From the Natick Master Plan of Parks and Fields, 2016, "Studies have shown that improved, well‐managed parks attract home buyers and increase property values. At one of the outreach meetings in Natick, one resident mentioned that she bought her house because of its proximity to the parks, including the Town Common. A recent article in The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)outlined what some believe to be general knowledge: that parks attract home buyers. The article mentioned that a National Association of Home Builders survey found that 65 percent of home shoppers said parks would influence them to move to a community. A survey from the National Association of Realtors reported that half of respondents would pay ten percent more to live near a park or protected open space."

The Town of Natick has the opportunity to purchase a property located at 22 Pleasant Street in South Natick, that can be used by the town for green Open Space. It could be used for recreation programs, ecology and conservation efforts as well. The site has more than four acres of land bounded by a stretch of the Charles River and situated across the street from the historic South Natick Dam and spillway waterfalls.  Town Meeting has voted three times - Article 35 Fall TM 2015, Article 29 Spring TM 2016 and Article 27 Fall TM 2017 - to authorize the Board of Selectmen to negotiate with the property owner to purchase this property. 

In fact, the Board of Selectmen and the Knott Family initially negotiated a price of $3.2M and Town Meeting approved the authorization to borrow that amount.  The Town Administrator and members of the Board of Selectmen have recently chosen to cease negotiating to purchase the property for several reasons - that the building on the property sits over a limited amount of contamination in the soil, and that funding the project is not a priority at this time. 

The Purchase Agreement stipulated the Knotts would remove the building and complete its ongoing remediation efforts under the advice and supervision of a Licensed Site Professional, to provide the DEP Permanent Solution level of clean. The owner then stated that based on the method their LSP chose to remediate, they could not meet the timeline for providing the necessary four quarters of clean tests necessary for reaching a Permanent Solution. The Board of Selectmen then decided that the DEP Temporary Solution in place and the promise of the coming Permanent Solution were not good enough. They terminated negotiations. 

The Knott Family has recently provided a letter stating that their efforts at remediation has reached a level that, if achieved for four consecutive quarters, would grant them Permanent Solution status from the DEP, allowing the owner's use of the property with No Restrictions. Which means that if Natick owned the property it would be realistic to consider a new riverside park for recreation, picnicking, a canoe and kayak launch and more. There could be permanent access to and parking to accommodate Natick League as well as the parks across the street that will be undergoing a massive renovation beginning in the Spring of 2020. 

There are some people who would argue that the principal issue being addressed by the three Warrant Articles in front of Town Meeting is access to the Hunnewell baseball fields. That is certainly a factor. More than 700 Natick families participate in the Natick Little League. Losing access to the fields, perhaps permanently, would certainly negatively impact the experience. But that is just part of the motivation to purchase the 22 Pleasant Street property. This property can be a key piece of green Open Space future generations of Natick residents to enjoy. 

We, The Natick Recreation and Parks Commission, urge you to contact the Board of Selectmen/Town Administrator at selectmen@natickma.org and your Town Meeting member to express your desire for the Town of Natick to purchase 22 Pleasant Street. If we don't acquire this valuable parcel now, it will be sold to an industrial company and the Town will lose an incredible Open Space asset and potentially access to the Little League fields.