
Letter: Ox Ridge Field passive recreation proponents ask town to reconsider playing field plans
The following letter was sent to members of the RTM Parks & Recreation Committee. It is being published here with the authors' consent and by their request.
To the Editor:
The following is an update to the letter we submitted to you for the March 14 meeting, which was cancelled due to a lack of a quorum. Please note, that the attached presentation has been updated to reflect corrections that the Parks & Recreation Commission Chairman, Mary Flynn, asked publicly to have made in her letter to the editor of the Darien Times.
We represent part of a growing group of concerned Darien citizens, and we would like to bring to your attention the current debate over the Ox Ridge field. We supported the purchase of the property for the number one reason of preserving this iconic piece of land, and to make it available to ALL Darien residents through careful planning that encourages passive recreation. To our surprise, we learned that the Board of Selectmen is contemplating full year-round programming and up to 15 community events, and more importantly has approved active athletics on this field. We also know the Purchase Agreement allows for portable structures such as bleachers and goal posts, and a 1,000 sq ft concession stand, which is larger than the concession stand at the Darien High School? The current proposed planned use for this field is not what we expected.
Read the purchase agreement here.
Furthermore, the town Parks & Recreation survey showed that 2,500 Darien families responded and ranked preservation of open space as #1, while more youth programming ranked 10th and more athletic fields ranked 13th? At this point, the public's interests and values are not being reflected in the Board of Selectmen’s plan for this property.
The Planning & Zoning Commission will commence with the permitting process within the next month or two, and we are looking to you to discuss this and perhaps provide your input to the Board of Selectmen and Planning & Zoning Commission. We are asking that you do not recommend active athletic programming on this field, and instead, we ask that you recommend and pursue a grander vision of a beautiful park that can be used for a vast array of unstructured, passive recreational activities.
We've attached a presentation that highlights our points. See the presentation by clicking here. Thank you for your time.
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Arvind & Shalini Anantharaman 22 Morehouse Drive
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Brian and Laurie Bessey Hollow Tree Ridge Road
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Anna and Cliff Blaze 24 Saddle Ridge Road
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Sean and Emily Bryan 1 Ox Ridge Lane
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Susan and Dave Ballard 16 Indian Spring Trail
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Lauren Calahan 561 Middlesex Road
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Mollie and John Callagy Hanson Road
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Susan and Dave Cator 38 Deepwood Road
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Richard and Maureen Chilton 9 Indian Spring Trail
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Maggie Morrow and Brian Clas 9 Hickory Lane
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Karla Coe 19 Pembroke Rd
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Amy and Zachary Comey 20 Saddle Ridge Road
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Lewis B. Cullman 543 Middlesex Rd
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Tracey and Steve Culliton 5 Brookside Road
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Ellen Loyd Debenedittis and Andrea Debenedittis 525 Middlesex Road
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Kelley and Mark DeGennaro 16 Intervale Road
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Bart & Heather de Bie 95 Pembroke Road
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Tracy and Peter Drippé, 35 Blueberry Lane
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Dr. Rhett and Heather Druggee 11 Ox Ridge Lane
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Karen and Brad Elders 10 Prospect Avenue
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Tiffany and Brian Van Elslander 769 Hollow Tree Ridge Road
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Patricia and Thomas M. Finnegan 503 Middlesex Road
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Abby and Mike Flanagan 19 Blueberry Lane
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Teresa and Vincent Foley 107 Tokeneke Rd
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David Freelove-566 Middlesex Road
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Amanda & Rockie Gajwani 580 Middlesex Road
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Kim and Lou Giannattasio 6 Saddle Ridge Rd
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Richard and Renee Gregory 451 Middlesex Rd.
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Jane and Ed Handler 31 Hancock Road
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John and Martha Hendrickson- 577 Middlesex Road
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Judy and Bill Holding 22 Saddle Ridge Rd
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C. Lincoln Jewett 537 Middlesex Road
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Christine and Patrick Keane 10 Pembroke Road
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Costa and Cheryl Kensington 366 Mansfield Avenue
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Julie and Bryan Kelley 9 Blueberry Ln
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Leelee and Michael Klein - 2 Saddle Ridge Road
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Cristina Orsi-Lirot 23 Fairmead Road
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Bob and Sheryl Lincoln Brookside Road
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Jenny & Brendan Malone 2 Ox Ridge Lane
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Dawn MacDonald 174 Mansfield Ave
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Doug and Annie McKee 2 Ridge Acres Road
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Charu Narula 16 Coachlamp Lane
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Mina Patel 22 Shady Acres Road
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Julie Philips 362 Mansfield Avenue
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Linda and Doug Reid 515 Middlesex Road
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Tim & Patty Reis, 18 Ox Ridge Lane
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Margie Roney 45 Birch Road
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Suzanne Schutte 600 Middlesex Road
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Jenny and Kevin Schwartz 8 Saddle Ridge Road
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Neenu Sharma 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road, Apt 2322
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Linda May Smith 2 Saddle Ridge Road
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Jane and George Song 556 Middlesex Rd
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Linda and John Tavlarios 15 Wrenfield Lane
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Lynn and Hank Wilson 527 Middlesex Road
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Cynthia and David Yowan 10 Saddle Ridge Road