WEYMOUTH – Residents who are uneasy about visiting public spaces because of health risks posed by COVID-19 can enjoy an online tour of Jackson Square and its nearby recreation sites through Aug. 17.
Town principal planner Eric Schneider said the virtual tour allows residents to state their preferences about improving conditions at the recreation locations and boosting business development.
“If it were not for the coronavirus pandemic, we would have an in-person community hearing, and a consultant would show up, and to a Powerpoint presentation,” he said.
Schneider said the online tour was arranged by Harriman & Associates, a town consultant advising the Planning Department about how to improve commerce in Jackson Square and passive recreation.
“We asked them to look at zoning regulations that might be impeding development in the square and how to utilize open space and have better connectivity to Lovell Field and the request of the square,” he said.
Tour Weymouth Herring Run, Lovell Field
The virtual tour includes a walk through the square, which consists of the town’s Herring Run Brook and Lovell Field.
Lovell underwent a $6.4 million makeover in 2017 that includes the replacement of two well-worn baseball diamonds with two regulation-size, artificial-turf soccer fields, and a half-size turf field for soccer practices.
The upgrades included a new walking path around the field’s perimeter, LED sports lighting to support nighttime contests, and expanded playground with accessible ramps behind Pingree Primary School.
Schneider said Harriman & Associates provides the online viewer with a visual display of potential new developments and streetscape improvements in the square.
“Nothing has been proposed,” he said.
State your preference
Schneider said the tour allows residents to rank their preferences for possible improvements in the business district and nearby town properties.
“People will have the opportunity to take the survey at their leisure,” he said. “You don’t have to do it all in one sitting. You can take a break and come back to it. The survey gives the public a lot of flexibility with how to approach it.”
Schneider said the consultant will compile the residents’ responses and provide them to the Planning Department.
“The end result is it will give them and us a better idea of what direction to go in, with respect to the concept,” he said. “We will work with the consultant to flush out ideas and present them in the late fall, hopefully during an in-person meeting.”
Mayor Robert Hedlund said efforts to improve commerce and the environment in Jackson Square have continued despite the pandemic.
“This survey is vital to improving Jackson Square, both from a development and an environmental standpoint, so we hope Weymouth residents can take time to attend this new virtual tour and provide needed feedback,” he said in a written statement.
According to Schneider, the survey and improvement study done by Harriman & Associates is financed under two state grants totaling $75,000.
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