importantly, our research and past experience informed our decision that a public-private partnership was the best model to achieve the river access that the majority of Citizens (per our NPP process, and the City’s own West Lebanon Village Visioning process want to see. It also allows for the project to be funded from multiple sources, including the River Park development itself which will have a common area maintenance assessment.
The City of Lebanon Parks & Recreation department does an excellent job maintaining the City’s current facilities, and I appreciate their challenge to do so within the challenges of a municipal budget. My father-in-law Bob Shelton was the head of Parks & Recreation in my hometown of Tyler, Texas. He laid the groundwork for what would become the world-famous Tyler Rose Garden, and he taught me that the challenge isn’t just getting a park built, it is figuring out how to sustainably maintain it.
That’s why Lyme Properties has historically utilized creative models to achieve landscape design, development, and maintenance goals at our past projects. At our Kendall Square development in Cambridge we held a landscape design competition– similar to the River Park competition in 2015– and the winning entry by Michael Van Valkenburgh laid the groundwork for an award-winning, 10-acre master-planned development and community that became Kendall Square and is now known as Canal District Kendall.
We have also learned from successful public-private open space partnerships that we admire, including: The Trustees of the Reservations in Massachusetts, Friends of the Highline in New York City, and The Trail Foundation overseeing the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake in Austin. I’m sure there are other great examples, and I welcome anyone to send good ideas to FriendsofRiverPark.org/contact.
Here in Lebanon, the citizen-lead Mascoma River Greenway group continues to impress with their expanding walking/biking trail that will eventually connect from the Northern Rail Trail to downtown West Lebanon. The River Park waterfront will be another piece of the puzzle-board of publicly accessible open space in the Upper Valley. We hope it will serve to connect between the Boston Lot and Wilder Dam to the North, and whatever the future holds for the Westboro Yards to the South. The opportunity for connectivity between these assets exists, but it will take the collective work of all stakeholder– public, private, and municipal– to connect the patchwork.
I will end by quoting the Valley News editorial which I think very aptly expresses the opportunity at hand:
“We hope [Lebanon Conservation Commission] members will keep an open mind about what amenities the proposed park would contain, consistent with responsible stewardship of land so close to the Connecticut River. It may well be that there is public demand for some of those things and that they could be accommodated without changing the character of the site, as they have been in many other settings.
The Connecticut River is a jewel that remains largely hidden from public view and access in much of the Upper Valley. The opportunity to display this ornament in perpetuity, with access to all, is exceedingly rare and should not be squandered, even as the city pursues the cleanup of the old Westboro rail yard nearby with an eye to providing public access to the Connecticut. Parks along the river connected by walking trails would be a magnificent addition to the area’s quality of life.”
