What’s remarkable is all the space.
The new Winslow Park, which is 90 percent complete, seems to go on forever. Last Friday found crews wiring fencing, planting trees and shrubs, working on the …
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What’s remarkable is all the space.
The new Winslow Park, which is 90 percent complete, seems to go on forever. Last Friday found crews wiring fencing, planting trees and shrubs, working on the interior of the Apponaug Girls Softball clubhouse and snack bar and leveling the nearly mile-long walking track that winds through the park. In the days ahead, sod will transform the outfields of the six ball fields; the remaining house on the site will come down and parking lots will be finished. Also, work will commence on the Airport Road access road that will bring players and their parents around the back of the airport maintenance garage and up the hill to the park.
It’s the openness, the expanse that is powerful. And it’s not just the new Winslow Park.
The airport is a reminder, not a constant presence, at the existing Winslow Park off Main Avenue. Low level planes landing at Green cross over many of the fields. There are fences and landing lights, but the airport is somewhere beyond Main Avenue.
The extension of the main runway to 8,700 feet, an extended runway safety area and the realignment of Main Avenue are displacing the existing park. Construction on the Main Avenue loop has already started with the removal of homes and land clearing. Work on the runway extension is scheduled for completion by December 2017.
The new Winslow Park, once a part of the Lakeside Drive neighborhood around Warwick Pond, is adjacent to the airport. Across from the park, close to a mile away, is the terminal. Much closer is the runway and the hangars on Airport Road. The sky and the airport are dominating features.
The fields are slated to be turned over to the city, which in turn will permit their use to Warwick Firefighters Soccer and Apponaug Girls Softball on July 1. League President Bob Chevian thinks it would be better to wait until August as the league is co-hosting a college showcase tournament involving 55 teams in July.
A spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation said Tuesday the tournament has been taken under consideration and they have planned for it to be held at the existing park.
Chevian is thrilled with the new park and the cooperation with RIAC.
“The place is going to be absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The airport has been very good to us.”
The old fields won’t be abandoned without fanfare.
On May 30 the Apponaug league plans a farewell party at the existing fields where games have been held for the last 27 years. The event that coincides with the league’s 35th anniversary will include games for the kids and a reunion of players and coaches. The party starts at 1 p.m. Chevian expects families involved with the league over the years, including relatives of the late past president Dave Pushee, who built the clubhouse, to be in attendance.
About 600 girls ranging in age from 5 to 18 play in Apponaug’s spring, summer and fall programs. The league has five divisions. Firefighters Soccer that will be using three full sized fields at the southerly end of the park has another 1,200 youth players.
With so many players and parents, both the city and the neighbors to the new Winslow Park are concerned parents will use the Lakeshore Drive neighborhood as a drop-off for their kids so as to avoid Hoxsie Four Corners and the access road from Airport Road.
At last Monday’s Council meeting Rowe Avenue residents Janice Pangman and Christopher Ougheltree voiced their concern over possible increased neighborhood traffic, suggesting a meeting with league officials to discourage use of neighborhood streets.
William DePasquale, interim chief of staff and city planner, said he was “shocked” by how big the new park is.
“It’s not the best location in the world,” he said referencing the proximity to the airport, “but they’re beautiful fields.”
He said he is concerned by parking and use of neighborhood streets for drop-offs. He said as a condition to use of the fields, parents of players may be required to sign a form stating they will use the access road.
5 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
dickcoutu
First before I begin commenting to all of those who think I don't know what I'm talking about, I used to live across the street from field 5 from day
one until the house was purchased by R.I.A.C. The house was demolished on April 13th not that it matters.
The reason for President Bob Chevian thinking it would be better to wait until August for the college showcase tournament involving 55 teams on July 3rd, 4th and 5th is simply because there isn't any room at the new location for these 55 teams to practice! That would take into account the use of the 3 new soccer fields and the 2 new smaller softball fields if practice was allowed on these fields.
Currently at the existing location there is all kinds of ample room to practice since they removed a large number of homes. Bob Chevian knows better.
