A public input meeting is planned for January 24 at 6:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Fire Station meeting room by the committee that has been tasked with securing public opinions for reuse of the town property known as the Holy Ghost Grounds.
The committee volunteers are Greta Fox (Recreation Department director), Nathan Ketchel (member of the Planning Board and vice chair of this committee), Freemin Bauer, Nicky Miller, Jack Hill, Aaron Goldberg and Mike Rosa (Finance Committee member and HGGC chairman.)
The group has diligently met to craft a survey that was launched in the summer of 2023. Following the launch, the group studied the results, being careful to ensure data would be presented in a straightforward, nonskewed manner, thus presenting the public with a clear view of how people responded.
They were surprised that 553 surveys were submitted. Of that number, 80 were identified as non-full-time residents or nonresidents from surrounding towns. The average age from respondents was 41 years of age with the largest group responding falling between 60 and 75 years of age. Respondents were also asked to share how frequently they might use the proposed, renovated space. Then came the possibilities. What did they want on the 5-acre, town-owned property?
A dog park and pickleball courts rated high, but a study of the data showed it was a tie between the wants and the definitely not’s. For instance, those wanting pickleball courts came in at 137, but the “no” responses were 163. The dog park was nearly a tie with 182 wanting one and 183 registering “no.”
Three passive-recreational-use options came out on top. Those suggestions were a picnic area (225), a playground (224) and a walking loop (270.)
Now the committee was ready to meet vis-à-vis to discuss the survey process and results and to hear directly from the public.
Voicing concerns that people in the community will expect the committee to make recommendations or have design plans were several members, including Denise Conton. Rosa said it was important to tell the public that the committee is neither an advisory board nor a decision-making committee, that the committee’s job is to ascertain public opinion on various uses. Rosa stated, “We don’t have a budget … we aren’t making those decisions … we just want input so we can give the Select Board a report.”
The members reviewed the short presentation planned for the January 24 meeting. It includes a brief history of the site, goals of the committee, public input, closing with survey results and demographics.
Holy Ghost Grounds Reuse Committee
By Marilou Newell