Mayor Madden now says he won’t submit a second design for Legion Field

By JACK ENCARNACAO
The Patriot Ledger

WEYMOUTH – Weymouth Mayor David Madden says he will not submit a second design for a Legion Field recreation and sports field area after his first plan provoked protest and was voted down by the town council.

Madden had prepared a second design for the landmark and announced his intention to submit it to the town council when they return to session Tuesday night after a summer break.

But he said that in the past few days, he had decided it would be inappropriate for him to submit another design.

``I think it would be somewhat inappropriate or counterproductive to submit one knowing that we’re going heavily into an election season,'' Madden said. ``I think that sometimes that can impact the type of debate you’re going to have on a proposal such as this.''

Madden will step down this year after two terms in office, leaving the redesign of Legion Field to his successor.

``I’d prefer that in January the new mayor be able to take a look at it and make their own submittal,'' he said.

It’s unlikely Madden would have gotten the votes and community support he needs to produce a different result than the 8-3 council vote his first $7 million proposal to create a recreation area at the abandoned ballfield received during a heated meeting in June.

Town Councilor Michael Molisse, who voted for the first Legion plan, said Madden ``knew there was no support there'' and added, ``We would’ve gone through the exact same thing and what would we gain out of it?''

Molisse said Madden’s decision puts the town in a tough spot.

``It puts us in a lousy predicament really,'' he said. ``It’s going to be a long time before anything is put forward on it now. Now we’re left with a mud field here that could sit there for a long time.''

The decades-old Legion Field, where Weymouth High School football games were a long-standing tradition, was idled in 2003 after the high school was built in South Weymouth.

It’s been dormant since, and Molisse said he fears a new mayor is going to have too many things on his plate to take quick action.

``I just know it’s going to be put on the back burner,'' said Molisse, who chairs the council’s parks and recreation committee. ``I don’t want to see that happen.''

Councilor Kevin Whitaker said a big concern is cost and whether the town can afford to borrow $7 million at this time.

``I think the council’s looking at it from a fiscal responsibility perspective as well as making the final plan one the community is excited about,'' Whitaker said. ``I think we can do it. It might just take a phased approach.''

Madden’s first plan included a regulation-size baseball field, a field for soccer, football and lacrosse, a basketball court, a roller hockey court and tennis courts that would double as ice skating rinks. The plan also included a walking trail, a gazebo and a children’s playground.

For the second design, Madden said, he changed the baseball field to a softball field and eliminated the gazebo and the roller hockey court.

``I firmly believe the focus of Legion Field should be recreation,'' Madden said. ``It is not an appropriate site simply for wide-open space. We have casual space in many areas of town.''

Many residents disagree with Madden. People who live near the field rallied behind a townwide survey created by a Garey Street resident, Dianne Malono, that showed residents were not looking for a Legion Field dominated by organized sports activity. Malono said its results were clear.

``They are looking for the casual usage, with possibly one athletic field,'' she said. ``Any new plan must demonstrate consideration of concerns raised this past spring.''

Madden said the town will continue collecting bids from contractors to remove 20,000 cubic yards of soil from the property and to secure the site while a new plan is developed. He said the town does not have the money to tear down old bleachers that still stand on the field.

Jack Encarnacao may be reached at jencarnacao@ledger.com.