The Richard Durning and Ocean State tournaments being held this year on July 17th, 18th and 19th and July 24th, July 25th and July 26th is another
reason Bob Chevian doesn't want to move to the new location on August 1st. I have made a note to myself regarding the Ocean State tournament being an unusually large tournament back in 2013.
Mr. William DePasquale should be very concerned about parking and use of neighborhood streets for drop-offs. This WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN!!!
Mr. William DePasquale also said parents of players may be required to sign a form stating they will use the access road. What a joke! How can you
hold parents to such a request!
I say close the current Winslow Park softball and soccer fields on June 30th as scheduled and begin constructing the re-alignment of Main Avenue
on July 1st as originally planned. NO EXCEPTIONS... PERIOD!!!
Thursday, May 28, 2015 Report this
dickcoutu
Seriously, I feel bad for those residents who live along Wilbur Avenue and in the vicinity of 2 of the 4 larger softball fields with the outfields facing their backyards. Problem is during Apponaug Girls Softball league regular games and tournament play, things should be all right. It's when they're not playing you'll get teenagers in there hitting baseballs and you can be sure you'll get your share of balls in your backyards.
I hope the AGS committee members become aware of this issue and take the appropriate steps to address this potential problem.
The same thing happened when I lived across from Field 5 at their current location.
Another problem I see is regarding the location/orientation of the 2 new smaller softball fields identified as fields "D" on the map. Especially during tournament time, parents bring their children who are not in the tournaments and will tend to wander to one of these 2 fields and start hitting tennis or softball or even hard balls. I know. The balls used to fly into my yard across from the current field 5. According to the map it shows both outfields of the 2 new smaller softball fields facing the outfields of 2 of the 4 larger fields shown as "C" on the map. Someone from AGS will have to do something about preventing this from happening and holding up games, especially during tournament time.
The biggest concern I have is room or space within the new Winslow Park for "tournament" teams "on deck" waiting to play. Where will these teams NOW PRACTICE? They no longer have the luxury of practicing in empty lots like they currently do at the existing location. The AGS committee will have to address this issue.
I'm sure the Warwick Fire Fighters Soccer League wouldn't appreciate softball teams practicing on their soccer fields. That's right, you now have the soccer fields adjacent to the softball fields, unlike the current location of the fields.
I'm just trying to give some input to the AGS committee people regarding these potential issues based on my experience when I lived across from the current field 5.
Thank you.
Friday, May 29, 2015 Report this
smh
anyone who brings their children to this field is an idiot! this is worse than winslow...shame on the city for allowing this
Friday, May 29, 2015 Report this
dickcoutu
Does anyone know if there will be a gate to Winslow Park off the new access road? If so, will they lock it during night time or will Winslow Park be accessible 24 hours a day? Thought I'd ask. I'm asking this because of all the trouble I saw over the years at the current location... especially at night.
And what about parking? I can distinctly remember one day about two years ago when there was no softball going on at the six current softball fields and the Warwick Firefighters Soccer League had opening day at the current soccer fields which is off of Iris Avenue. From the back of my yard I could not only see their parking lots full of cars but cars parked along Iris Avenue and then along Groveland Avenue ending about 50 feet from Main Avenue.
That's a lot of cars!!! Now I'm concerned and wonder how both the softball and soccer leagues will coordinate their major sporting events... Hmm... very interesting... I hope the new Winslow Park can accommodate the cars from both the softball and soccer leagues at the same time. I'm wondering if parents will try to take advantage of parking along any of the 3 streets (Wilbur, Wells and Rowe?) I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Friday, May 29, 2015 Report this
HerbTokerman
What genius decided to put a place for kids to participate in athletics right next to where they'll be breathing in jet exhaust.
You'd think common sense would say that athletic fields should be located away from the immediate general area of an airport.
This sounds like a future lawsuit waiting to happen when kids develop lung cancer or other diseases.
Saturday, May 30, 2015 Report this