Lamson Park Playground's Fate to Be Decided This Week

WESTON, MA - In 1775, a group of about 100 men gathered in the area of Lamson Park and marched to the battles of Lexington and Concord. Now, the town of Weston wants to build a playground on the historic site and some residents aren’t happy about it.

In 2014, voters approved a request for $225,000 to relocate the outdated Tavernside playground to Lamson Park. The goal was to create a safer playground that was up to safety code and appealed to a wider age range.

Lamson park was purchased in the early 1900s in an effort to preserve Weston’s “natural integrity,” according to the Weston Historical Society. The area was deemed park land making it forbidden to construct buildings on the site.

Keeping that in mind, a playground does not count as a building and could legally be built on the site, according to the Weston Historical Society.

Some Weston residents are upset about the plans for the new playground because of the historical significance associated with the site and the town’s original intentions to keep the land in its natural form.

“Lamson Park today and every day reminds us of the great risk [the patriots] took that allows us to freely live the lives we live today,” resident Patricia Siek wrote in a letter to Wicked Local. ”This park is a memorial to them and all our veterans who have walked in their steps since that morning. To build a playground or anything on that park is an insult to all of them, living or dead.”

The alternative would be to build the playground on the Case Estates, a 60-acre parcel of land that was once owned by Harvard and will soon belong to the town.

The town of Weston is arguing the location will provide a community-oriented gathering place and will help to educate Weston children about their hometown’s history. Some residents agree the land would make a good community space for Weston.

“The planned playground at Lamson would expand the possibilities for gathering in town. At the picnic tables and on the shady green, we can share dumplings or pizza or muffins procured on foot from one of our excellent locally owned restaurants,” resident Kerri Majors wrote in a letter to Wicked Local. ”We can even run a few errands on foot before or after our kids play. None of this would be possible if the playground was at the Case Estates – or it might be, only if we hopped in our cars.”

Another argument in favor of the Lamson Park playground is that the Community Preservation Committee money awarded for the project will not transfer if the playground is moved to the Case Estates.

There is also the issue of time.

“The Case Estates is years away from completion,” the Friends of Lamson Park wrote in a statement. “In fact, the town does not even own that land yet. Weston needs a new playground now and using Case Estates means that, even in the words of the Selectmen, there will be “significant delays.” 

• See the full list of reasons the playground should not be moved to the Case Estates according to the Friends of Lanson Park >>>

There will be a special town meeting on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in the High School auditorium to vote on whether the play space should be moved from Lamson Park to Case Estates.

What do you think of the plans to build a playground in Lamson Park? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo via Google Commons